The Tantana
Director: Mang Hoi
Year: 1991
Rating: 5.0
In the
early 1990s Hong Kong was knocking out martial art fantasy films like loaves
of bread in a bakery and so it is no wonder that this low budget film is
generally overlooked and forgotten. Even with a cast that includes Sammo
Hung, Wu Ma, Lam Ching-ying, Mang Hoi, Ken Lo and Chin Ka-lok. There is admittedly
nothing very special here and the pacing strolls along like a Sunday walk
in the park. There is a long stretch in the middle in which nothing much
happens other than some fairly lame comedy. But these are some of my favorite
Hong Kong actors and I am always susceptible towards wire enhanced flying
and action.
It begins with Lama Hiu Wan (Tai Bo) running
into a demonic force who kills him and takes over his body. The demonic force
is the oddly named Against Nature Boy (ANB) played by Ken Lo looking like
an escaped member of Kiss. He was defeated in battle eighteen years earlier
by Sharp Witted Buddha (SWB) and has now returned for a rematch and to conquer
the Palace of Heaven, the Buddhist monastery in Tibet. None of this makes
much sense and it doesn't get much better as it goes along. Lama Mud Yuet
(Lam Ching-ying) and the other monks realize that they need the help of SWB,
but it seems that he is dead and they need to locate his reincarnation. I
think.
Mud Yuet tracks down his brother Master
Chek Fei (Wu Ma) to help. Along the way, he picks up Dragon (Chin Ka-lok)
and a female pickpocket (Cheung Jing-yue) who want to meet Chek Fei. The
film just lollygags about as the two brothers try and out do one another.
Sammo as another Lama doesn't show up till much later to take on the sifu
role. The film is directed by Mang Hoi who also plays the student of Wu Ma.
All these folks are part of Sammo's circle of friends and it almost feels
like a quick knockoff favor for Mang Hoi, who only directed one other film.
It comes alive in the final confrontation between good and evil, but it was
a long ways getting there. Seen on VCD.
