“Five Venoms” is a well-choreographed martial arts movie from Shaw Brothers Studio. Director Chang Cheh’s technical expertise shines in what was the first notable film to feature the martial arts group known as the Venom Mob. Released in 1978, the portrait this film paints of legal corruption is still relevant.
“Five Venoms” starts with a dying martial artist talking to his last pupil. He tells young Yang Tieh about five students who each mastered a different martial arts style, and commands Tieh to find them to see if any of them are now evil. Tieh becomes embroiled in a fight between two competing factions of this group.
One excellent thing about Shaw Brothers movies is their martial arts choreography. “Five Venoms” is no exception, as it has fantastic hand-to-hand combat sequences. My only criticism is that this movie lacks the brilliant weapons choreography of some other Shaw Brothers films, such as “Five Element Ninjas.”
Shaw Brothers Studio attracted a lot of great talent in its time. Even the influential director King Hu made a film for them called “Come Drink with Me.” But the director who best represents their style is probably Cheh.
Cheh’s dynamic visual style is full of fantastic whip pans and zooms. He and editor Hsing-Lung Chiang are great at finding the perfect rhythm for fight sequences. Cheh directed over 90 films for Shaw Brothers Studio, including several that starred the Venom Mob.
The Venom Mob was a group of five martial artists who did not achieve stardom as a group until Cheh directed them in “The Five Venoms.” That film’s success led to them making over a dozen films together.
The roles each member of the Venom Mob played were influenced by their characters in this movie. Philip Kwok often played heroic characters. Feng Lu often played villains, and his performance as the conniving Centipede in this film is excellent.
One notable fan of Shaw Brothers films is Wu-Tang Clan frontman RZA. “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin” inspired him with its tale of struggle against an oppressive regime. “The Five Venoms” shares similar political concerns in its focus on the abuse of criminal justice.
The Centipede and the Snake frame Liang Shen, the Toad, for a crime he did not commit. They torture him into “confessing” and later kill him, framing his death as a suicide. Though the circumstances are different, these sequences are reminiscent of recent police brutality cases.
“Five Venoms” is a good mixture of thought-provoking social commentary and entertainment. The fight sequences are well choreographed and shot. This movie is available on Netflix if you want to get your Kung fu fix.
