Korean-born filmmaker Chang Cheung-wo, best known for the internationally successful Hong Kong action film Five Fingers of Death, directed this historical Hong Kong martial arts epic originally intended by Golden Harvest as a 3-D release. The prologue concerns a noblewoman who gouges out the eye of one of the men who savagely murdered her husband. Unfortunately, he is also the captain of the guard, and she is exiled to a prison island for life. Prior to her death, the prisoner gives birth to a daughter named Lotus Lin, who is raised by female monks. Lotus grows into a beautiful woman (Angela Mao) who is also a skilled fighter and keeps scorpions as pets. Because of her rather non-ascetic nature and penchant for violent martial arts, Lotus is kicked out of the monastery and takes up pickpocketing in an obsessive quest to get revenge on the men responsible for her mother's sad fate. After killing the first two, Lotus goes to work in a brothel owned by a third, but is soon poisoned and requires the aid of the only man who possesses the knowledge to save her life. Most viewers will ascertain who that man might be without a great deal of deduction, but the various subplots, Mao's spirited performance, and appearances by such familiar faces as Sammo Hung, Michael Chan, and Lam Ching-ying make the film more than worthwhile for genre enthusiasts.
by Robert Firsching
synopsis
