Cantonese: Hung Hei-kwun kuet jin tong long kuen
Mandarin: Hong Xiguan jue zhan tang lang quan
English: Hung Hei-kwun: Duel With Praying Mantis Fists

This release condenses the opening third of THE KUNG FU MASTER, a 30 hour period miniseries produced by HK's ATV Network. Thankfully, it offers a far more successful abbreviation of that program than the brutally edited version of FIST OF FURY (issue #151). Reckless young kung fu expert Hung Hei-kwun (Donnie Yen Chi-tan) returns home after an eight year absence but receives the cold shoulder from his old compatriots. He is looked down upon because his father, Hung Ting-nam (Poon Chi-man) works for the brutal, repressive Manchurian government which rules China despite being greatly outnumbered by the Hans. Ting-nam is on good terms with the local Ching official, General Ha (Lo Lieh) but the malevolent Prince Sek Tot (BIG BULLET's Berg Ng Ting-yip) repeatedly causes trouble in the region and threatens to deepen the conflict between the two races. When Sek hires Tung Chin-gun, a fighter with the strength of an ox, to humiliate one of Hei-kwun's old friends, the youth involves himself in a public duel with Tung. Hei-kwun uses his newfound respect with the locals to open a martial arts school, much to the displeasure of Ting-nam, who sacrificed his honor to save Hei-kwun from execution. Members of the rebellious Sun Moon Sect, Yim Wing-chun (Erica Choi Hiu-yi) and her father, Yim Cham (Leung Kam-wing), journey to the area and meet with masked Han avenger Red Dragon (who, unbeknownst to Hei-kwun, is actually his father). The Chings enlist the head of Wu Tang to impersonate Red Dragon and commit acts that will sour the hero's reputation with the people. Hei-kwun helps to expose this deception but cannot understand why Red Dragon refuses to accept him as a member of Sun Moon. The arrival of the Manchu emperor in the region gives Sun Moon the opportunity they have long been waiting for and the group make plans to assassinate him. However, things go awry and General Ha finds himself in a difficult position when he is unfairly accused of aiding the Ming rebels. Spared his life only on the proviso that he capture Ting-nam, Ha reluctantly leads troops to track down his old friend.

The programs were shot on video and do not always have production values comparable to feature films of this time. That said, director Benny Chan Mok-sing (BIG BULLET, THE MAGIC CRANE) and his cameramen have made a concerted effort to make the proceedings as cinematic as possible. The lighting and other atmospheric touches are generally well-handled, particularly given the short shooting schedule and modest budget, and the location work in Mainland China provides a number of picturesque backgrounds. The fights are somewhat accelerated but executed with far greater success than in FIST OF FURY (which, ironically, was produced after this serial) and the story flows smoothly. The final quarter is somewhat weak, relying on the introduction of one of the genre's oldest cliches (a slovenly monk/martial arts master who figures more prominently in the later portions of the series), and the climactic duel is so disappointingly short, as to almost be perfunctory. Fortunately, the program is largely satisfying and the performances are solid across the board, with Yen surprisingly effective during his dramatic moments, and Lo giving another of his wonderfully dignified turns. Much of the music is recycled from THE ASSASSIN (issue #139), Zhang Yimou's TO LIVE, and even CONAN THE BARBARIAN, while a few classic themes have been lifted off of a scratchy old LP.