Five Deadly Venoms

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Five Deadly Venoms
Hong Kong theatrical poster
Directed by	Chang Cheh
Written by	Ni Kuang, Chang Cheh
Starring	Kuo Chiu, 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 popular 1978 Hong Kong cult martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh. The film is considered to be an influential and important film in the genre. 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.

1 Plot
2 Styles
3 Cast
4 Trivia
5 External link
6 See also

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

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.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Styles

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.

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.

Number 2: Snake The snake represents a double threat! On one hand: the mouth, venomous fangs emulated in precise fingular motor control. On the other: the stinging whip of a rattling tail. Masters of this ability can even fight extremely well while laying on their back from the floor.

Number 3: Scorpion 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.

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.

[edit] Cast

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

[edit] Trivia

Torture device made famous from this movie: Iron Maiden
Quote made famous from this movie: "Poison clan rocks the world!"
Inspired a soda commercial.
Several sound quotes sampled and used in raps by Wu-Tang Clan. The most famous example of this is at the beginning of Da Mystery of Chessboxin'.
Inspired another martial arts film, Return of the Five Deadly Venoms (aka Crippled Avengers), which had no plot similarities to Five Deadly Venoms, but featured much of the same cast.
The "snake" role was originally intended for a woman.
An empty poison shop is hidden in the city of Stormwind in the popular game World of Warcraft, with a sign labeled "Five Deadly Venoms".
The NYC Hardcore band Merauder took the name "Five Deadly Venoms" for their 2nd album.
Title of a Hip Hop Mixtape by P.F. Cuttin', Mister Cee, Tony Touch, DJ Premier and DJ Evil Dee
The Five Venom Fists are villains in Jūken Sentai Gekiranger, in which each member takes after each movie character respectively.