As all fans of old-school Kung Fu are aware, if a movie is not set in historical China, then it’s not a true Kung Fu film. This is the reason why hundreds of martial arts films proliferated during the 70s and 80s. Major studios and independents alike boosted the economies of Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Korea by filming their martial arts epics on location in these countries. In 1977, mainland director Au Yeung Cheun filmed an all-star production, ZONG YUAN BIAO JU. This film soon received a stateside release under the name, THE MING PATRIOTS. The movie itself was previously unavailable on VHS and long considered a lost classic. A bootleg release renamed the film to BRUCE LI’S BIG SECRET, in order to capitalize on the growing Bruceploitation phenomenon. Ground Zero and the Wu Tang Clan rap group (who are big fans of classic Kung Fu) have joined forces to restore this long lost film for DVD. They have decided to release it under the more exploitative title, REVENGE OF THE PATRIOTS.

The Ming Emperor is murdered by the Chings. The Emperor’s advisor Teacher Wu dresses up their leader’s daughter as a boy to avoid detection since there is a price on her head. Teacher Wu and a Ming patriot (Carter Wong) escort the Princess through the villages to avoid the Ching soldiers, led by the Silver Haired Fox (Chang Yi). Teacher Wu carries the Emperor’s will and the royal jewels to keep them hidden from the local bandits and soldiers. They are under the protection of a Ming patriot, who effortlessly defends his charges from the soldiers. Teacher Wu and the Princess manage to escape the siege, while their protector succumbs to the martial arts mastery of the Silver Haired Fox. Meanwhile, a man named Ni Ti Long mourns the death of his father, who hated the Chings. With his father’s death, Ni Ti Long has taken over the family business—an escort (bodyguard) service. Teacher Wu and the Princess recruit Ni Ti Long to escort them on their journey to Kang Nan, where they are meeting up with the Ming Commander Chow. Ni Ti Long realizes how dangerous the journey will be so he recruits his close friend and sister (Judy Lee). Ni Ti Lung travels to the restaurant where his sister works as a cook. Unbeknownst to him, his former lover Chu Hing (Tso Yen Yung) and her husband Chi Yun (Chan Wai Man), who is also a rival, plot revenge against him.

The Silver Haired Fox orders the ruthless Sho Kang to lead the Ching soldiers and defeat the Ming rebels, and then retrieve the royal jewels. As Ni Ti Long and Chi Yun settle their old score inside the restaurant, the soldiers arrive and surround the house. The Ming rebels beat Sho Kang and his soldiers, and Ni Ti Long escapes with the Princess. The Silver Haired Fox himself arrives to check out the carnage and finds the Princess escaped. Ni Ti Long’s former lover Chu Hung and her treacherous husband work out a deal with Silver Haired Fox—they will work together in tracking down the rebels in exchange for a portion of the jewels. Knowing that the odds are against them, Ni Ti Long hides the jewels inside a dead pig where no one would ever think to look. Ni Ti Lung guides the Princess into a safe house, where an old woman welcomes them and serves them tea. However, the old woman turns out to be Chu Hing in disguise! The tea is poisoned, and the rebels are all captured. One by one, each member of the group is tortured, but every one of the Ming patriots refuse to relinquish the location of the hidden jewels. The alliance between Sho Kang and Chu Hing is based on greed and deceit, and so is not a strong one. The Silver Haired Fox himself comes to take command of the situation. Ni Ti Lung and the other rebels free themselves from their bonds, and must face their Ching oppressors if they are to deliver the Princess unharmed!

Even though REVENGE OF THE PATRIOTS stars Bruce Li in a lead role, this is not a Bruceploitation picture. It has nothing in common with Bruce Lee or any of his "imposters". Instead this is another historical drama set during the Ching Dynasty, and Bruce Li doesn’t imitate his namesake. Bruce Li admitted he wasn’t proud of going the Bruceploitation route, but that he was bowing to studio pressure since he looked like Bruce Lee more than anyone else in the industry at that time. So it must have been a breath of fresh air for him to disassociate himself from that image, and immerse himself in character as the male lead in this ensemble epic. REVENGE OF THE PATRIOTS also stars Judy Lee, another beautiful martial arts actress who followed in the footsteps of Angela Mao and Lily Li. You can see her in action in QUEEN BOXER, SHAOLIN INVINCIBLES, and IRON MONKEY 2 (those last two are available on DVD from Tai Seng and Xenon, respectively). Villain specialist Chang Yi gets star billing as the evil White Haired Fox. You can see Chang Yi as other notorious martial arts villains in THE VICTIM, EAGLE’S CLAW, and SHAOLIN KUNG FU MYSTAGOGUE. Chan Hui Man is usually typecast as a villain too, and if you’ve seen MYSTERIOUS FOOTWORKS OF KUNG FU, CHINESE SUPER NINJAS, and INVNCIBLE KILLER, you know what we are talking about. Wang Yue has a supporting role as Bruce Li’s ally. Wang Yue is the star of many Kung Fu classics like DIRTY KUNG FU, DIRTY HO, and THE MASTER KILLER. Carter Wong is also in the film, though it amounts to little more than a cameo and he only performs one major fight sequence. Carter Wong has graced well over a hundred martial arts films, and some of them are available on DVD, namely BORN INVINCIBLE, THE FATAL FLYING GUILLOTINE, and SHAOLIN INVINCIBLES.

Thankfully, the plot of REVENGE OF THE PATRIOTS is not driven by the typical revenge motive. The film is actually political in nature, examining the conflict centuries ago between the Chings and the Mings. The political aspects motivate the characters to behave the way they do. The Silver Haired Fox is the Ching Leader who seeks to kill the daughter of the slain Emperor. Ni Ti Long is an escort who puts his life on the line to aid the Ming cause, and ensure that the Royal bloodline continues. Chu Hing and Chi Yun are an ambitious duo with no loyalties to either side—they worship only the value of money. Because they know Ni Ti Long and his sister, Chu Hing and Chi Yun exploit their knowledge of them, so the soldiers of the Silver Haired Fox get the jump on Ni Ti Long, who is leading the Princess to safety. This allows for plenty of intrigue, plot twists, and suspense that the above synopsis won’t ruin. Director Ah Yeung Chuen is inspired by Chang Cheh, and mixes bloody mayhem with the Kung Fu combat sequences. Ah Yeung Chuen is also obviously inspired by Spaghetti Westerns, because he incorporates lots of dusk shots of the sun setting on the plains. REVENGE OF THE PATRIOTS even has a genuine Spaghetti Western score!

From the Main Menu, you can select the Special Features-menu to access the various extras. There is a sub menu called Ground Zero that provides their Website information and previews of Ground Zero’s Urban-themed productions. Also from the Special Features menu, you can access the Wu Tang Clan sub-menu and watch a short interview with rapper Papa Wu (FF, DD 2.0, 4:19). Papa Wu doesn’t talk about REVENGE OF THE PATRIOTS (or any other Kung Fu film) though. Rather, the Rapper gives a tour of the Wu Tang Clan’s high-tech studio. This sub-menu also features a music video (FF, DD 2.0, 3:54) and a Lyrical Recital (FF, DD 4:19.0, :36). In the sub-menu called Temple of Knowledge, real life Shaolin monks and martial artists Abbott Guo Lin and Master Ren Guang Li answer various philosophical questions posed to them. Other features on the disc include 3 trailers for REVENGE OF THE PATRIOTS. One is a 30 second TV spot, and another is the full theatrical trailer that refers to the movie as THE MING PATRIOTS. The last trailer is the original Cantonese language trailer with English subtitles. All three trailers are widescreen and in the film’s original ratio of 1.66.1. It’s a shame the feature itself doesn’t look as good as these trailers.

Back at the Special Features menu is another sub-menu where you can read the talent bios for Bruce Li, Judy Lee, Chang Yi, Chen Hui Min, and Carter Wong. At the bottom of the screen you can select from 5 bonus fight scenes for performer. These bonus fights scenes are from various movies in varying condition--some are widescreen and good condition, while others are full screen VHS quality. From these respective talent bio screens, you can play interview clips with Chen Hui Min (FF, DD 2.0, 5:02) and Carter Wong (FF, DD 2.0, 2:09). These recently conducted interviews are in Chinese with English subtitles. While the quality varies for much of the bonus fight footage, the Ground Zero produced trailers are in much better condition. Most of these trailers are full frame and run 1:04, some are widescreen as indicated below.