Today’s quick review: Clan of the White Lotus. As revenge for killing his brother, White Lotus (Lo Lieh), the chief of the Lotus Clan, murders Shaolin martial artist Hu Ah-Biao (King-Chu Lee), forcing Hu’s best friend Hung Wen-Ting (Gordon Liu) and pregnant wife Mei-Hsiao (Kara Wai) to go into hiding. To avenge his friend, Hung begins training on a new martial arts style designed to counter White Lotus’ flawless technique.
Clan of the White Lotus is a martial arts action movie about the aftermath of the confrontation between the Shaolin Temple and Pai Mei. The story follows Hung Wen-Ting as he trains relentlessly to fight White Lotus, experimenting with new styles and risking his life to test them out. Clan of the White Lotus has the same physically intensive stunts as its contemporaries, but its emphasis on quirky techniques gives it a different feel.
Clan of the White Lotus’ fight scenes are a mixed bag. On the one hand, the technical skill on display is impressive, and some of Hung’s fights with White Lotus’ men are sharply choreographed. On the other hand, the movie tends to waste time on group fights where the stakes are poorly defined and the choreography is not as precise. The fights with White Lotus himself are elaborate and flashy but prone to weird gimmicks thanks to his abilities.
Clan of the White Lotus has some of the same appeal as other classic martial arts movies, but it is saddled with some questionable choices regarding the way its story develops and the rules of martial arts it portrays. For the right fan, these quirks will all be part of the fun, but viewers who prefer down-to-earth combat won’t get as much out of it.
For a more grounded martial arts movie starring Gordon Liu, try The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. For a martial arts action comedy about a man learning an unconventional style, try Drunken Master.
[7.2 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080905/). I give it a 6.5 for decent action that plays by some odd rules.