Philip Kwok
The Brave Archer
Chang Cheh is known for his revolutionary teen angst kung-fu films, his superheroic, grand guignol 'Venoms' series, his sweeping martial art epics, and the likes of this: 'Martial Arts World ' phantasmagoricals featuring demi-dieties of mythical kung-fu. The great international idol Alexander Fu Sheng stars as a wushu warrior who must learn the '18 Palms', the 'Nine Secrets', and be taught by the 'Seven Evils', to take vengeance on the man who killed his father - the Prince of the invading Chin Kingdom. With dazzling costumes, sets, and martial arts to fall back on, the director tests the mettle of future superstars Hui Ying-hung and Kuo Chue, who was to become the star of the 'Venoms' series as well as one of the most respected action choreographers in the world.
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Brave Archer and His Mate
Brave Archer and His Mate is the fourth in a series originally starring international favorite Alexander Fu Sheng as master martial artist Kuo Tsing. But Fu only appears here in a cameo as the son of a character played by Lung Tien-chiang. Kuo Chue is the new hero who is out to defeat the mass murderer of his martial arts masters. In fact, this fast-moving, action-packed, Venom-filled film is even choreographed by the three core “Venoms”, making it a unique combination of grand “Martial Arts World” mayhem and special Venom-style high flying kung-fu.
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Masked Avengers
The "godfather of the kung-fu film," Chang Cheh, started a winning streak by making the internationally renowned "The Five Venoms". He followed that hit with many more high-flying "bloody good" entertainments featuring the same cast in new roles. But of all the "Venom" movies, this one stands out as perhaps the most chilling. Masked killers are wreaking havoc and instilling terror with their vicious weapons of choice: razor-sharp, gut-shattering tridents. Only three fearless fighters dare investigate, leading to mass murder and magnificent martial arts. Chien Hsiao-hou, future co-star of Yuen Woo-ping’s "The Tai-chi" Master joins the trio to get tri-pierced. The core "Venoms" themselves handle the intricate, always impressive, sometimes awe-inspiring, choreography in this unforgettable exercise in "grand guignol gung-fu."
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The Sword Stained with Royal Blood
The “godfather of the kung-fu film”, Chang Cheh, has made many famous films. He was also famous for creating the “Venom” film series, starting with The Five Venoms and ending with House Of Traps. But one of the most treasured and beloved of his later films is this unusual “semi-Venom” film – in that it showcased only three of the standard five venoms. The spectacular action and intrigue starts when Kuo Chue, as the only son of an executed anti-Ching patriot, uncovers a sword, training manual, treasure map, and a secret message. The kung-fu which ensues is as impressive as it is glorious.
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The Flag of Iron
When director Chang Cheh found new talent and blood with “The Five Venoms” actors, most of which were trained in the highly acrobatic Chinese opera and well versed with exotic martial arts weapons, this created a new spark for his use of bizarre weapons in his films. The Flag of Iron is one of 20 movies that he directed featuring the utterly flabbergasting and physically exhausting action bits created by these five dudes. You have the good guys from the righteous clan versus the bad guys from the villainous clan and it's so filled with "don't-blink-or-you-will-miss-something" gags, you will need to watch it over and over again so you can see the things you missed.
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The Kid With The Golden Arm
When directors in the late '70s began jumping on the kung-fu comedy bandwagon renowned director Chang Cheh stuck to his guns of traditional brotherhood and moral code films made popular by him in the '60s. So in keeping with the spirit of the venomous success of the cultish The Five Venoms, Chang reunites the "Five Venoms" in arguably his second biggest cult hit in the West, "The Kid With The Golden Arm". As the film's lead martial arts instructor and one of the stars, it's also one of Lo Meng's finest moments on screen playing the righteous villain Golden Arms whose eventual showdown with the drunkard Hai Tao (Kuo Chue, fight choreographer for "Brotherhood Of The Wolf") is graphically artsy and balletically violent. You won’t be disappointed.
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Crippled Avengers
The “godfather of the kung-fu film”, Chang Cheh, hit upon a winning formula when he combined three Taiwanese Opera artists with a muscular Chinese and a Korean kicker. Their first “official” film as stars, "The Five Venoms" was a hit, so the director/co-writer decided to launch a series with the same actors in different roles. Supporting this beloved sequel was real-life kung-fu champion Chen Kuan-tai, who Chang Cheh had already made a star. He plays a martial arts master (driven insane by his wife’s death and his son’s dismemberment), who replaces his child’s missing hands with metal versions, then proceeds to blind, deafen, render retarded, and chop off the feet of anyone who even mildly annoys him. The abused bystanders band together and brilliantly train to take their revenge. The result is a totally unbelievable, but totally awesome, super heroic delight.
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The Five Venoms
The most prolific kung-fu director in Hong Kong martial arts cinema, Chang Cheh, ushered in a new phase of his career and a new generation of action stars with The Five Venoms. The setting is ancient China’s School of Five Venoms, so named for its five types of kung-fu based on five venomous animals: centipede, scorpion, serpent, toad, and lizard. The school is notorious for the evil deeds of its disciples, leading to another classic battle between righteousness and depravity. This international hit, lauded in Ric Meyers' premiere, groundbreaking book martial arts movies as one of the greatest, spawned a series featuring the same actors in new roles which was also enjoyed from America to Asia.
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The Brave Archer 2
This magnificent martial arts saga takes up where the renowned original left off. Our hero Kuo Tsing is winning the hand of fair maiden Huang Yung. However, almost immediately, clan rivalries in the “Martial Art World” lead to Kuo being wounded by Ouyang Feng and Huang being named the new leader of the Beggar Clan. All this is mounted with sparkling energy by three kung-fu choreographers and a star-packed cast. International favorite Alexander Fu Sheng is back as Kuo. Niu Niu shines in her show-stopping role as his fiancée. In addition, the mystical martial arts mayhem serves as a showcase for “My Young Auntie” Hui Ying-hung, king of villains Johnny Wang Lung-wei, and “Venoms” Kuo Chue, Lo Meng, and Sun Chien as well as other famous action stars literally too numerous to mention!
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Shaolin Temple
There is no place more hallowed in the world of martial arts than China’s Shaolin Temple, birthplace of a special brand of kung-fu developed centuries ago by monks opposed to the Manchu rulers of the Ching Dynasty. A special place deserves a special epic, which is precisely what martial arts maestro Chang Cheh delivers in the aptly named, action-packed Shaolin Temple. It is a battle between a brave brand of Shaolin boxers and literally thousands of Ching troops, complete with betrayals, intrigues, and such novel fighting machines as 108 wooden robots. The human fighting machines prove just as lethal thanks to a cast that includes such legendary kung-fu stars as Ti Lung, David Chiang, and Alexander Fu Sheng.
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