Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Rebel Intruders Blu-ray Movie Review

The Rebel Intruders is an intense and action-packed gem. Produced by Runme Shaw (The Lady Professional, The Teahouse), The Rebel Intruders is a Shaw Brothers classic. Featuring associate producers Lieh Chen (Shaolin Hellgate, Five Deadly Venoms) and Nai-Pin Tsai (The Magnificent Ruffians, Shaolin Daredevils), The Rebel Intruders is a nice showcase for the artistry of the Shaw Brothers classic kung-fu films. Featuring performances by Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok, Meng Lo, Sheng Chiang, Li Wang, Feng Lu, and Chien Sun. The Rebel Intruders is a lot of fun and a worthwhile action-classic that Shaw Brothers fans won’t want to miss.

Three refugees come together as muscle-bound kung fu brothers. The warriors are known as the “Venoms” and have returned following the blockbuster success of Five Deadly Venoms. Wang Hsu (as Kuo Chui) (Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok) works at a popular brothel, Chi Chun-Peng (Meng Lo) works at a martial arts school, and Yu Wen-San (Sheng Chiang) works at a gambling house. Things escalate as a political-thriller unfolds with epic kung-fu battles.

The supporting cast of characters includes Pan Peng (Li Wang), Chen Chu-Kwong (Feng Lu), and Tang Yu-Tung (Chien Sun). The Rebel Intruders features a solid ensemble cast. The supporting cast does a solid job throughout. The lead cast and supporting cast have fun with their respective roles and bring an interesting sense of energy to the kung-fu madness. A good effort by the ensemble.

The Rebel Intruders features production management by Mona Fong (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, The Avenging Eagle). Fong does a solid job handling the production and the scope and scale. The Rebel Intruders also impresses with solid art direction by Johnson Tsao (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, The Battle for the Republic of China). The production merits are well-done and certainly contribute a lot to the film on the whole.

One of the other strengths of The Rebel Intruders comes from the quality of the hair styling by Yen-Lien Peng (The Figures from Earth, Hong Kong Godfather). The Rebel Intruders also features makeup by Hsu-Ching Wu (The Sword Stained with Royal Blood, Heroes Shed No Tears). The costumes are by Chi-Yu Liu (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty). There are a lot of worthwhile production merits to appreciate with these design elements. The hair and makeup help enhance the style throughout the film while the costumes bring to life the characters in the Shaw Brothers legacy style.

The stunts coordinated by Sheng Chiang (The Nine Demons, Thrilling Bloody Sword), Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok (The Bride with White Hair, The Blue Jean Monster), and Feng Lu (Legend of the Fox, The Sword Stained with Royal Blood) are excellent and essential to the filmmaking. The stuntwork is top-notch. Stunts add so much to the film and enhance the action-packed mayhem. The stunt team helped to choreograph something special here with the stuntwork bringing out the best in the kung-fu classic.

The score composed by Eddie Wang (To Kill a Mastermind, Bloody Parrot) is a wonderful highlight. The music is an essential part of the film. The Rebel Intruders features a top-notch score by Wang and the compositions add a lot of energy to the kung-fu action. The score is important to the filmmaking and offers Shaw Brothers fans something quite special.

The cinematography by Hui-Chi Tsao (Five Deadly Venoms, Lightning Fists of Shaolin) is beautiful and an essential component of the film. The Rebel Intruders is a beautifully lensed film and the cinematographic style helped to enhance the film in spades. There is so much joy and wonder in the visuals. The style of the cinematography is something that helps highlight the artistry.

Edited by Hsing-Lung Chiang (The Avenging Eagle, The Love Eterne) and Yen-Hai Li (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, The Kiss of Death), The Rebel Intruders is well-edited. There is plenty to appreciate about the editing style. The editing keeps the pace and rhythm successful. The flow of the film is exceptional.

Written by Cheh Chang (Ninja in Ancient China, Five Elements Ninjas) and Kuang Ni (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter), The Rebel Intruders is a lot of fun. The script has a solid concept and the screenwriting team has a good time exploring it. The writing is entertaining. The characters add to the film and its sense of charm. The writing certainly is an integral part of the Shaw Brothers production.

Directed by Cheh Chang (Shaolin Hellgate, Vengeance!), The Rebel Intruders is a must-see Shaw Brothers gem. Chang is a legend to Shaw Brothers fans with good reason and this is another classic by the great filmmaker. The directing is entertaining and the action-scenes are beautifully brought to life by the director.

The Rebel Intruders Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory, The Rebel Intruders is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. The presentation features excellent clarity and detail. The transfer features excellent color reproduction and good depth. The presentation does have some occasional DNR (digital noise reduction) and isn't quite pristine but it nonetheless is a solid encode.

The Rebel Intruders Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The lossless audio sounds clear on the release. The audio presentation is pleasing and dialogue is well reproduced. The score sounds great. English subtitles are well-done and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

The Rebel Intruders Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary with Film Historian Brian Bankston

Original Theatrical Trailer (HD, 3:40)

The Rebel Intruders Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Rebel Intruders is an intense and action-packed Shaw Brothers gem. The filmmaking is terrific and the production merits are worth praising. Fans of Shaw Brothers classics by director Cheh Chang will certainly be impressed.

The Blu-ray release features a solid high-definition presentation and lossless audio. The release also includes an audio commentary by film historian Brian Bankston. Highly recommended.