Rating: 4 out of 5
Director: Joseph Kuo
Year: 1979
Plot:
A simple plot unfolds when The Ghost Face Killer returns to
seek revenge on any martial artist that opposed him before. He has a Five
Elements Fighting style, and it is one of the best in the land. On the other
hand, we are introduced to our hero, he is in school learning kung fu to avenge
his father’s death. After getting thrown out of school because he is believed
to be working with the Ghost Face Killer, he finds a new teacher. The new
teacher is an elderly man that teaches him a form of Chess Boxing, and with
that he learns of the villain, and how to defeat him, going into a master
ending with two major styles going at it overall.
Thoughts:
“The Mystery of Chess Boxing” introduces us to a hero that
is, you guessed it, seeking revenge for his father’s death. His father died at
the hands of The Ghostface Killer, who does Five Elements Kung Fu, a deadly
practice. He is presumed dead at the beginning of the film, but then shows up
to seek revenge on those that rose against him before. He goes on a killing spree,
taking out various kung fu practitioners. Meanwhile our hero wants to learn
kung fu, and we are introduced to him and his comedic ways. He has some comedy
to him, and he moves the plot along with relative ease.
The plot is swift, giving you all of the information you
need right when you want it. You also get introduced to the villain up front,
which is nice, and you see plenty of action before the story unfolds. There’s
also quite a bit of comedy in the form of hazing our hero at the kung fu
school. Beside the comedy interludes, we are treated to a variety of fights
that really stands out overall.
The transfer on this movie is good, higher quality VHS, with
some nice colors. The dub isn’t too bad, but the music at times could be louder
than the rest of the sounds, but not terrible at all. There’s no major film
breaking, or scan lines or anything, just straightforward transfer so that’s
cool.
As the story unfolds, you get to cheer on the hero. The
character breakdown is good, and the fights get better as the film progresses.
The Five Elements Kung Fu versus Chess Boxing is truly an interesting match up,
and one that makes for a good ender. At the end of the day, “The Mystery of
Chess Boxing” gets a 4 out of 5 rating.
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