User reviews

I have this film in an English-dubbed VHS edition under the title, LADY WU TANG. It's got a standard kung fu plot with an interesting twist—a girl seeks to gain entrance to Shaolin Temple despite a rule barring female students--but is often played for laughs and features some fantasy touches, as when the heroine extends her arms and legs in a manner similar to the comic book superhero Plastic Man. The reason to see this film is the performance of the lead actress, Polly Shang Kwan (18 BRONZEMEN, 99 CYCLING SWORDS). Although she's dubbed in English, her intensity shines through as her character, Shi Fu Chun, expresses earnest devotion to the art of kung fu and shows great joy when an eccentric old master, exiled from Shaolin, agrees to teach her in his cave hideaway. When the "Positive" kung fu she learns has the effect of causing her male hormones to race, leaving her with a barely visible moustache (which comes and goes in subsequent scenes), it doesn't dampen her kung fu ardor one bit. Instead, she goes on a quest for the "Negative" kung fu book in order to counter the effects of the Positive. It's quite a physical role for Polly as she follows the usual trajectory of this kind of plot: waiting patiently for days outside Shaolin Temple; carrying buckets of water uphill as part of her training; getting one-on-one instruction from old master Lin Chiu (Chan Wai Lau); lifting up the red-hot dragon cauldron of Shaolin in order to burn the dragon tattoos into her arms; heading out with two monks-in-training to track down the missing "Negative Classic" kung fu book; and fighting off all manner of opponents. Polly never wavers from her mission and keeps us engrossed throughout, even when the proceedings start to get silly.

There is quite a colorful supporting cast, including some major names, although few of them have large parts. Chia Ling (aka Judy Lee, star of QUEEN BOXER), one of the reigning kung fu divas of the 1970s, plays one of Polly's opponents, but she doesn't get to fight at all. Wong Tao, a star in his own right (THE SECRET RIVALS, EAGLE'S CLAW, etc.), also has a small part as one of the opponents. Other familiar faces turn up, including Fang Mien, Kam Kong, Lee Keung, Elsa Yeung, and Ma Cheung, to name a few. The one supporting cast member to shine the most is Chan Wai Lau, as the eccentric kung fu master, who plays out two entire sequences painted in gold from head to toe (after he's "died" and placed in Shaolin as one of the "Golden Buddhas" guarding the temple). Chan excelled in this kind of physical role, as seen in NEW SHAOLIN BOXERS and THE MING PATRIOTS, to name two other films of his. If I have any complaint, it's that the comic shenanigans of the two student monks who accompany Polly get awfully tiresome pretty quickly.

But it's Polly's show all the way and worth seeing just for her. While other female stars of kung fu films were far more ferocious fighters (e.g. Chia Ling and Angela Mao), Polly was the more versatile actress and played a wider range of roles, from comical to dead serious, and various modes in between. If you've seen her in BACK ALLEY PRINCESS (1973), also reviewed on this site, you've already witnessed what a great actress she was. Every film I see her in just increases my estimation of her.

THE FIGHT FOR SHAOLIN TAMO MYSTIQUE is an odd little martial arts film, shot in Taiwan. The script incorporates lots of little fantastic touches that don't really work very well on what is clearly a low budget, but somehow add to the experience anyway. The story is about a female fighter, played by Polly Shan, who is taken in by a wise old master and trained in the way of the martial arts so that she can battle some evil villains.

It's predictable and rather slapdash stuff, too cheap to make much of an impact. The fight scenes are okay and enlivened by the touch of weirdness which reminded me of MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE. Shan has the ability to stretch her limbs which makes for arresting viewing and is covered in tattoos at one point so that she looks like one of those female dealers in a Yakuza gambling den. A lot of the film is preoccupied with her training in a weird underground temple where she battles odd fighters. This part reminded me of the likes of Joseph Kuo's 18 BRONZE MEN. The bit where she has to lift a metal brazier is quite remarkable as well. The final fight scene is undistinguished but mildly fun.