The Mystery of Chess Boxing

THE MYSTERY OF CHESS BOXING isn't a very remarkable kung fu movie although I guess others found it more so, with this film and its characters particularly inspiring members of the Wu Tang Clan over in the US. It was directed by the prolific Taiwanese director Joseph Kuo, previously of THE BLAZING TEMPLE and THE 18 BRONZEMEN, and like those movies it feels a little cheap and slapdash in places.

However, THE MYSTERY OF CHESS BOXING does have some good elements, it's just that overall it turns out to be rather average. The storyline is very typical, about a master killer known as the Ghost Face Killer (his name is more interesting than he is) who goes around killing various martial arts masters in the countryside. As usual, the upstanding son of one of the dead men swears revenge, but first he must train.

Training takes up most of this film's plot and it's quite unusual. Firstly the kid, Ah Pao, is kicked out of the kung fu school and must go on the road. The best part of the film is when he teams up with Siu Tin Yuen (aka Simon Yuen, famous for his 'Beggar So' character in DRUNKEN MASTER) for the usual shenanigans involving food and drink. This doesn't last long, and Ah Pao instead ends up at the home of a chess expert who teaches him chess boxing.

Sadly, the chess boxing stuff is never as interesting as it sounds, as it only really adds unusual names for the moves rather than providing a new way of fighting. As such, the eventual end fight feels underwhelming despite everything. The cast are okay and there are some fine little training sequences involved here, but THE MYSTERY OF CHESS BOXING isn't a film to particularly remember.

Supposedly dead, embittered former official, The Ghost Face Killer has returned and seeking revenge on those martial arts masters than once opposed him – his name is infamous and his Five Elements fighting style is deadly. Meanwhile, young Ah Pao joins a martial arts school in order to become a great fighter in order to take revenge on the man who killed his father. He gets very good quickly but timing is everything and his arrival at the school in relation to the return of the Ghost Face Killer sees him suspected of being connected and thus put out of the school. He falls under the tutelage of an elderly chess master in the town while all the time the focus of his vengeance kills his way closer and closer.

Is there any point in me pretending to be a scholar of 1970's martial arts movies or should I just admit now that, like many others, came to this because of the Wu-Tang Clan's many references to it (amongst other films)? Well although I do enjoy martial arts films, this one in particular came to me because of the Wu Tang track and of course name of one of their members. This did not suggest a perfect quality to me though and I was fairly open to what I would find. The film opens with its main selling point – Ghost Face Killer battling and defeating a former master in combat. These scenes are scattered across the film while at the same time Ah Pao continues his transformation from cheerful young man to skilled pupil under the guidance of the Chess Master. It is a narrative structure that anyone familiar with the genre will already have seen before but it does work for several reasons here.

Overwhelmingly it works because the martial arts action is impressive – in particular the fights involving Ghost Face Killer. They all have an impressive fluidity to them that is physically impressive and engaging. In each fight there isn't really a "money shot" that will make you gasp, but rather just a consistent quality that makes them fun. They are also well shot with good externals locations and a lot fewer edits than those used to the modern rapid edits made in some action movies to cover up the actors only be able to do one small movement at a time, with the real fighting happening in the editing suit. Of course the film also has all the standards of this genre of the period in the rather corny voice-over from the US market, the slightly overdone performances from some of the cast, fabulous facial hair and that distinctive zooming camera-work. While to some all this may date and/or limit the film, to many viewers it will be part of the appeal and not only be accepted but also embraced as part of what they love.

Talking of the performances, it is probably quite unfair to say that some are overdone because actually everyone is pretty good. Mark Long sticks in the mind most with his distinctively named villain. His facial hair and booming laugh make him engaging. Jack Long's Chess Master is typically subdued and wise in his turn and works well with Yi-min Li. Of these three all are physically impressive in their fight scenes together and separately. There are a few weaker turns of course but nobody that stands out as being such particularly. This all leaves an enjoyably action packed martial arts movie. The many fight sequences are well done and impressive (and filmed so you can actually see them) and, while the plot is basic on paper, the film moves along at a good pace and engages without too much trouble.

If you remember anything that made watching kung fu films fun in the late 1970's and early 1980's this film has it. The crazy dubbing, the bizarre behavior of the kung fu fighters, nutty old man wigs and elaborate energetic fighting moves that make no practical sense.

I somehow missed this one completely and finally caught up to it. I can see why it remains a cult classic. The lead villain, the Ghost Face Killer, likes to verbally taunt his victims while performing kung fu moves by himself. He intersperses the moves with half a sentence here and there so it takes a while to complete his taunt. The rest of the film would be standard low budget kung fu film fare but the fighting scenes are really, really well done. These actors (well some of them could act) really could move. Not that all the moves make a lot of sense but it's entertaining.

The only problem I had is the TV print I saw is very badly transfered which made the film a chore to watch at times. It was missing an entire scene so that the young hero shows up all beaten up and we never see why. Also the cook character played by Simon Yuen is killed off-screen by the villain but it's only mentioned in passing. It seems like that scene is missing also.

Good fun.

I heard about this movie because of the famous rap group The Wu-Tang Clan. So i checked it out on youtube. And man is it fast!!!! When i say say fast, I mean it is difficult to keep up with a technique that is so complex. There are excellent fight scenes, especially at the ending! The acting isn't so terrific, but since this is real genuine kung-fu that very few practice, it doesn't matter. The storyline is decent, but you don't always need a storyline for old fashioned fun. Funny haircuts, funny English dubbing, intensely good scenes. It would make an excellent remake.

Plus, it's not overly violent either. Kids tend to watch kung-fu movies regardless of the violence level. So this would also fall into parental approval.

Ninja Checkmate, or The Mystery of Chessboxing, is a little gem of late 70ties kung-fu. Lee Yi Min plays the young man how is very good at dodging swords and taking beatings on his search for a kung-fu teacher that will enable him to get revenged over the Ghost-Faced Killah, the kung-fu master who killed his father. The Ghost-Faced Killah, played by Mark Long, runs havoc across the land, searching out and challenging a string of kung-fu masters, overwhelming them with his superior five elements style in many amazing fights throughout the film. These fights are creatively choreographed and extremly entertaining, and break up the film in a very nice way, so there is always something fun going on. The problem otherwise is that the first half of the film containing Lee Yi Min is fairly irritating because of his senior students who continously hound him. There are two very good scenes though, one when he meets the cook who will become his first teacher, played by Siu Tien Yuen, father of Yuen Woo Ping, and a scene in which he juggles ricebowls thrown at him from every where. Lee Yi Min gets kicked out of school, but meets up with the kung-fu and chess master played by Jack Long, a kung-fu master in hiding from the Ghost-Faced Killah, who agrees to teach Min the five elements and combines them with the art of chessboxing so Min can help him fight the Ghost-Faced Killah. The big finale, where Ghost-Faced Killah first fights Jack Long, then Lee Yi Min and finally both of them, is long, elaborate and most of all, great fun. Despite some bad editing and strange clips, and the everpresent at times irritating humour of these type of films, this is a very entertaining kung-fu film, and one of the best of that time. Clearly a pearl for everybody interested in the pure elegance of kung-fu!