The Five Deadly Venoms (1978): Synopsis
Director: Cheng Chang
Right… And so then, there were five martial experts. They all trained under the same master, but wore masks to keep their identities a secret. Their aliases were the Toad, the Lizard, the Centipede, the Snake, and the Scorpion. Each of their styles were developed to suit their natural abilities. Since, their styles were so unique, they had to hide their Kung-Fu so that others could not figure out their alter egos. If someone happened to recognize one of the Venoms … hmph … they must be tired of living.
Once the master realized that his students weren’t all using their Kung-Fu for good, he taught one more student to even up the score. The last student would learn a little bit of each style – before he set out to seek the other Venoms. Which Venoms will he find first – friend or foe?
Review
This movie is a cult classic that still stands the test of time. All the components of a great Kung-Fu flick are present and accounted for. What does that look like you might ask? In my humble opinion, one of the most important aspects of any good film from this genre is the martial training component. It is especially appealing when training includes exotic apparatus that make you wonder: “Exactly what is that thing, and why are they doing that?” Yet, somehow we justify the strange nature of the training to ourselves. Breaking plates … throwing daggers … sticking to walls … putting out candles!?!?
The beauty of the film showcases different deadly styles, and presents a mysterious sub-culture that seemed to exist somewhere far away. The characters conduct themselves to live dual lives – taking careful measure not to expose their identities. It’s kinda’ like a Kung-Fu spy film, which only adds to the pot – since most Shaw Brothers (SB) films also mimic shoestring westerns. In this western, we get to watch each character’s seemingly impenetrable Kung-Fu get broken – until only the winners are left.
Status: Legendary – 10 out of 10