1978 kung-fu movieRating: 15/20
Plot: A kung-fu master laments that his former pupils of the Poison Clan have all gone bad. What do you expect when you call yourself Poison Clan though? He sends his last pupil out to find and dispose of them. Unfortunately, they're anonymous and all have unique powers. The student ventures out to find the Centipede, Snake, Lizard, Scorpion, and Toad.
A classic according to most kung-fu aficionados, this is known more for its rich, serpentine story rather than its kick-em-up thrills. When there's action, it's fun. The animal styles give you a lot of variety, and the fighting's frantically and creative. I like the characters, especially in an awesome prelude that describes their special powers--lightning quickness that makes it appear as if there are a hundred hands and feet, snake-like agility, wall climbing, invincibility, and whatever the scorpion does--but I just think there could have been so much more done with them. Still, it's a cool kung-fu flick that most fans of the genre will appreciate, and the story's solid enough to make it worth revisiting.
2 comments:
My favorite Shaw Brothers movie. Well this and "The Five Shaolin Masters". (What the hell is it with the Shaws and the number five)
I love the dubbed version of this film, because its the one I saw as a much younger man. I have no idea if any of these reissues have that dubbing, and I have been afraid to check out The Five Deadly Venoms because I am afraid it will be so different. (Well that and its also not available on Netflix. Bastards)
Anyway, I give this one a 16. Fun movie with cool effects and enjoyable, exciting fight scenes.
Every time I watch a kung-fu movie, Shaw bros. or no, it seems like the same dubbed voices. There's the hero, a guy who kind of sounds like a young guy doing a weird John Wayne impression, the "master" voice filled with this scratchy wisdom, several higher-pitched fool voices. The hero in the Shaw productions, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan's characters...I could be wrong, but I'd swear the same guy is doing their voices.
Five? Is it some kind of mystical number, like three is in a lot of cultures? Maybe we should ask somebody who really really likes 'Lost'...
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