Clan Of The White Lotus DVD Region 3

Seeking to avenge the death of both his sworn brother and his fiancée, Wei Ting tries to combine Tiger and Crane boxing into one style, practicing every evening. But when he loses his bout with White Lotus on the first try, Wei Ting trains for a few more years, but sadly ends up failing yet again. After learning that his technique is too forceful to strike the ethereal White Lotus, Wei Ting looks to Mei Hsiao to teach him a softer, more feminine style of kung fu. She agrees, making him do "women's work" as training—caring for the baby, sewing, etc. Eventually Wei Ting learns the slinky, graceful techniques of his sworn sister and sets off to face White Lotus – and loses!

This time around, however, Wei Ting almost loses his life in the process, nearly succumbing to White Lotus's 100-Pace Punch, a deadly maneuver which kills the victim one hundred steps after the blow is delivered. Thanks to some acupuncture from an unlikely ally, Wei-Ting is back in action. Eagerly, he learns the secrets of acupressure points and incorporates this new knowledge into his own eclectic mix of Tiger, Crane, and Women's kung fu to create a whole new style of fighting: embroidery kung fu! With acupuncture needles in hand, Wei Ting heads off for the final showdown with White Lotus. But will he win?

Although repetitive, Clan of the White Lotus is a fun movie. It boasts some strong performances, which elevate the film beyond its ho-hum revenge plot. Gordon Liu's screen presence is so incredibly strong, and he's so darn likable that one tends to forgive the plot's repetitiveness. Kara Hui Ying Hung really shines in the role of Mei Hsiao, imbuing it with more humanity and depth than was probably on the written page. It also doesn't hurt that Hui is an elegant, dexterous performer, who demonstrates her "feminine kung fu" with an obvious grace and confidence, which Gordon Liu plays off perfectly.

A hero is only as good as the villain who opposes him, and White Lotus is a very effective villain. Besides serving as the film's antagonist, Lo Lieh was also the film's director. Clan of the White Lotus was only Lo's second time in the director's chair, and for what it's worth, the film looks like it was handled by a pro: the martial arts sequences are a bit snappier, the comedy a whole lot funnier, and the performances a lot more compelling than the previous film. But even on its own, Clan of the White Lotus is a satisfying revenge flick with just enough nuances to keep people tuned in to the proceedings.

By Calvin McMillin - LoveHKFilm.com