Zhong yuan biao ju (1976)

Bruce Li stars as a kung fu fighter who with a group friends defies the Ching Dynasty, using his martial arts and sense of honor he succeeds though not without some personal losses. Revenge Of The Ming Patriots is one of Bruce Li's better martial arts movies. What is most interesting aside from the period piece drama is that it appears that the choreography is ahead of it's time, which in itself looks like the pre-cursor for Jet Li's Once Upon A Time In China II. Indeed the plot is basically ripped off from numerous Shaw Brothers classics, but the pace here is fast, the martial arts sequences are good and the story works despite it's simplicity. Bruce Li is saddled with a bad wig and (of course) bad dubbing but Revenge Of The Patriots has its moments and it's obvious this set the standard of things to come. In other words, as a curiosity piece, this is worth a look.

* *1/2 out of 4-(Pretty Good)