FIVE VENOMS appreciation (kung fu related)...
paulnice
924 Posts
Okay, ya know I gotta do this every so often,Love the flicks.Love the Shaw Brothers stuff the best.And of all the Shaw stuff, the films closest to my heart are a series of about a dozen + films, all directed by John Woo's teacher, Chang Cheh (probably the most prolific kung fu movie director of all time with over 100 joints to his credit).The films are related to each other on account of their ensemble cast, but that's about it.The first film to showcase their skills is no doubt their most famous (and IMO, one of their weakest)."The Five Venoms" ("Deadly" was added for the US realease) was such a hit on 42nd Street that it played in one theater for over a year.They are...Kuo ChuiChiang ShengLu FengLo MangSun Chien...and sometimes... Wei Pei, Chu Ku, Wang Li and about a dozen other guys who showed up in some capacity in most if not all of the films.To international fans, they're known as the "Venoms Mob" and from 1978-1982, they pumped out joint after classic joint.Acrobatic, often bloody, baroque, bizarre, ingenious and esoteric weapons galore, the Venoms were that real.The Five Venoms (Five Deadly Venoms)
Crippled Avengers (Mortal Combat)
Invincible Shaolin (Unbeatable Dragon)
Kid With The Golden Arm
Daredevils (Daredevils of Kung Fu)
Magnificent Ruffians (Destroyers)
Rebel Intruders (Killer Army)
Shaolin Rescuers (Avenging Warriors of Shaolin)
Two Champions of Shaolin (Two Champions of Death)
Legend of the Fox
Sword Stained With Royal Blood
Masked Avengers
House of Traps
Five Element Ninja (Super Ninja)
...there's a few I left out (Flag of Iron/Spearman of Death is my shit), but you get the idea.... 
Crippled Avengers (Mortal Combat) Invincible Shaolin (Unbeatable Dragon)Kid With The Golden Arm Daredevils (Daredevils of Kung Fu) Magnificent Ruffians (Destroyers) Rebel Intruders (Killer Army)Shaolin Rescuers (Avenging Warriors of Shaolin)Two Champions of Shaolin (Two Champions of Death) Legend of the Fox Sword Stained With Royal BloodMasked AvengersHouse of TrapsFive Element Ninja (Super Ninja)...there's a few I left out (Flag of Iron/Spearman of Death is my shit), but you get the idea....
Comments
The Venoms are dope! I'll add Chinatown Kid to that list. Those posters are great - do you scan/take pixs of them yourself? I can't find any on line. I can't wait to see IVL's DVD of House OF Traps!
peace
h
sounds fucking badass to me.
these movies look amazing, im no martial arts movie connoisseur, but i do enjoy a good kick-fest every now and then. you have just expanded my must-see list.
my wifes gonna hate you.
Yes Brother Haz! A clean copy of House of Traps is definitely some
Too bad ILV/Celestial pushed it back on their schedule.
No new date set!!
This is a sad thing...I don't think they'll be putting out Kid With The Golden Arm in the near future either
That guy deserves a thread of his own! I recently saw Vengeance & was like
I just bought a stack of Shaw's this evening. 6 for 25 bones. Bootlegs of the IVL's, but what the heck.
peace
h
Magnificent Ruffians is my personal fave Venoms flick hands down.
Just dumb raw fights, acrobatics and bugged out styles ("The Sun Shines", "The Sun Rotates", "The Clouds Below").
Not to mention nice use of Bernard Herrman's Taxi Driver OST throughout.
HOWEVER, if you're new to the Venoms stuff, I wouldn't start there.
Give yourself a chance to get acquainted with the principal actors in the ensemble first.
You'll enjoy/appreciate Magnificent Ruffians MUCH better if you do.
I'd start out with any of the following...
Flag of Iron/Spearman of Death
Two Champions of Shaolin
Crippled Avengers (out on bootleg DVD in the US as "Return of the 5 Deadly Venoms")
Invincible Shaolin
Masked Avengers
or Super Ninjas (
Again, "Five Venoms" the movie wasn't their greatest IMO.
There's actually NOT a lot of fighting/action in it.
It IS however, a well made, tightly structured dark mystery (for a kung fu movie anyway) with a lot of sinister, badass elements.
Honestly, the first five minutes (where they introduce each masked Venom and descibe their style) is worth the price of the DVD alone.
Truth be told, it's a good primer for the series.
your enthusiasm is contagious.
it is now my mission in life to see these movies.
Does this also go by the name of 5 element ninjas? I have to get the boot of that...
Image, a domestic company, plans on releasing plenty of Shaw Bros. dvds in the next year. Letterboxed, bonuses, the works.
'To Kill A Mastermind' included!
Someone one here recommended it, I can't remember who (paulnice?). Unavailable in any format as we speak.
Dude, PLEASE tell me you're joking about Image puttin out "To Kill a Mastermind"!!!!!
TKAM is no joke,
AND...
Director Sun Chung's (Avenging Eagle, Human Lanterns, Kung Fu Instructor) bonafide MASTERPIECE.
I gotta give those Image guys a call first thing tomorrow and confirm.
I'm actually working in tandem with them on some of their Shaw releases.
I've writen liner notes for Chang Cheh's "Heaven and Hell" (Shaolin Hellgate), starring the late Chinatown Kid, Fu Sheng and the Venoms - fighting in HELL!!!
I've also supplied them with a grip of extra materials and even DeWolfe library cues used in the films to be played during the menu screens.
Thing is, last I heard, they only got 30 titles from Shaw/Celestial with an option to purchase more if the initial 30 do well.
I've seen the list and To Kill a Mastermind unfortunately wasn't on it (though it doesn't suprise me since it hasn't been released in HK yet either).
In fact, I'm not too pleased with the titles they did choose.
Too many slow-moving, unpopular late 60's/early 70's bashers and sword pics. No thanks.
I just hope they do well enough to get more.
And that TKAM will be among them.
God please.
Image has released 2 discs already so far.
Bugged out horror flick "Black Magic" and Ultraman rip-off "Super Inframan".
Nothing spectacular, but still fun stuff.
You know how to wake me up at my desk.
So many classic films.
Like our convo before. Need to watch the dubbed versions!!! Which I'm finding it hard to pick these up. It's made me hold on to my vhs boots.
Wanna read something sad Paul?
http://www.ultra8.ca/content/kff.html
I hope Colin comes back. Dude was the king around these parts with the OG prints!
laterz,
Amir
Hmm...Super-Inframan might be fun for kids. I think 36 Chambers or Return to the 36 Chambers is an okay for a 7-10 year old. Its way more tame & upbeat than Star Wars. What the heck do kids watch today anyway?
On Five venoms: yeah the story gets going kinda slow, but (dont all kungfu flicks?( my girl has never made it do Toad's death!!)) once its gets going, Im just as involved in it as something like the godfather. When scorpion says the line to snake: something like "an evil deed goes on, it goes on forever," it gave me goosebumps.
I will definately be checking out all the other venom mob titles. Are the stories as good and involved? Or are they as historically involved as well? Just curious. Cause as much as i like watching some badass styles and hand skills, it cant just be all wushu, I need a story.
Aight, back to the nytimes crossword. (Dream was the everly brother's big hit, right? anyone? Im real close.)
I saw Super-Inframan(as just Infra Man)in the Fox theatre in my hometown of Stevens Point WI when I was about 8 years old and never forgot it! I saw it on a Sat morning matinee, which my Mom would routinely drop me and my brother off most Saturdays. I have the Prism VHS AND the Celestial Region 3 DVD, and the DVD is beautiful!
Paul, my fave Venoms is Masked Avengers, but now you have me fiending for 'To Kill A Mastermind'...is this available on Celestial?
"To Kill A Mastermind" is one of the BEST Shaw films EVAR!!!!!! CRAZY fights for days. The only copy available is a washed out cam corder copy that is speeded up and has subtitles that keep getting cut off the screen. Celestial has not released it nor put it on a release schedule as far as I know. This has to be the most wanted DVD re-issue for the hardcore Shaw fans. Sometime around 98 or so Big Daddy Kane was here in Seattle doing a show. I had heard that Kane was into the Kung-Fu flicks and I wanted to know if he was serious about them. I went and met Kane at his hotel and we talked about the movies. FIRST thing he asks me is "Yo, you got a clean copy of To Kill A Mastermind?" I knew this dude was serious. Then he asked me if I had an English dubbed copy of "Crazy Horse, Intelligent Monkey." I told him I had an English dubbed widescreen copy. He bugged out. I sent him a copy of the flick and we talked on the phone the following week. We talked for an hour straight about Kung Fu movies and then we got into all the Black 70s films. Kane knows his flicks and is a super nice guy.
Dude on the forum at dvdtalk.com says so in a big Shaw Bros. thread anyway. Dude supposedly works for Image. Doesn't sound like BS either, dude seems to know what he's talking about.
You find anything out, let us know.
Peace out.
Went to the dvdtalk forum and read the post.
That's Linn Haynes, who's a good friend.
What he actually says about To Kill a Mastermind is...
"The only version currently available is a Taiwanese camcorder tape, but it should come out from IVL in 2007. But there's no way to pin that down for sure. But they will be releasing it between 07-08."
ILV meaning not Image, but Region 3 HK DVD's from Celestial, which we kinda always expected would happen in the next year or two anyway.
The idea of IMAGE putting this out makes all the difference since they would have most likely released TKAM with the never-heard-before old school english dub.
We're not gonna get that w/the ILV release unfortunately.
Flashlegs has a copy of 'To Kill A Mastermind' & they say its watchable. I'd be curious to see what that means!
peace
h
Thanks for the details, paul. I guess there's plenty to tide me over until then.
I like the old eng dubs better, too.
This looks amazing!!!!!!!
Also, anyone a fan of some of the 70s crime flicks that came out of the Shaw house?
hkflix.com has the dvd for 10 bucks, fullscreen though.
The only Venoms films i've seen so far are:
The 5 Venoms.
Chinese Super Ninjas.
Kid with the Golden Arms.
Killer Army.
Invincible Shaolin.
Next on the list for me will be,Ten Tigers Of Kwang Tung and Flag Of Iron.
I really need to get a regionless player so i can see all the Shaw Bros titles in their new restored quality.
I'll be buying some of the Image releases,i'm looking forward to getting legendary Weapons Of China and Shaolin Intruders.
That is sad. Colin is that dude. Great peoples.
Chan Dog introduced me to him some years ago.
Unfortunately I never got a chance to make it up there for one of his screenings, but I did manage to see some prints from his collection when they played in SF and NY.
Seeing widescreen english prints of Crippled Avengers and 36th Chamber of Shaolin was
Thanks for the
I dig your Lee Hoi Sang (sp?) avatar.
What flick is that from?