While none of the films have anything to do with The Five Deadly Venoms, or each other, they do feature the same rotating cast, as different actors take turns playing the heroes and the villains. The opening sequence demonstrates each technique, and the plot centers around a sixth “hybrid” venom that must discover the identity of the traitorous Venoms.
Each Venom plays a master of a different style of deadly martial art: snake, scorpion, toad, centipede, and lizard. They were known affectionately as “the Venom Mob,” due to their first appearance in the cult classic, The Five Deadly Venoms. Over the course of the next two decades, the Shaw Brothers and director Chang Cheh produced an insane amount of films with pretty much the same cast. The 40 best Kung Fu films of the over 100 that I’ve watched, in close-enough chronological order to fit the story of Kung Fu cinema history that I want to tell: One-Armed Swordsman (1967) My journey isn’t over, but if you would like to indulge with me, below you’ll find a hand-picked list of the fruits of my labor. It’s easy, enjoyable, and it feels strong to take in.
It’s easy to root for the hero, and it’s entertaining to watch them succeed. These guys are hot and they fight damn good. Kung Fu films are pure spectacle of martial arts fighting and choreography, and in the simplest of terms–they just fucking rule. Either because I missed martial arts (I was once a practicing second-degree black belt in a Korean style of self defense known as Tang Soo Do), or because I take in new interests like an addict, but anyone who asked me “what’s new?” in the past half-of-a-year can attest to the fact that I most definitely brought up that I had just been watching Kung Fu movies with titles such as “Five Fingers of Death” and “Shaolin Hellgate.”Īs I watched these films, I noticed that there was a simple and mesmerizing formula that still really popped whether it got broken in interesting ways, or was followed down to an absolute tee. For the past six months, I haven’t done much of anything outside of watching Kung Fu films.