Meanwhile, Iron Hand (Wong Tao- Eagle Claw, Secret Rivals, The Hot the Cool and the Vicious) a government agent undercover as an assassin living at the local brothel and receiving his hit list tattooed on the backs of prostitutes, finds that the men he is being sent after lead to this mysterious assassin. Soon, the identity of this killer is found out, but the killer has learned a deadly form of martial arts and it will take the combined efforts of Chen and Iron Hand to defeat him.

THE FILM
Director Joe Cheung’s second film is a marked improvement from his debut, and is a standard convoluted and serious kung fu tale with no hints of the comedy that would largely define Joe Cheung’s career with Pom Pom and Pom Pom and Hot Hot. His debut, Incredible Kung Fu Master was a standard kung fu comedy with gray, drab settings and locations. In Mask of Death (aka Shaolin Devil and Shaolin Angel, 1979) we get some fantastic sets and lavish costuming, involving vibrant color schemes, almost like a Seijun Suzuki movie. The film is full of color, including some great moments like the red drenched Hammer Horror lighting when Wan Yi Fei is learning the Ghost Stroke by dipping his hands into a razor tipped cauldron of hot pebbles. The action is great, various weapons work, very little speedup, lots of hand to hand and neat fx, which next to the eye-catching set design, is the films saving grace.

The different strands of convoluted plotting actually drag the film down because it isn’t entirely cohesive. A kung fu film like Chinese Super Ninjas or Fist of the White Lotus may have a far more simple plot, but at least their stories are constantly moving forward and clearly mapped. Mask of Death simply doesn’t know what it wants to be- A story about a mysterious, possibly otherworldly, killer attacking influential families?- A story about an undercover agent who works under the guise of an assassin?- A young man training so he can avenge his family?- Both men after this mysterious killer?- It all never quite congeals... The first half of the film is spent focusing on the Mask of Death, and then after he makes one grand attack, it is sort of dropped; it would have been better to keep that idea alive instead of having him be so successful he defeats everyone. The second part of the film focuses on Iron Hand a bit more, with some hackneyed backstory and love plotting, and his all too easy search down the trail of killers that leads to the Mask of Death. All the while, Chen trains with the Abbott. So in that sense, we dont even have a clearly defined lead. Both men are given almost equal backstory and motivation, but neither character takes control, and the chance to unite the contrasting characters, the rich son and the bitter agent, never materializes. Likewise, the conspiracy of who the killer is, unfortunately, falls apart because it is too obvious when you cast an actor like Chen Sing, who every time he appears as a wealthy kung fu lord he is a bad guy. Even if you are not into kung fu and don’t know who Chen Sing is, it ain’t no Agatha Christie Mystery so it is still pretty obvious because the film doesn’t open up to too many possible killers.

Stephen Tung Wei gets a chance to play something other than a normally comedic goofball, acrobatic, martial kid, and his character of a favorite son not interested in fighting driven by the death of his family to fighting seek revenge could have been better. His pacifism is dropped once he goes to train. Although the training scenes are some of the films highlights, his character is then largely absent until the final fight, like the character is an afterthought, just an extra person to include in the finale (admittedly, Tung Wei was also busy as the films fight choreographer so that helps account for this problem). Wong Tao was fairly unimpressive, his character given a heavy weight, a somber placid nature that his acting skills cannot bear, but luckily he does fight well, something Wong Tao needed to stick to in his films. Chen Sing, as always is a reliable second-third tier star, and when it come time for him to cut loose with maniacal rage he shines (although the cheesy dubbing hinders his performance).

THE DVD
First of all, Crash Cinema needs to be commended for their ‘letterbox only’ releases, putting them a notch above the other kung fu companies that settle on tape masters. But Crash also puts Yasuaki Kurata on the cover of Mask of Death and Yasuaki Kurata is not in the film. Picture- Letterbox 2.35.1. The color and contrast are great, bright hues and deep blacks, but unfortunately, as is the case with so many kung fu titles, there is severe damage to the print. There are some almost constant green lines, erosion, specks, flecks, dirt, some softness. Its a product of being a kung fu fan, looking past some of these marred prints, and at least being thankful we get the film uncut, in its correct ratio, at the very least with some good color and contrast. But still, the print has more crags in it than the face of Lance Henrikson. Sound- Dolby Digital Mono 2.0, English dub. Audio track is fairly low, and in spots exhibits the same kind of wear that the image does with some hiss, stutter, and pops. Still, dialogue is pretty clear and action and music scenes have the audio mix pumped up a little bit more. Extras-None, 12 Chapters, that is it.

CONCLUSION
A good effort, with weak plotting that can be overlooked thanks to some great sets, costuming, and good action. The barebones DVD print image and sound is rough, and may get nothing but grumbles from the none genre cult loving fans. But, for those that love the genre , a worthwhile purchase, an entertaining film.

An unknown killer terrorizes the inhabitants of ancient China, and leaves a string of corpses in his wake. Wan Yi Fei (Chen Sing) is a respected healer and martial artist who dedicates himself to catching the killer. His good friend, Wong Tu Lung, is a Grandmaster of Kung Fu is also concerned about the increasing body count. Wong Tu Lung has a son named Chen (Tung Wei), who is a pacifist and refuses to learn Kung Fu from his father’s famed school. Wong Tu Lung is angry with Chen, since he is the only one in the family who is reluctant to learn Kung Fu. Wan Yi Fei and Wong Tu Lung prowl the nighttime streets looking for signs of the killer. A martial arts master named Chin Yun Chi appears and challenges the two Kung Fu masters. During the fighting, Chin Yun Chi claims that he is the killer. Chin Yun Chi is soon overpowered by numbers, and gives himself up. But Wan Yi Fei uses his spear to stab the suspected killer to death. Wong Tu Lung is upset his friend just killed an unarmed man, even if he is a suspected murder. The Chinese Government assigns their top agent, Iron Hand (Wang Dao) to investigate the killings. Despite the death of Chin Yun Chi, the murders continue. This prompts the village elders (including Wan Yi Fei and Wong Tu Lung) to convene on the matter. The gathering is interrupted by the son of Wan Yi Fei, who stumbles in bleeding to death. There is a dagger protruding from his back. A grieving Wan Yi Fei and Wong Tu Lung go outside, and find themselves attacked by a fighter in an evil looking mask and his martial arts accomplices. Several of the elders are killed in the attack, including Wong Tu Lung. Chen survives the massacre, but is shattered when he realizes his father has been killed. Iron Hand arrives on the scene and finds Chen grieving for the loss of his dad.

Chen visits an old Shaolin monk in the mountains, and begs him to teach him Kung Fu. Iron Hand spends his time tracking down the disciples of the masked killer, and during a scuffle, his opponents strike him with poison-tipped darts. Iron Hand kills them, but he himself is incapacitated. In his feverish state, he proclaims his hatred for his mother, who abandoned him at a young age. Iron Hand heads to the whorehouse and discovers a secret room, where the old woman (who is head of the place) plans his death. Iron Hand reveals that he is the government agent. She informs him that the tea he just drank is poisoned. When Iron Hand gets sick and leaves the whorehouse, the old woman secretly follows. She gives him the antidote to the poison, and admits that she is his mother. But she too is killed--bitten by a cobra. On her deathbed, his mother reveals who is ultimately behind the killings. The killer is someone they know, who has mastered the unbeatable Ghost Stroke form of Kung Fu, which the killer learned from an ancient tome. Iron Hand and Chen must unite as a team if they are to defeat the superhuman Kung Fu madman!

If MASK OF DEATH sounds rather convoluted, that’s because it is. The plot is based around a complex conspiracy mystery, which the protagonists must figure out. Ultimately, Tung Wei’s character wants revenge for the death of his family members at the hands of the masked killer and his assassins. And Wang Dao is the inquisitive agent looking for clues. But they have no idea who the killer is. Director Joe Cheung does not reveal the identity of the person responsible for the deaths in MASK OF DEATH (until the end), so the audience is unaware of the killer’s identity. As the film progresses, Joe Cheung drops some clues along the way, and the audience gets close to discovering the killer’s identity as the characters get closer to the truth. Cheung wisely manipulates the audience this way, and succeeds in creating an aura of suspense. Cheung is also known for combining comedy and Kung Fu in his films, and admittedly, he balances the two well. However, Cheung thankfully passed on the comedy for MASK OF DEATH, and the grim mood of the film adds to the depth. The tone is bleak and barren, and death is all around. Except for Tung Wei’s training sequences, everyone is fighting for their very survival. Joe Cheung gives the film a grim outlook and barbaric nature, that puts it right up there with the best of Chang Cheh.

Joe Cheung has worked with most of the cast members before, and he knows how to get the best from his actors and actresses. Chen Sing looks in top form here, and is truly a fearsome martial artist for his age. Chen Sing’s character opens the film as a wise and honorable healer. Later in the film, his character is driven to insane extremes, and Chen Sing doesn’t miss a beat portraying both sides of the coin. It’s amazing how a civilized man like Chen Sing can believably project such hatred and wrath. Wang Dao is the true star of MASK OF DEATH, and he easily adapts to the secret agent role. Dao is his usual bad-ass self, but this film presents him with acting challenges not usually associated with a revenge tale. For instance, Iron Hand’s mother left him at age six, and now fully grown he has emotional problems with the opposite sex, and distrusts all women. Dao perfectly plays up his flawed characterization. Tung Wei’s character also progresses throughout the film, allowing him plenty of acting opportunities. Tung is excellent as the pacifist son of grandmaster Wong Tu Lung. Their father/son relationship is interesting, but never flushed out since Wong Tu Lung gets killed early on. Though he disagrees with his father’s philosophies, and is often ostracized by his elder, his character finally sees the martial arts as a way to gain acceptance from his deceased father. Tung Wei rises to the occasion in portraying the dimensions of his character. Tung Wei also is responsible for the fight choreography, which is top notch. There are plenty of fights with fists, spears, staffs, and bad guy Ma Cheung even uses poisonous cobras as weapons! Don’t miss the concluding fight between Chen Sing, Wang Dao, and Tung Wei.

SIGHT
Despite MASK OF DEATH being an independent effort, the filmmakers went all out to give the movie the appeal of a Shaw Brothers epic. The film features grand widescreen visuals with superb cinematography, production design, and costuming (this is not a cheap independent effort like 18 FATAL STRIKES or DRAGON’S CLAWS). The movie was filmed in the 2.35.1 aspect ratio, and Crash Cinema presents the film uncut, in the same ratio. First the good news: the colors are unbelievably vibrant, highlighting the reds, yellows, and pinks in the fabulous production design. The black level is deep, which anchors the flamboyant color schemes. Crash Cinema’s transfer deftly allows the viewer to admire the intricate production design and elaborate costuming. Tung Wei’s fight choreography is wonderfully captured in the widescreen imagery, with none of his handwork getting lost. Now the bad news: MASK OF DEATH appears to be taken from a battered 16MM or 32MM print. There are scratches all over the place, and vertical green lines can be seen throughout the entire film. There are long stretches of time where the movie goes without any blemishes. We prefer a flawed widescreen presentation to a perfect cropped one. MASK OF DEATH is full of truly great visuals, and the blemishes are distracting, but not nearly enough to ruin the viewing experience. Besides, if you are a VHS tape trader and you are used to poor quality (like many old-school fans are), then you’ll be thrilled with this transfer.

SOUND
In the past, Crash Cinema has had some problems in this area. Several of their older titles have suffered from muffled sound or unclear dialog. The sound on this DVD is quite clear and free from distortion, but the Dolby Digital Mono 2.0 soundtrack is still mixed too low. You can always compensate for this by raising the volume, but you shouldn’t have to. In the main menu section of this DVD, Crash Cinema pipes in the score for MASK OF DEATH, and it is clearly in stereo, with plenty of depth. The actual soundtrack of the film is significantly lower than the music on the main menu. With the exception of the soundtrack being too low, all of the audio elements are mixed together with equal assurance. The sound effects for the clanging weapons and flying bodies are prominent. The dubbed dialog is easily understandable. And the multi-layered score takes center stage in the soundfield, as it should. The score itself is a flawless and well-played symphony orchestration. The music is too over emotional and melodramatic for a Kung Fu movie, and often distracts from the drama it is trying so hard to emphasize.

FEATURES
There are no extras on this disc. We can’t help but comment on the backwards step made by Crash Cinema in the area of DVD authoring. Whereby earlier releases of Crash titles have featured some colorful menu design (including shots of the cast) and navigation, the menus for MASK OF DEATH are ultra-generic.

CONCLUSION
Crash Cinema’s MASK OF DEATH disc contains its share of weaknesses, but it doesn’t lose sight of Crash Cinema’s mission to present rare Kung Fu films uncut and in widescreen. In today’s bootleg driven mentality of quantity over quality, every label is quick to capitalize on the post CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON Kung Fu craze by flooding the market with edited versions and sub-par cropped prints. Personally, I welcome Crash Cinema’s presence in the marketplace, as they were the first to have the foresight to release old-school classics on DVD years ago. The bottom line is give me quality films uncut in widescreen and I’ll be happy. Anything above and beyond that and I’m twice as happy. Though this DVD is barren in terms of extras and graphic design, Crash Cinema may be testing the marketplace, and hopefully if the sales go well, we’ll see them improve upon their weaknesses. Crash has also lowered prices on their new titles to $14.99, which may explain their barebones approach to DVD authoring.