WHITE LOTUS CULT
Cantonese: Baak lin che sun
Mandarin: Bai lian xie shen
English: White Lotus Evil God

SAM THE IRON BRIDGE
Cantonese: Mo jong yuen Tit Kiu Sam
Mandarin: Wu zhuang yuan Tie Qiao San
English: Martial Champion Iron Bridge Three
Alternate English Title: Sam The Iron Bridge -- Champion of Martial Arts

ONE ARM HERO
Cantonese: Mo si duen bei
Mandarin: Wu shi duan bei
English: Martial Hero Loses Limb

The box office success of the first three instalments in Tsui Hark's ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA series (starring Jet Li Lianjie as historical kung fu master Wong Fei-hung) sparked a new HK martial arts movie craze during the early 90s. Taiwanese producer Wang Ying-hsiang hopped on the band wagon with his own three part saga, starring To Siu-chun (probably best known as the guileless Mainland cop in D & B Films' enjoyable "Three Chinas" actioner FORBIDDEN ARSENAL) as Liang Kun, another real-life hero known more famously as Tit Kiu Sam. A contemporary of Fei-hung's father, Wong Kei-ying, Tit was a practitioner of Hung Gar kung fu (a style created by Hung Hei-kwun, who was portrayed by Jet Li in NEW LEGEND OF SHAOLIN) and one of the Ten Tigers of Canton, fighters noted for their resolute honor and tremendous martial skills. The words Tit Kiu Sam literally translate as "Iron Bridge Three," a reference to the man's ability to hold the Hung Gar "bridge" stance for long periods of time. Liang was also called Sam guo or "Brother Three" by his friends, hence his designation as Sam Liang in the English subtitles here. Taiwanese model/actress Yeh Chuan-chen (FIRE DRAGON) and HK starlet Fennie Yuen Kit-ying (THE TAI-CHI MASTER) also appear in each picture as the requisite love interests. The martial arts (choreographed by Phillip Kwok Tsui) rely heavily on wirework and are generally not on par with Tsui's films. That said, the setpieces remain enjoyable, the costumes and production values are very good and, until networks like TVB and ATV start providing English subtitled versions, the trilogy provides Western viewers with a chance to enjoy the kind of period martial arts serials that have been a staple of Chinese television for years.

The initial installment, WHITE LOTUS CULT, concerns the eponymous sect, a group of nationalist fanatics that sprang up during the decline of The Ching Dynasty, a time when Western nations were bent on milking China for all it was worth. Determined to rid the country of these opportunists, the members have mastered a special form of pugilism that makes them immune to bullets. However, in truth, they are really no better than the profiteers they are killing, a fact that young Liang Qun (To) learns first hand when he saves beautiful opera troop member Chin Tieh (Yeh) from being their next victim. While the clan's activities have the approval of the Empress Dowager, she only wants them to drive the gweilos out; killing them will give the Western powers the excuse they desire to invade and further weaken the Chings' grip on power. Lotus chieftain Chan (Chi Chuen-hua) really plans to overthrow the Chings and restore The Ming Dynasty, enlisting elder brother Chen Chin (who is also Tieh's father) in an attempt to assassinate the empress. The plan is actually just a ruse to further ingratiate Chan with the Chings, and Chen is almost killed in the attack. Suspecting possible treachery, he dispatched Tieh earlier in the day to Canton with instructions to contact Sister Hung (Shaw Brothers star Lily Li Li-li). Coming to the aid of the seriously injured Chen, Liang now finds himself in the middle of the brothers' war, the outcome of which may determine the stability of the country. Thanks to his exposure to Chen and Hung, Liang's kung fu skills have been heightened tremendously, making him the best defense against Chan and his minions.

Like the opening chapter of any saga, WHITE LOTUS CULT is heavily plotted and spends a good portion of its running time introducing the various characters. It never bogs down, however, and director/cinematographer Cheng Siu-keung utilizes several interesting lighting schemes during the various night sequences. He is not as successful at lending credibility to some of the more awkwardly executed wirework, and the series' heavy reliance on this sort of artifice will put off fans of more traditional combat. Some brief damage pops up in the master tape on a handful of occasions.

Although Fennie Yuen's character, Princess Tung-an, was introduced in the first film, she figures much more prominently in Fung Pak-yuen's SAM THE IRON BRIDGE. In order to help out a friend (whose opium habit has left him in considerable debt), Liang enters a martial arts contest and emerges victorious. "Iron Bridge" contemplates using the rest of his prize money to propose marriage to Tieh but soon finds himself going against Sister Hung's wishes by helping the Chings deal with rebellious officials refusing to obey a royal edict. While the opium trade is a boon to China's economy, the government observes the effect it is having on the people and orders the drug banned. However, as Canton's customs official, the duplicitous Prince Mu (BURNING PARADISE's Wong Kam-kong) refuses to let this major source of personal income be cut off and decides to assassinate the officer charged with carrying out the empress' orders. Liang pledges to be the official’s bodyguard and is taught a new form of kung fu by a sympathetic admiral (SHAOLIN TEMPLE's Yu Hai) that will make him the equal of Mu's chief fighter. Meanwhile, Tung-an disguises herself as a man in order to test Liang's abilities for herself. She gets that chance and grows to respect him in more ways than one. However, Tung-an is also Mu's daughter and Hung is pressing Liang to fulfil his promise to Tieh.

There is less action here than in part one and SAM THE IRON BRIDGE does not work as well as a free standing feature. That said, the wirework is executed more successfully and both the court intrigue in the main storyline and the romantic subplot are engrossing. The latter concludes with Liang unsure of his feelings for the two women and, while that is not unexpected, the reason for this is pleasingly offbeat. Whites tend to bloom during the opening reel's daytime exterior sequences, making the subtitles difficult to read. The subs also leave parts of several exchanges untranslated.

Wai Hon-to's ONE ARM HERO (sic) opens with the appointment of Liang as the chief customs official for Canton and his marriage to Tieh (called Butterfly in the subs here). A raid by Japanese pirates results in many casualties, finally convincing the government of the need to arm Liang's men. Prince Hing, the official in charge of dispensing the weapons, is a confederate of Mu and only provides a small percentage of the guns needed. Thanks to the intervention of Tung-an, Iron Bridge is able to illegally obtain the money needed to buy more weapons and forces the reluctant head of The East India Company to sell them to him. However, in doing do, he has fallen into Mu's trap, and faces possible execution. Further deceptions necessitate a noble sacrifice on Liang's part before he can face his nemesis in a battle to the death.

Possessing the right proportion of melodrama and political intrigue, ONE ARM HERO makes for a satisfying conclusion to the story. Both the English and Chinese titles give away a major plot point but there are still a number of twists in the second half to keep one absorbed. The final duel is disappointingly short, however, and is one of the weaker setpieces in the series. To, Yeh, and Yuen offer effective dramatic performances in all three films but the nature of the events this time out give each the sort of standout moment actors live for.

Tai Seng #34993 (U.S. Label) Dolby Digital 2.0 Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese Language Tracks (all post-synched) 8 Chapters Illustrated in the Menu With (Tiny) Stills Letterboxed (1.79:1) Coded for ALL Regions NTSC Format 96 Minutes Contains moderate martial arts violence

DVD menu courtesy Tai Seng.

Tai Seng #35183 (U.S. Label) Dolby Digital 2.0 Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese Language Tracks (all post-synched) 8 Chapters Illustrated in the Menu With (Tiny) Stills Letterboxed (1.80:1) Coded for ALL Regions NTSC Format 90 Minutes Contains moderate martial arts violence

DVD menu courtesy Tai Seng.

Tai Seng #35703 (U.S. Label) Dolby Digital 2.0 Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese Language Tracks (all post-synched) 8 Chapters Illustrated in the Menu With (Tiny) Stills Letterboxed (1.66:1) Coded for ALL Regions NTSC Format 89 Minutes Contains moderate martial arts violence

DVD menu courtesy Tai Seng.

Tai Seng's presentations are a reissue of the Chinese market versions they originally put out in 1994. Each feature is derived from somewhat worn 35mm prints with the original Chinese and English subtitles (the latter are occasionally a bit clipped on the sides). The image is a little soft and contrasts are variable but the presentations are quite passable overall. The discs also include trailers for other company titles.