Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok
Five Deadly 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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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 Hand of Death
En kung fu-student må hevne sin mesters død og redde shaolintempelet fra mandsjuenes terrorvelde. Han slår seg sammen med en løpegutt og en sverdmester for å danne den unike trioen som kjemper for ære og mot undertrykkelse.
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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.
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Hard Boiled
A tough-as-nails cop teams up with an undercover agent to shut down a sinister mobster and his crew.
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SF Anytime
Rakuten TV
Shaolin Rescuers
The "Venoms" are back in action in this thriller of Shaolin versus corrupt Ching soldiers, with the help of the Lama, Black Tiger and Mantis clans, headquartered at a pugilism school, a dyeing mill, and a beancurd shop. The five men that were made famous - by director Chang Cheh, in more than a dozen similar high-flying, blood-splattered adventures (starting with The Five Venoms) - are all here. There’s the Taiwanese opera artist Kuo Chue, his fellow light-skill acrobat Chiang Sheng, the evil Lu Feng, the Chinese muscleman Lo Mang, and Korean kicker Sun Chien, whose skills are specially spotlighted in this production. Together they create another wonderfully fun kung-fu showcase, filled with show-stopping sequences of martial arts expertise.
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The Flag of Iron
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 Brave Archer 2
"The Brave Archer 2" is a classic martial arts film sequel, blending thrilling action and intricate storytelling as it continues the saga of martial artists facing treacherous challenges in ancient China.
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The 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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House of Traps
It all started with The Five Venoms, the internationally loved kung-fu thriller which introduced director Chang Cheh’s recurring cast of martial arts masters. It continued through more than a dozen high-flying, bloody good entertainment movies featuring the same action actors in pairs, trios, quartets, and, most memorably, quintets. While this is considered the last official “Venoms” movie, what a film it is. The title does not lie: an evil prince has secreted stolen imperial treasures in a building that practically bristles with booby-trapped blades. Bodies are pierced, limbs are cut off, and there’s one plasma-spurting attack after another as heroes and rogues alike try to solve the secrets of the hell house. The core Venoms themselves choreograph the gory fun in this fond farewell to their worldwide film series sensation.
Apple TVShaolin Rescuers
The "Venoms" are back in action in this thriller of Shaolin versus corrupt Ching soldiers, with the help of the Lama, Black Tiger and Mantis clans, headquartered at a pugilism school, a dyeing mill, and a beancurd shop. The five men that were made famous - by director Chang Cheh, in more than a dozen similar high-flying, blood-splattered adventures (starting with The Five Venoms) - are all here. There’s the Taiwanese opera artist Kuo Chue, his fellow light-skill acrobat Chiang Sheng, the evil Lu Feng, the Chinese muscleman Lo Mang, and Korean kicker Sun Chien, whose skills are specially spotlighted in this production. Together they create another wonderfully fun kung-fu showcase, filled with show-stopping sequences of martial arts expertise.
Apple TVCrippled 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.
Apple TV
Chinatown Kid
In one of his early contemporary martial arts actioners, Fu Sheng teams up with director extraordinaire Chang Cheh in Chinatown Kid to battle the Five Venoms before they poisoned themselves into cult status. Although Chang was chastised for using San Francisco stock shots to make it seem like it was filmed in America, to Chinatown Kid's credit, the incredibly violent fights are immensely satisfying as man on the run Tan Tung (Fu Sheng) one by one defeats each triad gang related venom while succumbing to the seductive powers of the ultra-sexy Shirley Yu only to realize that, in typical Chang Cheh style, materialism and heroism leads to nihilistic desecration.
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Magnificent Wanderers
The “godfather of the kung-fu film” Chang Cheh created this sweeping, all-action adventure of undercover, traveling patriots battling corrupt Mongol chieftains and their bloodthirsty henchmen. Choreographers Hsieh Hsing and Chen Hsin-yi guide a spectacular all-star kung-fu cast, led by international favorites Alexander Fu Sheng, David Chiang, Chi Kuan-chi and even Li I-min. With all of them fighting, plus more, there’s hardly a moment to spare as stolen gold, hostage villagers, raging soldiers, corrupt courts, and an ammo dump complicate matters until both exceptional martial arts and explosions fill the screen.
Apple TVThe Hand of Death
En kung fu-student vil hevne sin mesters død og redde sitt tempel fra Manchuanernes terrorvelde. Han danner en trio sammen med en løpegutt og en sverdmester, og sammen ska de kjempe for sin ære.
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Blockbuster
Google Play Movies
Invincible Shaolin
Master of the "brotherhood" films, award winning director Chang Cheh has always had a good eye for martial art talent and in "Invincible Shaolin" he re-introduces what was to become known as the The "Five Venoms" to the world of heroic bloodshed. Chang intelligently weaves a mythical tale of treachery centered around the historic attempts of the Ching Dynasty trying to destroy the Shaolin Monasteries. It's a story of misunderstanding, revenge and doomed heroes who finally realize their error in judgment through the sanctity of their martial arts. The various fighting styles used are choreographed with such amazing precision and insanity, that it's hard to believe that all this psychotic stylish action was shot and made up as they went along. It's marvelous to behold.
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Life Gamble
Legendary director Chang Cheh was in a transitional period. The men he had made stars (Jimmy Wang Yu, Ti Lung, and David Chiang among them), had moved on to their own projects. Soon his new star, international idol Alexander Fu Sheng, would also look for other productions. So Chang used this opportunity to test the star power of some new talent, namely a Taiwanese Opera artist (Kuo Chui) and a powerful Chinese muscleman (Lo Mang) – who were soon to become the foundation for his internationally popular “Venom” series. Teaming the trio with the top supporting actors (Ku Feng and Wang Lung-wei) and the prettiest starlets (Lin Chun-chi, Shirley Yu, and Hui Ying-hung), he told an entertaining and exciting tale of a kung-fu blacksmith taking on four famous robbers while a villainous gambling boss plots to destroy them. The resulting thriller was another winner for the vaunted filmmaker.
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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.
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Holy Flame of the Martial World
This is an internationally popular tale of a brother and sister, seeking vengeance for the death of their parents through using the mythical yin and yang Holy Flame kung-fu technique.
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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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