| "Sex and Zen" is a wild Hong Kong CAT 3 film based on the erotic Chinese novel, "The Carnal Prayer". The story is based around a horny scholar (Lawrence Ng) that is addicted to having sex with hot chicks going against the advice of the sack monk who preaches moderation and preparing yourself for the next life. The scholar marries a beautiful women (Amy Yip) that thinks sex is dirty. He immediately goes to work on her and also starts his adulterous exploits finding that his member is not a serviceable size as he asks a thief (Lo Lieh) to help him get some booty. He then begs a local doctor (Kent Cheng) to find him a horse prick and attach it for him after watching a guy with a huge schlong (Elvis Tsui) ravage his wife...
As ludicrous as it sounds (and it is), "Sex and Zen" has a very solid and entertaining story for your typical softcore Hong Kong CAT3 sex romp. I believe there are 3 categories that define a great Hong Kong CAT 3 sexcapade. Those are creative sexual scenes, ridiculously raunchy comedy, and beautiful settings, costumes, and cinematography. These three elements separate the good CAT 3 films from mindless sleazy softcore porn. Films such as "The Erotic Ghost Story", "Eternal Evil of Asia", and "A Chinese Torture Chamber Story" (To name a few) have incorporated those elements effectively, but few, if any, have excelled at the level of "Sex and Zen". This may be the holy grail of CAT 3 madness and well worth the praise from Penthouse which is the first thing you see in the closing credits!
The sex scenes are very creative and range from sensual to downright bizarre. Another important aspect of this type of film is to create that one memorable moment that the viewer will always remember. "Sex and Zen" has several of these moments, but its hard to get past the image of CAT 3 legend, Elvis Tsui, ravaging his wife (Kingdom Yuen) on the floor leading to the point where he decides he should toss a chain to the rafters like a grappling hook to further spice things up. Wow! I never thought to do that! There are also some creative uses of sticks, flutes, and paint brushes on display.
The second strongpoint of "Sex and Zen" is its raunchy and hilarious dialogue. The interaction between the characters is great as some scenes are legitimately gut wrenchingly funny. The horse prick transplant scene is one of the most bizarre and funny things I have ever scene in a CAT 3 film, which is saying something. I recommend the English dub version that really highlights the absurdity of the dialogue. Who can forget Lo Lieh discovering that for the first time in his life he gave a man a stiffy with his swordplay or when the Doctor's dog runs off with Lawrence Ng's severed penis resulting in him calling out, "Hey dog give me back my dick, its not a bone". Haha classic material, indeed!
There are several CAT 3 thrillers that incorporate great cinematography along with beautiful costumes and locations, but few rival "Sex and Zen". The use of sexual art (Yuen Dynasty porn) and the silk rolls was a nice touch that added to the beauty of the film. The settings were also phenomenal as some of the tea houses, whore houses, and other outdoor scenery rivaled locations from more respectable productions.
The only negative aspect of the film was some the final scenes that seemed lazy and out of place although the film did manage to end with some words of wisdom that seemed straight out of a fortune cookie.
Sometimes I feel sleazy for watching and reviewing these types of films, but they can be a hell of a fun time if given a chance and "Sex and Zen" does not disappoint on any level. I always thought that there was no way a CAT 3 sleazefest should get more than 4 stars, but "Sex and Zen" is as good as it gets from this genre making it the holy grail well worth a recommendation from Penthouse and I.
Highly recommended as long as your over 18 and don't think sex is dirty! | 
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