From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Five Deadly Venoms
Hong Kong theatrical poster
Directed by	Chang Cheh
Written by	Ni Kuang, Chang Cheh
Starring	Kuo Chui, Chiang Sheng, Lu Feng, Lo Mang, Sun Chien, Wei Pei, Wang Lung Wei,
Release date(s)	1978
Running time	98 minutes
Country	Hong Kong
IMDb profile

The Five Venoms

Five Deadly Venoms (Cantonese:五毒 Wu Du) is a 1978 Hong Kong cult martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh. The five deadly venoms are The Centipede, The Snake, The Scorpion, The Lizard and The Toad. The film was listed at number 11 on Entertainment Weekly's Top 50 Cult Films list.

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, they comprise a truly invincible force. Yan must discover the whereabouts and true identities of these deadly masked warriors, and decide which, if any, he can trust to join him in his perilous mission.

Each of the Poison Clan is alternatively referred to as either their venom style code name, or as their number in regard to the order of being taught by the master. Note the exception of Yan, who is never referred to as "Number 6", nor as any particular animal style. Among fans, he is known as "Hybrid Venom," as his training contains a little bit of each of the five styles, though it is incomplete and was told to align with one of the venoms to stand a chance by his master.

Number 1: Centipede Wriggly and quick, this style is a nice blend of defensive and offensive posturing. The strikes are so fast that it is almost as if he has a hundred arms and legs. The weakness of this style as revealed by Yan Tieh (told by his master) is to attack both the opponent's upper and lower body in a simultaneous assault.

Number 2: Snake On one hand: the mouth, venomous fangs emulated in precise finger motor control. On the other: the stinging whip of a rattling tail. Masters of this ability can even fight extremely well while lying on their back from the floor. The weakness of this style as revealed by Yan Tieh (told by his master) is to stop the "head" and "tail" (the opponent's two arms) from combining, as neither the head or tail can function well individually.

Number 3: Scorpion The scorpion represents a double threat! Kicks from the Scorpion style are just like the stinging tail of the namesake. When delivered by a master, a single kick can paralyze or even kill, let alone the strong pincer-style attack of the arms to contend with. The weakness in this style is not clearly revealed as Yan Tieh is cut off from his explanation but one can assume (by watching The Scorpion in his bout with Yan Tieh and The Lizard) that it would be to stay out of reach of The Scorpion's damaging kicks and make him come to you.

Number 4: Lizard An emphasis on speed and gravity, the Lizard style is best known for the ability to walk on walls, and can fight with ease from such positions.

Number 5: Toad Toads don't do much, but they are tough. That is the essence of this style, a primarily defensive pose. The Toad is invincible to just about any form of attack, including blades and puncture. They can even bend solid metal. The weakness of this style is that any master of the Toad style has a "weak spot" that when punctured, drains the user's Toad style benefits (most notably the iron skin.) Number 5's weak spot were his ears as shown in his fight with The Snake, when The Scorpion secretly struck his ears with his darts. Apparently, the easiest way to discover the weak spot in one's Toad style is to use an Iron Maiden.

• Kuo Chui - Lizard
• Chiang Sheng - The young Student
• Lu Feng - Centipede
• Lo Mang - Toad
• Sun Chien - Scorpion
• Wei Pei - Snake
• Wang Lung Wei - The Judge

Venom Mob

• Five Deadly Venoms at the Internet Movie Database
• Venom Lo Mang's first visit to U.S. / Philadelphia, August 2007

v • d • e Cinema of Hong Kong
Action cinema · Actors · Directors · Cinematographers · Ocean Shore · Producers · Shaw Brothers Studio · Films A–Z · Action films
Films by year:	1909–1929 · 1930s · 1940s · 1950 · 1951 · 1952 · 1953 · 1954 · 1955 · 1956 · 1957 · 1958 · 1959 · 1960 · 1961 · 1962 · 1963 · 1964 · 1965 · 1966 · 1967 · 1968 · 1969 · 1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979 · 1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989 · 1990 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008