Five Deadly Venoms

Director: Cheh Chang

Overview

As the master of a school for the martial arts lies dying, he lays a charge on one of his youngest students--to stop the havoc being wreaked by his other students as they use their teachings for evil. Goodguy vs. badguy, martial-arts style.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/21/2016
UPC:	0889290730664
Original Release:	1978
Source:	Mr Fat - W Video
Language:	English
Time:	1:42:00
Sales rank:	32,884

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Chiang Cheh	Actor
Sun Chien	Actor
Chien Sun	Actor
Meng Lo	Actor
Chiang Sheng	Actor
Philip Kwok	Actor
Kuo Chue	Actor
Lo Meng	Actor
Feng Lu	Actor
Pai Wei	Actor

Technical Credits

Cheh Chang

Ni Kuang

Cheh Chang	Director,Screenwriter
Runme Shaw	Producer,Producer
Mona Yat-Wah	Producer
Ni Kuang	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

This kung-fu cult favorite doesn't quite live up to its reputation but still offers plenty of colorful action for fans of the genre. The big problem with Five Deadly Venoms is that it allows its story to overwhelm its action instead of allowing these elements to work hand in hand. The setup of a student uncovering the five mysterious "venoms" is promising but gets quickly sidelined by a political-corruption plot that bogs down the film's midsection with courtroom scenes that bring its momentum screeching to a halt. As a result, Five Deadly Venoms has less martial arts action than it could have had, and its pacing lacks the zip of other Shaw Brothers kung-fu classics like Five Fingers of Death. Despite this key problem, the film has its moments: the opening sequence, which depicts an old instructor laying out the deadly skills of the five title characters, has an entrancing comic-book feel, and the epic final battle dishes out plenty of wild martial arts action. Ultimately, Five Deadly Venoms is too convoluted and awkwardly paced to appeal to non-martial arts fans but offers up enough eccentric thrills to please the genre's hardcore enthusiasts.