Five Deadly Venoms (1978)

The Five Venoms is thought by many to be one of the best kung fu movies. What sets the movie apart from the others in the genre? It has a (mostly)coherent plot, decent acting, nice sets, good lighting and use of color and intricate fight choreography. As long as you remember the confines of the genre, it’s an enjoyable ride. I can’t put the crown of best kung fu movie on it because Enter the Dragon has that title for me.

The Five Venoms begins with a mystery that a young ku fighter must resolve for his dying master and the audience watches the story unfold as he does. He must figure out the deadly players involved with little information and also who is using their venom training for selfish motives. There are alliances and betrayals, hidden identities, a secret treasure and real stakes.

The five members of the poison clan each have their own fighting style-scorpion, snake, centipede, lizard/gecko, and toad. The different fighting styles are fun to watch and give a glimpse into the characters’ personalities. Unlike many kung fu movies there is some character development and motivations for their behaviors.

What I didn’t care for as much is that the fights looked too choreographed. I didn’t feel like they flowed smoothly at times, more like dancers counting their steps. At least they kept the camera still and at a distance where the whole scene could be observed instead of just seeing segments of the fight. I have to say I like to have at least one female fighter in the cast, sadly there are almost no women in this movie. I think I saw Mama Hung slumped over where an entire family had been murdered when one of the bad guys was trying to find the treasure map. Little quibbles are I could see the wig tape at times, and the fight sounds were not always synched with the motions. I try not to judge a kung fu movie by what are usually atrocious dubbing choices, but at least it didn’t sound like one guy was doing all the voices.

The Five Venoms and teen sidekick was an entertaining movie. The good guys eventually team up against the bad guys showing that teamwork does pay and evil does not. Like all kung fu movies I’m kinder in grading it, as it was a product of it’s time and for a specific audience.

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