Starring :Li Yi Min /Jack Long /Mark Long / Simon Yuen
Directed by :Joseph Kuo - 1979
So here we have a classic film from Joseph Kuo starring Jack Long ,Mark Long and Lee Yi Min,which when originally released on New Yorks 42nd street caused near riots and went on to run for two years their .
So Beware the Ghost Faced Killer is back .So much so right after Writing this i will be going outside to build a big chess board to train on maybe 12 by 12. Lee plays a happy go lucky fellow who is eager to improve his kung fu and try's hard to enroll in various schools ,which he does end up doing only to be treated as a dogs body doing chores (sounds a bit like a Jackie classic i know )
But of course there is a other reason why Lee wants to do this it is to train so he can avenge his fathers death who was killed by the GHOST FACED KILLER played here by Mark Long .Now Ghost face is a disciple of the Five Element Fist style who goes round causing death and mayhem fighting all who oppose him ,a bit like me really.
So Lee finds a friend in the kung fu schools cook .played here by the late great Simon Yuen or SAM the SEED AS YOU MIGHT KNOW HIM who teaches Lee cooking i mean he could most likely grill Ghost Face if he liked .Simon eventually sends him to train with the Chess Boxing King and we later hear of Simons death in the film,this was due down to the fact that Simon Yuen actually died about this time .
Here Chess king is played by Jack Long who has been in hiding from Ghost face and is trying to live a humble life ,he eventually agrees to train Lee as he seems so keen .But not before Ghost face intervenes and then the mayhem starts .
So How does it Batter up? Well just fine i have to say ,this is Old School at it's best and and the fights are a joy and will have you reaching for the rewind button .
The Ghost Face Killer strikes
The Chess King
Lee Yi MinSo there you have it Classic Kung Fu at it's best
Posters of Chess Boxing, top and bottom
Two DVD covers one from Ocean Shore and the other from Shaolin Collection
*In some regions the film was known as Ninja Checkmate