| Subcategories | Grade Level (feature_five_browse-bin) Audio Type (feature_six_browse-bin) |
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Five Deadly Venoms | 
 enlarge | Director: Cheh Chang
Actors: Sheng Chiang, Philip Kwok, Feng Lu, Pai Wei, Chien Sun
Studio: ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMS INC.
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $10.04
You Save: $9.94 (50%)
New (34) Used (15) from $6.99
Rating:  113 reviews
Sales Rank: 7545
Format: Color, Dvd-video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
DVD Layers: 2
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Letterbox
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 97 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 4.9 x 0.5
MPN: 9981
UPC: 016226998120
EAN: 0016226998120
Theatrical Release Date: 1978
Release Date: May 16, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
One of the loopiest kung-fu movies ever made, a garish masterpiece of martial kitsch by the hard-boiled master of the genre, Chang Cheh. The five muscle-bound paragons of the title have fighting skills so hyperdeveloped that they border upon the occult, each modeled on the behavior of a different venomous beast: centipede, snake, lizard, toad, and scorpion. This "poison clan" is embroiled in a complex plot to lay claim to an ill-gotten fortune, but the story line feels like an afterthought. The nonstop wall-crawling action sequences, which match up the cast members in every conceivable combination, are the be all and end all here. This is late, decadent Chang Cheh, without the poise and sweep of earlier epics like Blood Brothers and Vengeance (the noble David Chiang-Ti Lung team ups that inspired John Woo), but it's great fun on its own terms. The painted masks worn by the Venoms, which make them look like berserk extras in a wrestling film, are based upon the belligerent warrior face paint of Chinese opera. --David Chute
Description
The dying master of the powerful Poison Clan dispatches his last pupil on a crucial mission. Worried that the skills he has taught are being used to evil ends, he orders the Yan Tieh to trace a retired colleague and warn him that the fortune he amassed from the clan activities is under threat from five of his former pupils. Each an expert in his own lethal combat style, the five comprise a truly invincible force. Yan must discover the whereabouts and true identities of these deadly masked warriors and decide which, if any, can be trusted.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 108 more reviews...
 this is the stuff you been lukin 4 August 26, 2008
Troy Gaddis (florida usa)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was one of my personal best kung fu flicks. I give a 10 out of 10 in rating.
 Venomously soporific August 26, 2008
ShriDurga (Japan)
The Five Venoms is something of a cult classic, though its hard to see why. There is very little martial arts action, and what there is is not all that spectacular. Most of the film is a plodding murder mystery that will have you reaching for the remote and the fast forward button - insipid dialog, bad acting, zero suspense, no location shooting, and cheesy special effects. Back in 1978 this may have been top-notch martial arts film-making, but in comparison to more recent efforts it holds up very poorly. For history buffs and nostalgia trippers only.
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Avoid this low-budget version of a classic! July 7, 2008
Zeusneckone (Bay Area, CA United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
We all know this movie is great on so many levels... but released on this dvd and through this company, it is really bad. In my review I give this dvd a 1 star rating because of the following: The clarity throughout the whole film is grainy. The quality in color of the picture is very faint. The audio level is lower than normal. It almost seems like someone simply transferred their vhs recording onto dvd and mass produced it. The scene index is also quite poor. Just a blue screen with the thumbnails. If you don't mind any of those factors maybe this dvd is for you. I wish I could get my money back!
The Venoms start here. April 21, 2008
M. Vargha (NY, USA)
Like many fans of kung fu films, I remember watching Five Deadly Venoms on Saturday afternoon decades ago, and I was instantly hooked. This is the first of what is described as the "Venoms" films, and it is a must own for any fan of the Venoms movies. Though Five Deadly Venoms does not contain the most spectacular martial arts scenes of the Venom films, it has one of the most interesting backgrounds. This film is also the first movie to prominently star all of the main Venom actors: Lu Feng, Wei Pei, Sun Chien, Philip Kwok, Lo Meng and Chiang Sheng. The real draw of the film is the characters and their five contrasting styles of kung fu. Each of the actors does a great job of portraying a practitioner of his particular style, and they all interact well together. Five Deadly Venoms just has a wonderful feel to it. It works. Buy it and enjoy.
My first Kung Fu movie--definitely not my last March 21, 2008
Craig A. Garaas-johnson (Fargo)
OK, so I had only heard from a friend that I should check out some Kung Fu movies because I was listening to a lot of Wu-Tang Clan and he thought I should know there's a history there. Long story short, I looked up one of the samples from a Wu-Tang song and was directed to The Five Deadly Venoms. It looked kitchy and fun, and for eight bucks, what the hell? right?
I watched this film the day it arrived and then watched it again the next day with my brothers-in-law. This movie is sop much fun--the fights are either awesome or hilarious, depending on your level of internal irony, but they are never dull. I won't retell the story here, as you've already got that, I'm sure, but I'll tell you how I reacted. I had never seen one of these films and the FDVs were a great introduction to the genre. I bought it a month ago and have since bought almost a dozen other Shaw Bros. movies like "8 Diagram Pole Fighter" and "36 Chambers." All fun movies, but FDVs also has that superhero quality that just isn't found in any but the most creative movies.
To put it simply: if you are new to the genre buy this film. You won't be sorry.
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