REVIEW:
During the Ming dynasty the Emperor orders General Lin to apprehend Po Ho Nin, a rebel leader of the 72 Fighters. The 72 Fighter were made up of a band of criminals all belonging to a hierarchy based upon their kung fu skill. At the bottom were the junior fighters wearing colored headbands to signify how many men they had defeated. Next up were the 18 monks who fought as a single unit. Above them were the Nine Gold Men with gold heads and hands. Near the top were four chiefs and the Three Killers with Po Ho Nin at the top. When General Lin is killed by Po Ho Nin, his daughter, Lin Mai Yun seeks revenge. Joining her is Shur Tsi Lung, a servant of her father sent to spy on the rebels. Also joining them is the man known as Ghost Killer who has come to fight the rebels for money which is offered by Po Ho Nin to anyone who can defeat his men. The trio must fight there way through the lowest to the greatest of the fighters to reach Po Ho Nin himself. Along the way they enlist the aid of the Blind Swordsman and the One-armed Swordsman.

First off I have to dispel the misleading packaging that Tai Seng has created. The cover mentions an "unstoppable army of ninjas" with a picture of the same that never appears in the film. There are no ninjas in this movie. Bad Tai Seng! That said, lets move on to the story.

This is a classic kung fu plot which is hindered by less then spectacular martial arts and editing. Basically the thin plot is set up for one kung fu battle followed by another and their are plenty with 72 fighters for our protagonists to defeat. Some of the more creative fights are actually the worst in terms of classic kung fu action. After defeating the lower ranks, our heroes face off against several "chiefs" who use unusual fighting methods. One uses bells featuring a silly chandler of bells that renders an opponent unconscious. Another involves a bunch of guys waving flags around and yet another simply involves a bit of trick camera work to make the enemy fighters appear as doubles. The gold-toothed monk who chews on swords is a cheap rip off of "Jaws" from the James Bond series. He also seems to have inspired future films like Halloween and Friday the 13th since no matter what you do to him - hit him, strangle him, drop a ton of rocks on him, or throw him off a cliff - he just keeps coming back for more.

Frequently washed out color with extreme light are dark contrast causes the film to be nearly unbearable at times. Also, this transfer shows a worn film that displays occasional visual noise although not so bad as to hinder viewing. That coupled with audio that sounds distant and canned makes this average movie even more irritating to watch. On the positive side, fans of old school kung fu will enjoy the typically bad dubbing and the higher than usual level of camp.