The Five Deadly Venoms (1978, first viewing)
The films of the Shaw Brothers are a huge blindspot for me, and something I've been slowly trying to remedy over the last few years. This one was a real delight, and probably a great starting point for anyone who hasn't seen much "classic" kung fu.
As the film opens, the master teacher of the Poison Clan is dying. He tells his pupil about five of his former students (Centipede, Snake, Scorpion, Lizard, and Toad--ie the Five Venoms) who have gone out in to the world. The master is worried that some of them may be using their powers for evil and directs his student to take out those who are doing wrong. Because the students always wore masks around each other, they do not know each others' faces.
The plot of this film is complex, and yet at the same time pretty easy to follow. It's not simply a case of good guys and bad guys--there are multiple allegiances at play with the prize of both money and honor hanging in the air. There are crosses and double-crosses, and all of it takes place in the scope of a justice system where seemingly everyone from witnesses to judges are for sale. Once a murder is committed, the process of finding and punishing the guilty party turns the court into a playground for the different students to seek out and attack each other.
I was a bit nervous about watching this on Amazon, because some of their prints are absolutely garbage. But this was a really nice transfer, and the colors of the film pop nicely. The dubbing was also really solid and expressive, which compliments the acting in the film. The actors bring some strong physicality to their characters, and I especially liked Meng Lo's swagger as Toad.
The big question, of course, is how is the action? The answer is really good. The actors in the lead roles are very acrobatic and perform their choreography very well. There are some really inventive uses of wire-work and sequences where characters work together in battles.
I would put this pretty close to the top of Shaw Brothers films that I've seen so far. I think that I still would put
Come Drink with Me at the top, but this one really gives it a run for its money. This one was directed by Cheh Chang, who also directed
The One-Armed Swordsman and
Golden Swallow. This one is definitely highly recommended.