Yangtze Bandits

Yangtze Bandits is a 1972 movie following the adventures of a band of bandits on the Yangtze River. The general plot premise running something akin to the traditional tale of Robin Hood.

The purpose of this band of rogues revolves around the simple life of wealth distribution. Set in China in the year 1695 a group of friends sets out to solve their village's financial woes by looting the coffers and estate of the nearby warlord Qi Po. Qi Po is known as being enourmously wealthy off of illegitemate gold (he himself is rumored to having been a former bandit that was in the employ of the Emperor).

Initially, the friend's banditry comes as a thorn to the side of the warlord until he notices that a local village is fairing better than it should. Sending in a group of his men, he orders the village sacked.

The aid ultimately kills the families of the friends and the story evolves into that of personal revenge against the warlord. Intercepting a boat of his on the Yangtze the bandits meet with Qi Po and his cronies and do battle on the river.

Qi Po and his men are ultimately killed along with several major members of the bandit's band. The warlord's estate is soon after robbed by the surviving members and handed out to their home village as well as several outlying ones. The movie ends with the surviving band wandering off into the country side to return the excess of other unjust lords to the people.

A shot in the final battle sequence was used as inspiration in the movie A Spaniard Visits China.