Lama Avenger, The | aka The Three Avengers (1979) Review

“The Lama Avenger” Theatrical Poster

Director: Wong Wa-Kei
Cast: Bruce Li (Ho Chung Tao), Chin Yuet Sang, Michael Winston, Chui Fat, Lee Hoi San, Baan Yun Sang, Ching Chu, Sham Chin Bo, Austin Wai 
Running Time: 85 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Looking back at the careers of the Bruceploitation genres big three – Bruce Li, Bruce Le, and Dragon Lee – eventually all of them would step out of the Little Dragon’s shadow, admirably pushing for their own onscreen identities to come to the fore. However it was Bruce Li who took the initiative first, and understandably so, since he holds the record for how many times he’d portray Bruce Lee onscreen in numerous biopics of varying quality (if you’re wondering, the one worth tracking down is 1976’s Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth). By the late 70’s Li had seemingly had enough of the Bruce Lee association, and started appearing in productions billed using his actual name of Ho Chung Tao, headlining a number of gritty contemporary kung-fu flicks (and even venturing into some Jackiesploitation territory with the Drunken Master inspired Blind Fist of Bruce).

The evolution of Chung Tao as a kung-fu leading man is one of determination and learning on the fly. The difference from the stiff and uninspired performance he’d clock in for his debut lead role in 1974’s Super Dragon (unsurprisingly playing Bruce Lee, in what many consider to be the first Bruceploitation movie), to 5 years later when he’d transformed into a performer who fully understood how to convey power and intensity onscreen, is like night and day. Chung Tao would headline 6 productions in 1979 alone, and all of them range from solid entertainment to stone cold classics on the kung-fu movie scale (and I’ll go ahead and say it – I’d also watch any of them over a Bruce Lee movie!). In the upper echelons you have the likes of The Gold Connection, Bruce and the Iron Finger, and Lama Avenger.

Far from the traditional kung-fu flick that the last title implies, The Lama Avenger is (like its brethren), a contemporary tale set in 70’s Hong Kong. One of the rare instances where the aka of The Three Avengers is actually more accurate than the title it’s popularly known by (those expecting any lama kung-fu will be disappointed), here Chung Tao is paired with Chin Yuet-Sang. A regular supporting player in countless Shaw Brothers productions, Yuet-Sang’s best accomplishments are arguably behind the camera as a fight choreographer and director – he’d helm 1981’s Lion Vs Lion with Hsu Hsia, and choreograph the likes of Ol’ Dirty Kung Fu and The Drunken Monk. Here he’s also on fight choreography duty, while in front of the camera he and Chung Tao play a pair of opera troupe performers who get fired after seeing off a group of hecklers using their fists and feet.

Strapped for cash, they end up moving into Chung Tao’s aunt’s home, where they cross paths with a greedy real estate agent eager to purchase the home for redevelopment, and not afraid to use some heavy-handed tactics to get his way. Of course, said developer wasn’t counting on a pair of kung-fu experts moving in, and a lot of ferocious fighting ensues. To address the elephant in the room, the third of The Three Avengers comes in the form of gweilo Michael Winston, here clocking in his one and only film credit before disappearing without a trace (note: not literally). Winston initially plays the friend of the developer’s ruthless son, played by Chui Fat (who’s also most well known for his work behind the camera, choreographing the action in the likes of Killer Angels and Avenging Trio), however when he realises their villainous ways, he switches sides to team up with Chung Tao and Yuet-Sang.

Essentially that’s all there is to the plot, however director Wong Wa-Kei, who also co-wrote the script with none other than Wong Jing (it’s worth noting that before making his directorial debut in 1981, Jing also co-wrote the scripts for the likes of The Magnificent Butcher and The Fighting Fool!), crams a lot into the punchy 85-minute run time. We get a revenge triggering character death, a new kung-fu school business, Yuet-Sang spending time in jail, 70’s style deep fake shenanigans, Chung Tao being ‘discovered’ and becoming a kung-fu movie star, a life changing injury, and a couple of female cast members who aren’t credited anywhere! The good news is that throughout it all, there never seems to be a fight more than a few minutes away, and they’re all of a high quality.

The Lama Avenger was 1 of only 2 kung-fu movies that director Wong Wa-Kei would make in his 14-year career (that encompassed, unironically, 14 movies), with the other being the more comedy inclined My Kung Fu Master from the previous year. There are still subtle traces of Wa-Kei’s comedic sensibilities on display here, my favorite of which is at the start when Chung Tao and Yuet-Sang have just been fired and head over to Yuet-Sang’s place, which is literally one of those old-school kung-fu movie wooden shacks in the middle of a field. There’s something amusingly surreal about seeing them sat there in 70’s attire, however when the same hecklers turn up for another confrontation, it turns out it’s been constructed for the sole purpose of being destroyed. Those on the receiving end don’t just go through the walls during this fight sequence, they literally bring the entire wall to the ground when they go crashing into it!

Chung Tao had developed a strong screen presence by this point, and his character gets some cool touches, like being able to flick a cigarette into his mouth, precursing Jackie Chan doing the same thing with chewing gum 8 years later in Armour of God. By the late 70’s there also seemed to be a recurring theme of incorporating meta-like elements into the movies he’d star in – here he becomes a kung-fu star, similar to what we see in Dynamo from the previous year (there’s actually a scene where Chung Tao and the film crew go to watch Dynamo on the big screen as the latest movie they worked on – the mental logistics of which are too difficult for me to articulate in words), and he also stumbles onto a filmset in The Gold Connection. It would seem like Chung Tao wanted to use his influence to include scenes of his own experience working in film, which culminated with his directorial debut The Chinese Stuntman in 1984.

Personally I find Chin Yuet-Sang tends to be a little grating in many of the roles he plays (Hocus Pocus springs immediately to mind), but here he’s at least dialled back, and it’s a rare pleasure to also see him executing his own choreography (as it is with Chung Tao – this would be the only time they’d work together). I’m not sure anyone needs to see him breaking out the disco moves on the dancefloor again (but they would, 3 years later in Carry On Pickpocket), however it can’t be argued that he’s the real deal, and even performs a dangerous looking stunt where he’s pulled along a road by a car with a chain tied around his neck. The latter forms part of a standout action sequence in The Lama Avenger, in which Yuet-Sang and Chung Tao are ambushed by Chui Fat and his lackey’s roadside, culminating in a rage filled two on one as the pair attempt to subdue a seemingly unstoppable Fat who’s determined to kill the pair.

The other standout action sequence belongs to the finale, when Chung Tao, Yuet-Sang, and Michael Winston team up to take on muscle for hire Lee Hoi-Sang (Shaolin Mantis, Bruce Li in New Guinea). Playing the kind of late entry villain role usually reserved for Hwang Jang Lee, the gym/kung-fu school setting makes good use of the environment, with a pommel horse being utilised to give a thorough pummelling, and Hoi-Sang going ballistic while brandishing a pair of old school kettlebells. Yuet-Sang even gets his licks in via some weapons work with a sword and straw shield, making for a gruelling final fight that serves as a fitting closer for an entertainingly gritty and economically told slice of old-school kung-fu goodness.

At one point a character tells Chung Tao “Go into the movies, you can fight well!”, and he’s right! While there are still those out there who write off the entire Bruceploitation genre as exploitative drivel to be avoided, it’s productions like The Lama Avenger that could well be the one that changes their mind. For the rest of us already acquainted with Ho Chung Tao, if you’ve yet to see The Lama Avenger, then make sure to get that corrected sooner rather than later!

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 8/10