Wu Du
1978 / 97m - Hong Kong
Action
2.5*/5.0*
Five Deadly Venoms poster

Watches

April 04, 2008

2.5*/5.0*

One of Chang's bigger successes. The Venoms would return in quite a few subsequent films, this is where they came to be. I can't say I was all that impressed with the film though. It spends more time on the intrigue and plot, not really what I want from a Shaw Bros production. The martial arts scene suffer as a consequence, which is a shame considering the fun setup.

A martial arts master trains five pupils and teaches each of them a different style of fighting. When they move out into the world, the master receives word that one of them might be abusing his powers. To find out who isn't behaving, he trains a sixth fighter who knows all their techniques. He has to find out who is bringing dishonor to his master.

The quest to find the culprit takes up a lot of time, which sucks because the performances aren't that great, neither is Chang's direction. The action looks a bit crummy compared to this other films, even though all the elements are there for some good old martial arts fun. I ended up a little disappointed, though Shaw Bros fans are sure to find something here.