Back in the 70's when the Kung Fu Boom hit the U.S. Shores, Five Deadly Venoms
was released and has since become a cult classic. This 1978 release from Shaw
Brothers is classic kung fu fun all the way.
Yah Tieh is sent by his master of the Poison Clan to seek out five ex pupils who are
using their kung fu training for evil means. Yah must seek out these dangerous men
who are only identifiable by their five distinct animal styles.
The five venoms are number 1 through 5 and each possesses a unique kung fu
skill. Number 1 uses the Centipede style to execute lightening fast strikes.
Number 2 is the snake who uses hand strikes combined with grappling moves to
crush opponents. Number 3 has the scorpion's fast kicking that sends
adversaries flying. Number 4 walks on walls thanks to the lizard style.
Finally, Number 5 lacks the punches and kicks that his fellow kung fu members
have, but he is extremely hard to hurt due to his toad training.
As in most 70's kung fu movies, once the basic plot is established then it is
all action. However, despite the cult status of Five Deadly Venoms, there is a
lot of time spent on the young Yah Tieh trying to figure out who is a Poison
Clan member. The mystery is OK for awhile until the pacing really drags in the
middle. Different people are brought before a judge who sometimes uses torture
in his attempt to bring the Poison Clan to justice. One of the most interesting
torture scenes is when Number 5 aka the Toad gets his ears damaged by Number 2
the Snake, causing the Toad to lose his ability to endure pain. Once the Toad's
weakness is exploited he is dragged away to a prison cell. The Toad is very
stoic in front of the Judge as he shouts that he will never confess, thereby
forcing the judge to put The Toad inside an Iron Maiden. Outside of the U.K. I
had no idea that the Iron Maiden even existed in Hong Kong. Unless the British
decided to bring one over.
The ending makes up for the tediousness of the middle that dragged on and on,
as the final battle between Yah Tieh and the police team up to battle all the
venoms at the same time. It is entertaining to watch how Yah Tieh, who has a
little bit of training in all five styles, employs strategy with the student
helping, to combat each animal style. There are the typical flashbacks to
little bits of wisdom from his old master that contain key elements to
defeating a particular venom that work fine here. Sometimes the flashbacks in
other 70's kung fu movies can occur in the middle of a fight and the flashback
can last 20-minutes or longer as in the dreadful early Jackie Chan flick, The
Snake Fist Fighter.
Five Deadly Venoms is old school kung fu that is the perfect movie to watch on
a Saturday afternoon with popcorn, a Coke or beer or Chinese tea for the
pretentious, and is just a lot of fun. Remember to turn off your brain, if you
are over-analytical and prepare to see how each of the venoms is taken down. It
can be also fun to imagine yourself in the movie and what techniques and
tricks, you would use.
Have a Merry Christmas in 2010 and a kicking New Year in 2011!
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars.
To comment on this or any other PCR article, please visit The Message Board. "The Asian Aperture" is ©2010 by Jason Fetters. Webpage design and all graphics herein (except where otherwise noted) are creations of Nolan B. Canova. All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2010 by Nolan B. Canova.
