Five Deadly Venoms

A dying master sends his last pupil to check on his former students, each versed in a special form of Kung-Fu.

Five Deadly Venoms (Wu du) is an interesting entry in the Shaw Brothers library. After a fairly typical Shaw Brothers setup, Five Deadly Venoms shifts gears and becomes a mystery/drama. Perhaps spurred on by the success of Enter the Dragon, its clear director Cheh Chang was trying for more than the typical Kung-Fu movie. And while it’s no contender for best screenplay, it is a welcome change to find a strong plot backing a Shaw Brothers picture.

Unfortunately, Five Deadly Venoms does this at the expense of what makes the Shaw Brothers pictures great: the action. The few fight scenes present aren’t very remarkable, and much of the opening footage is repeated throughout the movie. These two factors, along with the lack of any real charismatic presence, combine to make Five Deadly Venoms a let down.