FIVE
DEADLY VENOMS (1978)Director: Cheh Chang
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FIVE
DEADLY VENOMS (1978)Certainly one of the best known of the martial arts films, FIVE DEADLY VENOMS contains one of the best openings of any of the Shaw Brothers films, but on a second (or tenth viewing as the case may be) it certainly doesn't always live up to the glory of the opening.
A near death martial arts master speaks to his remaining student as he struggles to stay alive, telling him that he worries that the skills he has taught to his past students may be used for evil. Although many of the Poison Clan have turned out well, the clan had a bad history. He wants his student to be sure that the clan's treasure doesn't fall into the wrong hands. However, as his training is not complete, he must join with the good students, to bring low the baddies.
Cue that famous opening sequence as we see the animal based styles of the Venom mob (as they would be called sometime later) demonstrated. Wearing stylized masks to protect their identity, this made a huge impression on audiences all over the globe, and hypnotized any kid lucky enough to see this on Kung Fu Theater back in the 70's and 80's.
Number 1-The Centipede (Lu Feng), Number 2-The Snake (Wei Pai), Number 3-The Scorpion (Sun Chien), Number 4-The Lizard (Philip Kwok), and Number 5-The Toad (Lo Mang-who probably felt a little shorted as he didn't get what I would think of as a particularly cool animal. Not to mention the numerous torture sequences...)
After seeing how great their skills are he is told by teacher..."If they are bad, you must kill them." Sure...sounds simple right? Seeking out a 5 men who he doesn't know, and being told to make an ex Poison Clan member to donate his money to charity you would think our hero had his work cut out for him!
As the Venoms reveal themselves in surprising places, loads of martial arts action and treachery take place. Oddly, intrigue plays more of a role here than the actual fighting it seems, but don't be fooled. There's plenty of swinging arms and flying feet, as we meet the Venoms and find out what they have been up to. Written by horror and kung fu scribe extrodanaire I Kuang with director Chang Cheh, the plot is certainly thicker than usual, but that doesn't stop the action sequences from sparkling. However, you won't be disappointed once the final conflict ensues. The final sequence where the remaining Venoms battle it out is a long and exciting masterpiece of choreography, with some impressive special effects tossed in.
Interestingly, this film is touted as one of the best films ever in the Martial Arts genre, though it doesn't hold a candle to the pace of many others, most notably the further works of director Chang Cheh. All of the performers from this worked with Cheh on several other pictures, and I would hope to see some of them soon on DVD. Make sure to pick up The Crash Cinema disc of RETURN OF THE FIVE DEADLY VENOMS (aka MORTAL COMBAT) at least. Though it's not a pretty disc, the movie is far more action oriented.
One thing that can't be overlooked about FIVE DEADLY VENOMS is that it in a way it's responsible for the great revival of Martial Arts videos in the mass culture. The film was very heavily sampled on the groundbreaking Wu Tang Clan album Enter The 36th Chamber. With that, a strange effect has occurred as Wu Tang Clan has become one of the largest Rap acts in the world. They were never short on praising their favorite flicks, and now you can go almost into any mall in the U.S. and find dozens of classic (and not so classic) martial arts films, though you will have to wade through some odd retitlings.
Certainly the early DVD release of this film proves it's lasting effect on both the original fans of martial arts cinema, and the next generation. Of course it worries me a little that they may actually believe these movies were titled "Method Man" or "Old Dirty Kung Fu"....
The DVD release is at least in Shawscope (2:35:1), but is transferred directly from tape. On close inspection you'll see some tape folding in the master. However, this is one of the films that has been available only as a $5.00 Pan and Scan bootleg for so long, this DVD is a welcome sight and very welcome in my collection. No other extras are included, but is priced very reasonably. Now if I could just find someplace in the phonebook that listed a Toad Style dojo...it is immensely strong-as this movie proves! (David Zuzelo)