1978 ‘五毒’ Directed by Chang Cheh
A kung-fu student is instructed by his dying teacher to track down five of the teacher's ex-students. Each of the five is equipped with a lethal martial arts skill, and the teacher fears this might be used for evil purposes. However, not only does the teacher not know the identity of the students (who all wore masks under his training), but some of the students also don't know each other!
I was hoping some time and kung fu training (ie binge watching) would give me a greater appreciation for this since last I saw it about a decade ago, but if anything it was even more disappointing given the talent involved. It's a bit mystifying to me how much of a pillar this is for some considering that about 75-85% of it is really dry, kind of dull Edgar Wallace/Agatha Christie style whodunnit surrounding a bunch of murders and an inheritance. In theory I should be into that, but it's shot pretty flat and contains scene after scene of characters vomiting exposition and making shifty eyes at each other as they try and suss out who the venoms even are…
Some of the Shaw Brother best fake beards showcased in this one. A Hitchcockian mystery masquerading as a trashy Kung Fu flick. When it comes to Kung Fu styles I understand Snake, Scorpion, Centipede, and MAYBE Toad style.
But tell me how Lizard style is going to do anything? You can stand on a wall? Great.
November 2016 - Scavenger Hunt 20 - #2
Task 30 - Any movie ever sampled in a Wu-Tang Clan song
Kung Fu + Ponytail = Badass. Who would have thunked it?
The Five Venoms is like one of those logic puzzles I used to do when I was a kid. A grey bearded old man in a steamy hot tub provides us with the following clues at the beginning of the film as he relays them to his final protege, Student No. 6.
Clue 1: Located within an ancient Chinese village is a super wealthy old dude who happens to be an ex-Kung Fu teacher.
Clue 2: The village is also occupied by five ex-Kung Fu students named The Five…
The packed screening with an enthusiastic audience, a perfect 35mm print and a Q&A with RZA afterward was probably the most ideal way to see my first Shaw Brothers movie, so perhaps I'm overrating it a little. But I was sufficiently drawn in by the characters and the fighting to forgive some of the slower or drier bits. It helps that all the characters delightful cartoons with fighting styles to match (Toad acts like he's invincible because, well, he is literally invincible) and the fights, while taking up less of the running time than I expected, are meaty and extremely fun. The most surprising element was the running theme of political corruption, but mostly I just enjoyed the colorful fights and fun, often shirtless characters.
Overtly cheesy and excessive in the best way, pushing forth legitimately thrilling hand-to-hand sequences alongside its deliciously comical bouts of pathetic dubbing and exaggerated performances that only top off the persistence of melodramatics lost in an ocean of ridiculously over-saturated fake blood. The Five Venoms, it seems, isn't in on the joke, and continues on with beautifully awful verve as it continues to dig a deeper hole for itself, which is where half the enjoyment arises. Immense, enthralling, and mesmerizing martial-arts schlock. A-
While not as mind-blowingly awesome as 10 year old me remembers, 47 year old me still really dug it.
There are not many good martial arts movies that I missed watching. I was surprised to have missed this one completely. Good story and well made.
A martial arts student is sent on a perilous mission to make sure that five supremely skilled fellow disciples use their skills for good in this violent action adventure directed by Chang Cheh. In Mandarin with English subtitles.
From the legendary Shaw Brothers studio comes the story of a dying master who sends his last student to check up on five former pupils, who each know a special style of kung fu.
Chaing Seng gives a good performance in his role as Yang Tieh, the final student of the Venom House. But his style is mixed and not complete – he has to support one of the others in order to defeat the rest.
In terms of the supporting cast,…
Awesome fight choreography, cool characters, and an extension story highlight this classic. The venom fighting styles are kick ass and the climatic battle really among the best in the best in the genre's history.
All this time spent listening to Wu-Tang and I never realized he was saying "toad style"...
Five films with Five in the title for my 500th entry of the year.
In general I’ve been enjoying the Shaw Brothers martial arts films I’ve seen, and this one was fun too. Complete with all the bad wigs, fake facial hair, bright paint looking blood, and loud unrealistic punching sound effects that I’ve come to expect from these films. This one gets a bit bogged down in who is who, is this person guilty or that one type stuff, but it still has some pretty cool fight scenes.
As sequências de ação (sensacionais, por sinal) são, provavelmente, a única característica deste filme que faz valer a pena assisti-lo.
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