"Masked Avengers" (1981) d/ Chang Cheh

Good Chinese gung fu movies are like my favorite pint of genre takeaway with an ample portion of steamed white rice as a complement,when that certain mood strikes me. If you're a fan of director Chang Cheh's earlier work, like 1978's The Five Venoms, for instance (and who isn't), and you're seeking out a similarly righteous masked gung fu mystery vibe, then look no further than tonight's review, his 1981 effort, starring many of the "Venom Mob", a splashy, acrobatic, arterial spurting, guts-hanging-off-a-trident good time that plays as darkly as any of his films of that era, i.e. House of Traps,  Five Element Ninjas, etc...


Kuo Chui;always excellent drama, acrobatics, and gung fu from the Lizard.
It would seem that a rogue crew of evil bastards has been up to no martial good of late, running poor sons o' bitches through on their trademark long tridents, and overseen by three gang chiefs, all who wield a golden trident, and wear a color-coordinated bearded mask that differs from the standard issue horned demon that the boys sure like to sport, while they're pursuing questionable activities as regular pastimes, such as kidnapping young men and trapping them inside elaborate mechanical Buddha statues before spearing them over and over again with their tridents, and catching the spurting blood inside bowls of water, drinking the mixture triumphantly while  gloating over all the cash they amass by carrying out said splashily graphic, overly dramatic executions. Of course, there's Chi San Yuen (Chiang Sheng), nd various members of the prolific Long Clan, who've taken it upon themselves to investigate these killings and expose the mysterious gang for the unscrupulous criminals that they are...starting with the identity of the crew's leader or leaders, whomever that might turn out to be.


"You can't have any silver taels until you've finished drinking your blood-water, fellas..."
Heading the list of potential villains is the rich local fellow Lin Yun Chi (Lu Feng), who seems sincere enough in helping out the Longs in realizing their goals, despite various associates suddenly developing a propensity for being sneakily eighty-sixed by the very gang they currently hunt. There's also Fang Zugang (Wong Li), an equally affluent local chap, whose henchman all seem to parade around in red and black outfits, much like the gang in question. A mostly silent cook named Gao(Kuo Chui) also displays the martial prowess necessary to qualify as a potential chief baddie, but Chi's mate Zeng Jun (Chin Siu Ho) seems to have developed a rapport with the mysterious man, and trusts in him despite his excellence with a gold chief-colored trident, and his coincidental possession of a matching bearded chief mask, just like the real ones wear. Hmmm. Expect an acid, knives, and arrows booby trapped lair full of high-flying gung fu and treachery in the final reel, just the way you like it...


Movement number thirteen, narcolepsy in the red paint.
No Sun Chien or Lo Mang here, but even without those two heavy hitters, Avengers scores high marks all around for fight choreography, which was provided partially by Kuo Chui, Chiang Sheng, and Lu Feng, paint-splattery death en masse, lots of side-flipping martial turncoatery and plot twists, and some of the most exhilarating individual gung fu performances out of it's cast of main characters, all of which had been known for such dizzying skills before the release of Avengers in 1981, having solidified that reputation here a thousand-fold. A perfect score of four Wops is what I'll bestow upon this one, as it stands as a fine example of Asian fantasy and action of the period, and arguably, one of the finest ever. If this sort of thing is your bag, you'll want to hunt down a nice print of this to screen for yourselves, and it just so happens that there's a good one available on Netflix currently available, so what are you waiting for?


Four out of five martial experts recommend Venom antics for genre cinema fans who dig such antics.

"Crippled Avengers" (1978) d/ Chang Cheh

It's been a minute since we looked at any gung fu here at the Wop, so I figured we'd cover another late seventies Shaw Brothers classic from Chang Cheh starring his popular Venom Mob stable: The affable Kuo Chui (The Lizard), the personable Chiang Sheng (Hybrid Venom), the hot-headed musclebound Lo Mang (The Toad), the kick-riffic Sun Chien (The Scorpion), and the treacherous Lu Feng (The Centipede), the only fellow missing is Pai Wei (The Snake), but he'd turn up in other Cheh vehicles with his cinematic gang mates. Also on board, is the man himself, Johnny Wang Lung Wei, in another memorably villainous turn with a ball and chain (actual weapon, not a wife, don't get excited, SJW's). Maybe more surprising, is the participation of Chen Kuan Tai, usually a distinguished hero in these pictures, as a major cock of a bad guy.


Being fitted for extending iron hands that shoot darts lessens the blow of having your arms amputated by angry bandits.
While Tao Tien Tu (Chen Kuan Tai) is away on business, his homestead is set upon by members of the ruthless Tien Nan Tiger gang, who proceed to chop his pleading wife's legs off and his young son's arms off (that's a calling card, huh) before he can return in time to dole out ample Tiger Claw retribution upon these villainous bastards. After his wife succumbs from her wounds, Tao vows to construct his newly crippled boy some nifty iron arms, to assist in his gung fu proficiency as he grows up. We then meet Tao Sheng (Lu Feng) as a bitter young Tiger style proponent with iron arms, who, aided by his equally bitter old man and his loyal henchman, Lin Wing (Wang Lung Wei), enjoys playing judge, jury, and executioner to every poor son of a bitch that they deem to have shown disrespect in some regard. Their brutal martial bullying leaves the wanderer Chen Shun (Kuo Chui) blind after Sheng gives him the Iron Moe Howard to his ocular orbits, the iron smith Wei Da (Lo Mang) dumb and deaf, Hu Ah-kuei (Sun Chien) loses his legs, and Wang Yi (Chiang Sheng) gets his head squeezed in a vice until he's an idiot. These guys don't mess around...


"Which one of you bastards would like a crippling lesson?", queries Tao Tien Tu (Chen Kuan Tai).
Wang Yi's teacher takes in the crippled bunch as students, repairing their bodies and minds with gung fu, as is so often the case. The men craft some iron legs for Hu, and Chen and Wei are taught to use their handicaps to their pugilistic advantage (as is so often the case). Meanwhile, Wang Yi is able to fight as he did before the torture, he just has the attention span of a child on four bowls of Super Sugar Crisp. In between more incapacitating life lessons served up by the evil trio anytime someone bumps into one of them or mentions Sheng's handicap (which, for the record, is a lot), even more cronies are hired for protection with a party celebrating Tao's martial accomplishments on the horizon, making the already laborious task of exacting revenge near to impossible for our heroes. Will they be able to defeat the Tiger Claw master and his small army? Will there be ample doubling and blood drenched two man kata action to wow even the hardest of gung fu fanatics to please? I shouldn't have to spell it all out for you, grab a copy, and see for yourselves!


"Second word...sounds like anacusis...martial bruises? Oh, it IS anacusis..."
Not to be confused with 1979's Crippled Masters, which featured actual handicapped gents, one with no arms, and another with no real legs to speak of. That's another review...Tonight's,  also known as Return of the Five Deadly Venoms,  is one of the wilder entries in Cheh's canon with the full Venom Mob, filled with bloody limbs, torture, and the usual dazzling display of skills we've come to expect from the familiar cast of characters. The fight scenes maintain the same standard of excellence, and some impressive acrobatics from Kuo,Chiang, and Lu throughout the production. Wang Lung Wei does his thing, and Chen Kuan Tai is effective as a villain here, as well. One of my favorite Cheh productions of the period, it should become one of yours, too, if it isn't already. Three Wops, and highly recommended.


"Let me blow this sneezing powder in your face...it'll be hilarious, come on!"

B.W.'s Top Twenty Favorite Kung Fu Actors : Twenty to Eleven

Alright, you pious bastards, let's spinning wheel kick off our New Year's Eve festivities here at the Wop with another of my inimitable Top Twenty lists, this time focusing on my favorite performers in martial arts movies, a fast-paced and exciting genre I've been into since the late seventies, thanks to unforgettable Saturday afternoon (and late night) television broadcasts from local channels like WNEW 5, WOR 9, and WPHL17. Keep in mind that this is a list of my favorites, not a pissing contest over whose fighting style is best, or who'd beat who in a real contest, as conjecture of that flavor is best confined to the schoolyard, really. As always, I'd love to see your lists and hear your feedback, so don't hesitate to lay it on me, if you feel so inclined. Right. Now try my double Phoenix Eye...


  20) Cynthia Rothrock  Five time forms champion and holder of seven black belts, Golden Harvest actress and Delaware native, Cynthia Rothrock, is a lot more fun to look at than say, Hwang Jang Lee/Wong Cheng Li, for me. Can't put my finger on it, but she's got that certain something...ahem.


  19) Casanova Wong How about the Korean Tae Kwon Do expert and supreme kicker, Casanova Wong? Check out his undeniable skills in things like Warriors Two (1978) and Tower of Death (1981).


  18) Tan Tao Liang While we're on the subject of great kickers, let's add "Flash Legs" to the mix. The Invincible Kung Fu Legs (1980) and The Hot, the Cool and the Vicious (1976) are good flicks to hunt down for a display of his remarkable abilities.


  17) Hsiao Ho Look for Mad Monkey Kung Fu (1979), Legendary Weapons of China (1982), and My Young Auntie (1981) for Hsiao in a starring capacity, which he most certainly deserved more of, during his long career in movies.


  16) Chiang Sheng  You'll remember "Cutie Pie" as the hybrid venom in Chang Cheh's The Five Venoms (1978), but this acrobatic star also shows off his skills in things like Invincible Shaolin (1978), Crippled Avengers (1978), and Shaolin Rescuers (1979).


  15) Lu Feng  Number one, the Centi-pede! Besides The Five Venoms (1978), you can also check out The Kid With The Golden Arm (1978), House of Traps (1982), and 1981's Masked Avengers for more of this popular member of the Venom gang.


  14) Sammo Hung  You'll most likely recall Jacky Chan's portly Peking Opera mate in his legendary sparring scene vs. Bruce Lee in 1973's Enter the Dragon, but Big, Big Brother has had a gloriously long career in martial arts movies, from Knockabout (1979) and Wheels on Meals (1985) to Pedicab Driver (1989) and Ip Man 2 (2010).


  13) Hui Ying Hung  The lovely and talented Kara Hui figures prominently in the films of Shaw Brothers directors Chang Cheh and Liu Chia Liang, who gave her a start in 1976's Challenge of the Masters. You can admire her skill in movies like My Young Auntie (1981), Martial Club (1981), and 1982's Cat vs. Rat.


  12) Lo Mang Shaw Brothers muscular strongman and long time favorite of Chang Cheh, Lo is best known as The Toad in The Five Venoms (1978), though you owe it to yourself to check out some of his other films, like The Kid With The Golden Arm (1978), Chinatown Kid (1977), aand Ten Tigers of Kwangtung (1979).


  11) Yuen Biao Besides doubling for everybody (yes, even Bruce Lee) in various stunt capacities, Jacky Chan's other famous Peking Opera brother shows off his amazing flexibility and high flying acrobatics in films like Knockabout (1978), The Prodigal Son (1981), Young Master (1980), and Yuen Woo Ping's Dreadnaught (1981).

"House of Traps"(1982)d/Chang Cheh

Tonight we look at the last Chang Cheh film to feature his second stable of action stars: Kuo Chui, Lu Feng, Chiang Sheng, Sun Chien, also known as "The Venoms", in near entirety; only strongman Lo Mang is absent from the goings-on.Also on board here are Cheh regulars Chin Siu Ho, Lung Tien Hsang, Cheng Tien Chi, and Wong Lik.Cheh's cinematic efforts had become increasingly bloody and baroque by this point, as evidenced by Spearmen of Death(1980) and Masked Avengers(1981), and with tonight's feature he would push his concepts to the brink with a tale of treason and greed set during the Sung Dynasty, centered around a trap-laden pagoda of death, sort of a fancy roach motel for pugilists.Though the fights, as choreographed by the Venoms, are on par with the brilliant standard they'd established some five years earlier, there aren't a whole lot of them here to enjoy.Instead, there's plenty of confusing plot and hilarious dialogue(If I had a buck for everytime somebody mentions the titular "house of traps", I'd open a nationwide chain of martial clubs.) provided by the usual two or three ADR dubbers lending voices to every character in the movie, or so it would seem.What the production lacks in combat sequences, it makes up whenever some unwitting bastard strolls into the aforementioned house, and gets jacked up by lever-pulling, gear-turning death.Make no mistake, the cleverly brutal House of Traps is the main attraction here, and even gung fu takes a backseat to it.Still, if you're a Shaw Bros or Venom Mob completist, you'd do well to add this fitting farewell to Cheh's second stable to your martial collection, regardless.Onwards!

House of Traps-1, Intruder-0.
During the Sung Dynasty, a womanless era for China, apparently(there aren't any in the whole movie), the treacherous Prince of Xiang Yang(Ai Fei) conspires to usurp the throne from his uncle, while hiding stolen artifacts, lists of traitors, and incriminating documents inside an elaborately-built booby-trapped house with floors that spikes spring out of, walls that hurl spears and revolving panels that hide archers and various sword-wielding henchmen, swinging axe-edged support beams, and razor-lined stairs.The Emperor dispatches his best men to retrieve the latest theft, an antique jade sculpture, but they never make it out of the house of traps alive.Loyal to the young prince is thief, Butterfly Hua(Lu Feng), whose spear skills keep opponents from asking too many smart-assed questions about the weird doily he's got wrapped around his head.Also striving to win the usurper's favor is Black Fox(Kuo Chui), who wears a sort of furry toothache wrap around his face(Cheh never cared much for reality in his period costumes) at all times, and the two martially mix it up, one-upping each other to the delight of the prince.Meanwhile, intruders to the titular house lose the tips of their feet, get skewered on spikes, and shot full of arrows in attempting to procure the artifacts for the investigative-scholar-who's-really-Judge-Pao-in-disguise(leg fighter Sun Chien, who doesn't fight at all here).The Prince's associate-who-may-or-may-not-be-secretly-working-with-the-courts, Shen(Lung Tien Hsang), namedrops the "House of Traps" a lot in conversation.Seriously.

The Black Fox(Kuo Chui) momentarily disables the Butterfly(Lu Feng)'s spear.
After several scenes-worth of nefarious treachery and backstabbing of the double and triple-cross variety and head-scratchingly perplexing introduction of various heroes who meet their bloody fate in the aforementioned house, a troupe of acrobatic performers-who-are-secretly-the-infamous-gang-of-thieves-known-as-"The-Rats" descend upon the house on the Prince's birthday, to dismantle it in the name of justice, after entertaining the locals with crazy gymnastic feats and physical skills.Together with Black Fox, Bai "The Rat"(Chin Siu Ho), Jiang "the River Rat"(Chiang Sheng), Xu "the Mountain Rat"(Cheng Tien Chi), Han "the Ground Rat"(Chui Tai Ping) and Lu "the Sky Rat"(Chu Ko) use eclectic weaponry, such as an umbrella-drill and a grappling claw-on-a-stick to battle the Prince's henchmen and infiltrate the house to snare it's hidden treasures for the court.Mountain Rat gets walloped by a swinging axe-bladed support beam, while the Rat gets turned into an arrow cushion, as Black Fox and Butterfly duel to the death.Ground Rat burrows in from underneath, severing the pulley-system of ropes and levers, allowing his comrades to get to the top level and pickpocket the antiques and lists from the mechanical birdcage they've been kept in.Fox slashes Butterfly's midsection open in mid-slo mo flip, and wonders out loud about the evil at the root of man's greed.Insert signature Shaw Brothers freeze frame end title here.

"How did this porcupine get into the House of Traps?"
Cheh had taken this kind of film as far as it could possibly go in this direction, and after his masterpiece, Chinese Super Ninjas/Five Elemental Ninjas(1983), he would helm supernatural kung fu fantasies with colored lights, smoke, vengeful ghosts, and gaudily-garbed demi-gods who can fight on top of water and in the air, in titles like Attack of the God of Joy(1984), and The Nine Demons(1984), while his Venoms, minus Sun Chien and Lo Mang, who would stay behind with Cheh, would produce their own independent features, starting with the Kuo Chui-directed The Hero Defeating Japs(1983), starring Ti Lung and Shoji Kurata.Though Traps certainly isn't the best feature these guys put together, it's still heads and tails over what most of the other studios were churning out at the time, and stands as a pretty wild ninety-five minutes to invest, as finally served up on dvd by Image, missing some twenty minutes of footage from the rare VHS orginal, of which very few are known to exist.Speaking of traps, I'm gonna finally shut mine, and lay three big ones on tonight's review.See it.

Acrobatic labonza surgery, as provided by the Black Fox's wushu sword.

"The Five Venoms"(1978)d/Chang Cheh

Ahhh,Channel 5,WNEW-TV,on Saturday afternoons at the outset of the eighties.Before I could consciously go out and throw the football around with the fellas,or terrorize the neighborhood with my inimitable brand of mischief back then,I had to find out what movie the New York-based independent station had scheduled.If it was John Liu or similarly pedestrian kung-fare,I'd be outside getting my play on.A Chang Cheh feature meant it'd be two hours before anybody saw me.If they showed tonight's review,Chang Cheh's wildly popular cult classic that introduced four martial actors(who would forever be referred to as "The Venom Mob" afterwards)to Asian superstardom,then you'd most likely find all of our asses glued to my mother's parlour furniture for the next two hours.Cheh worked with his actors in stables,the first group being comprised of David Chiang,Ti Lung,Fu Sheng,Chen Kuan Tai,and Chi Kuan Chun,who all paired up in every variation possible to deliver fists and kicks to the audience.His second stable consisted of Kuo Chui,usually the hero,Lu Feng,usually the complete bastard,Lo Mang,the muscleman,Chiang "Cutie Pie" Sheng(don't look at me,I didn't nickname him),the most acrobatic,and Sun Chien,the leg-fighter,who had all been students of Peking Opera before becoming extras and stuntmen in Cheh's first stable films.With Venoms,the director introduced his new stars in a standard tale of greed and corruption with a superheroic angle that really struck the right chord with moviegoers,as the string of movies they made together will surely attest to.This movie appealed to kung fu enthusiasts and practitioners as well as douchebags like Quentin Tarantino,who probably couldn't punch a hole through tissue paper.Making a proper fist is probably beyond that guy's abilities.You know,just like making a movie that isn't entirely derivative of ten other earlier films is to him.Bang,bang.Onward!

Waiter,there's an old kung fu master in my egg drop soup...
The master instructor of the five poison styles of kung fu is not long for this earth.He gathers his final pupil,The Hybrid Venom(Chiang Sheng),to the big black pot of Chinese moofoo he's steaming himself in like a martial pot sticker,and runs down a list of his most famous five students and their styles.Number one,is the Centipede(Lu Feng),whose hand and leg strikes are so lightning quick,it seems as though he possesses a hundred of each.Number two,is the Snake(Wei Pei),whose hands combine to strike as the head and tail of the serpent,making him equally potent when fighting on his back.The hands of the Scorpion(Sun Chien)closely resemble the scorpion's pincers,grabbing and locking,while his legs represent the tail and stinger of the potent arachnid.Number four,the Lizard(Kuo Chui),has mastered the technique so thoroughly that he is capable of walking on walls and ceilings mimicking the microscopic sticky foot hairs of certain reptiles.The fifth is the Toad(Lo Mang),whose iron skin technique makes him nearly impervious to edged weapon attacks,and whose hulkish strength allows him to bend solid metal.What kind of metal?Aluminum?Titanium?Not important.The teacher sends Hybrid out into the real world to hunt down the Poison Clan,to see what they're up to,and to make sure they aren't using their vast martial skills for evil.Sure enough,a few of them are using their vast martial skills for evil.Centipede and Snake pay one of the teacher's wealthy old associates(Ku Feng)a late night visit,and beat him,his whole family,and all of his servants to death,while searching for a hidden fortune.Hybrid assesses the crime scene while two cops(one is the Lizard)investigate the bruised bodies.

This gecko(Kuo Chui) won't save you money on car insurance,he'll snuff your candle.
Centipede is overtaken by Lizard with the help of Toad,and charged with the crimes,but Snake's riches quickly corrupt prison guards,eyewitnesses,and even the court's crooked judge(Wang Lung Wei).An eyewitness changes his testimony to implicate the Toad instead,and in court his iron skin is pierced through the ears by mysterious throwing knives during the melee.They chuck the innocent Toad into a makeshift Iron Maiden,and when no confession is produced,they forge his mark,then smother him in his cell with wet rice paper,all while his reptilian pal is sent away on another investigation,to avoid his intervention.Centipede then pierces the guard's brain with a metal skewer,and tears up the eyewitness' esophagus with a very long hook,for their collective troubles.Meanwhile,the Lizard and Hybrid have joined forces,hypothesizing how to take down the evil two clan members through practice while theorizing on Scorpion's possible identity.In the finale,the wall-walking duo combine to take on the criminal Snake and Centipede,when Lizard's cop partner reveals himself to be the Scorpion,not on any side,but certainly money-hungry enough for treachery aimed at all parties involved.Hybrid and Lizard defeat all three,sending them off to that big kung fu school in the sky and discovering the hidden riches in the process,vowing to use their skills and the money to fight corrupt judicial systems and crooked politicians in other provinces,to change public opinion of the Poison Clan once and for all.We could use guys like that around here,methinks.

Snake(Wei Pei)'s sneaky Moe eye poke is countered by Toad(Lo Mang)'s powerful Moe eye poke block.
Cheh,who died in 2002,went on to such genre fare as Ten Tigers of Kwangtung,Kid With the Golden Arm,and his most visually dazzling film of all,Chinese Super Ninjas, in 1983.Kuo Chui is still active in movies,having worked with John Woo in Hard Boiled(1992),as well as scoring roles in The Story of Ricky,American Shaolin, and most recently The Eye 2.Strongman Lo Mang,who worked with Cheh right up to Chinese Super Ninjas,went on to a successful career on HK television,before returning to film this year with Fire of Conscience and Ip Man 2.Wang Lung Wei,always the essential bad guy,in kung fu movies,moved on to direct,choreograph fights,and write,before retiring altogether recently.Sadly,Chiang Sheng,one of Cheh's favorites and a great fight choreographer/assistant director, was found dead of a heart attack in 1991,after moving with his wife to Taiwan and not being able to find worthwhile work,leading to a divorce and alcoholism.Kuo Chui has been cited as saying a broken heart is the real cause for his death.Four wops.Essential viewing here.

Toad may be able to bend solid metal,but learns the hard way that Maiden rules.