If you haven’t
been privileged to see this movie, I’m sorry—because you’ve definitely missed
one of the best martial arts films out there.
Five Deadly Venoms is a martial arts film from the 70s with a great storyline that pulls you along as you try to uncover the identities of the five martial arts fighters. Now, the mystery of whom these fighters are in this movie loses its impact as the movie progresses when certain things make it easier to predict, it still does not take away from the fun of seeing this movie.
One thing that
always makes me laugh about these old Kung Fu movies is how people die. They
don’t just drop dead—they do a final move, like trying to get up before
collapsing, as if they’ve been stung by a scorpion. This can feel unintentionally amusing at first, but later on you start to see that the acting in this movie is not at its best. Plus the effects were not the best, for example, the blood. It’s so
bright red, it’s hard to even confuse it with real blood. But aside from
that, Five Deadly Venoms is a movie that prioritise the action sequence and fight choreography above other things, making this movie a cult classic in Hong Kong martial arts cinema.
The movie’s plot
revolves around a group of five Kung Fu fighters, each taught a unique style by
their master:
- Centipede: Attacks like he has 100 arms.
- Snake: Can fight with both hands while
standing or lying on the floor.
- Scorpion: His kicks are as deadly as a
scorpion’s sting.
- Gecko: Can walk on walls and fight while on
them.
- Toad: His skin is tough and nearly
impossible to pierce.
The master
realized the five were using their skills for evil and regretted teaching them.
Before he died, he trained a young student in all five fighting styles and sent
him on a mission: find the five and stop those using their skills for evil,
while sparing those living a good life. However, the master warned the young
apprentice that he couldn’t take on any of the five alone—he’d need to team up
with one of the good fighters to succeed.
There’s more to the story, but I’ll let you discover that for yourself, but I have to warn that the pacing is uneven, with some scenes dragging longer than needed.
The movie’s
display of martial arts is its strong point. It’s fascinating to see these
unique styles in action and how each one has its own weakness.
This movie
stands above the rest in the way the fights are presented, and since it is not a
comedy, the fights take you in and if you are not careful, you could be kicking
along with the people on screen.
Amazing movie to see any time.
0 comments:
Post a Comment