O Clã do Lotus Branco

FISTS OF THE WHITE LOTUS (aka CLAN OF THE WHITE LOTUS, 1980) has a standard kung fu storyline of a student forced to learn different kung fu styles in order to defeat the superior skills of a villainous master who killed his brother and other family members. This simple structure, however, allows for a succession of expertly staged kung fu bouts and imaginative training scenes featuring some of the genre's top-ranked performers.

Gordon Liu (MASTER KILLER) stars as the student. Kara Hui Ying Hung (MY YOUNG AUNTIE) co-stars as his sister-in-law who teaches him women's kung fu styles, a soft response designed to counter the opponent's hard blows. (She makes Gordon learn embroidery at one point.) Their training scenes together are quite graceful and laced with humor and give the impression of an elegant dance team at work. After Gordon's use of women's kung fu fails to defeat his enemy, he turns to another teacher to learn an acupuncture-based style which targets an opponent's pulse points, a technique which finally does the trick.

Lo Lieh (FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH) plays the white-haired villain and is credited with the film's direction. The great Wang Lung Wei plays one of Lo's henchmen and fights Gordon early in the film. Lau Kar Leung choreographed the fight scenes, but his directorial touch is evident throughout the film, which closely recalls his own EXECUTIONERS FROM SHAOLIN (1977), which has a similar structure and also features Lo Lieh as a white-haired villain.

Lo Lieh directs himself in this serio-comic kung fu outing.The best part of the film is the way Lo Lieh and Liu Chia Hui interact and get into their larger than life roles. There's lots of mass killing and tragedy at the beginning but by the time the film ends the whole thing has become very comic. The way the evil White Lotus is defeated is one of the strangest scenes in kung fu cinema.

The pacing of the film is slower than comparable films from Liu Chia Liang, who provided the fight choreography here. While the first fight scenes are just average, the final fight scenes have his visual touch on them and it seems he may have directed them.

The whole film is very colorful in the restored Celestial Pictures DVD and I recommend finding that over the U.S. TV print that is around.

This movie is, bar none, the most fantastic kung-fu film ever made, all centered around the main performers, particularly Gordon Liu and Kara Hui, and specifically the star-director, Lo Lieh. Lieh is probably the grandmaster of kung-fu films, and his ability to take even the most mundane sneering thug character and give it life is a credit to his acting. Lieh plays Priest White Lotus here, a white-haired super-villain whose fighting technique consists of essentially becoming as untouchable as a ghost. Priest White Lotus cannot even be touched, much less struck, and the displays of power combined with his eerie abilities make him visually stunning.

But it's more than simple physicality. Lo Lieh gives this supernatural force so much humor, vitality, and humanity, that Priest White Lotus is elevated into one of the great onscreen villains ever, in any genre of film. The scene where Priest White Lotus fights the vengeful hero Liu, who has attacked Lieh during his bath, forcing the Priest to block vicious blows while naked and pulling on his houseclothes, is simply one of the unbelievable joys of watching this movie. You'll laugh, not because the scene is played for laughs, but because the scene is GREAT, and the two actors are dead-on incredible, and you can't believe what you're seeing.

And the final conflict between Liu and Lieh cannot be described. There is a frightening majesty to Lieh's Priest, and Liu's hero the perfect culmination of the kung-fu revenge-hero, that the viewer is inawed by them. They become god-like in their techniques, and yet more human as their familiarity through repeated battles reveals just how much alike the two men have become. The two, evil and good, are seperated not by their skill or philosophy, but by the need for one to nullify the other. They have become so close that it is impossible for them both to exist.

FISTS OF THE WHITE LOTUS is a great film, and unforgettable.

'Clan Of The White Lotus (1980)' is actually a sequel to 'Executioners From Shaolin (1977)' (which I haven't seen), but it provides a nice recap at the start that means you shouldn't be lost if you decide to watch this without first watching that prior picture. After defeating Pei Mei (or Priest White Eyebrows), two warriors brothers (or maybe just brothers-in-arms) return home to their significant others as a declaration is signed to begin rebuilding the Shaolin temple that was recently destroyed by the recently departed villain. Pei Mei's brother (or maybe just brother-in-arms) Priest White Lotus, head of the White Lotus clan, doesn't take too kindly to the warriors' actions, and decides to showcase his superior Kung fu by attacking them while they eat. This battle costs the life of one of the brothers and the partner of the other, leaving Hung Wen-Ting and his pregnant sort of sister-in-law Mei-Hsaio defeated and in hiding. Naturally, more revenge is in order. It's interesting that the movie is basically about the hero getting revenge for the villain getting revenge, with the death of a brother(-in-arms) being what prompts both men to take action, but this grey morality isn't explored because the antagonist is a proper baddie who also happens to be involved with the slaughter of anyone involved with the Shaolin temple and its rebuilding. The film isn't interested in the ethics of getting even, just the process of doing so against a more advanced opponent. Still, it's an intriguing concept and goes to show the cyclical nature of vengeance in a way that isn't specifically spoken but is certainly felt. The movie is very classic in its structure, with the majority of its midsection dedicated to the training required for its protagonist to emerge triumphant, but it's actually really satisfying. It reminds me of a video-game, more so than a lot of its peers, as the lead refines a new technique and then tries it against his foe, only to suffer a defeat which necessitates the learning of a new technique and prompts the cycle to start over again. It's genuinely engaging stuff, and even the slower segments are entertaining in their own methodical way. The other somewhat distinct aspect of the piece is its approach to crafting a singular villain - kind of like a final boss - who is so overpowered it's borderline silly. With a big personality and even bigger eyebrows, Priest White Lotus (lovingly portrayed by director Lieh Lo) spends most of the runtime smugly dodging every single blow that comes his way, callously laughing in the face of his enemies and striking with fictional pressure point attacks that cause people to die after a certain number of steps (yet another thing Quentin Tarantino stole, alongside the character of Pei Mei, for his own attempt at the genre). He also, like his brother(-in-arms) before him, has the ability to trap people's hands in-between his testicles in a vice-like grip, which he uses to counter the alarming number of below-the-belt shots that come his way throughout the story. He's a scene-chewing baddie with almost mythical levels of strength, agility and power, which gives the feature a fantastical feeling even though it's relatively grounded for its majority. Although he's a bit pantomime, he totally works in this context and is an entertaining on-screen persona, arguably the perfect foil for Gordon Liu's determined yet straight-laced hero. Their bouts are as exciting as you'd expect, and it really does feel like the lead is going up against almost impossible odds despite being a really accomplished martial artist. Their clashes are also quite funny in their own way, as increasingly unconventional fighting styles become necessary and the baddie isn't impressed by any of them. It's a simple, to-the-point experience but it's well-paced, superbly choreographed (by the inimitable Lau Kar-leung, who also pops up as a double for one of the villain's sword-wielding guards a couple of times) and confidently directed. It's a really entertaining affair from start to finish, despite a couple of wobbly moments here and there, and its fight scenes are often absolutely spectacular. It's not the best in its genre, but it's definitely a lot of fun.

Gives you what you want out of this kind of straightforward martial arts movie- a simple premise that's an excuse for lots of fights to take place, and plenty of fun action.

The closest this movie comes to slowing down is when the main character needs to train at a few points in order to get stronger so he can fight better and fight more. The action is otherwise constant, and maybe even exhausting, but it's fun and never boring as a result.

There might be a slight case of quantity over quality, as there are a few times where the choreography isn't flawless and you can tell people aren't getting hit, but oh well, it's pretty forgivable.

A good time, and recommended if you're in the mood for a pure martial arts action movie.