Chang Cheh brings the Venoms back with a vengeance in SHAOLIN RESCUERS, a quite wonderful Shaw Brothers comedy action film with much to recommend it for the genre fan. The first half of the production is generally a knockabout comedy featuring the talented twosome of Lo Meng and Phillip Kwok. The former is a tofu chef and the latter a waiter at a local restaurant; when they get together they tend to muck around and bust up the place. These early scenes may seem slow and unfocused to some but as a huge fan of the two stars I really enjoyed them and found them very funny.The real part of the story is about the burning of the Shaolin Temple and the escape of a single man, played by Jason Pai Piao, who would come to dominate the Shaw film in the early 1980s. He's pursued by Lu Feng and his gang of four thugs, each of whom specialises in a particular style; for example, one guy has a massive club while a youth uses a deadly copper ring. Pai Piao takes refuge in the same town that Meng and Kwok inhabit. Meanwhile, a local martial arts student, Sun Chien, is drawn into the story alongside a patriotic acrobat played by Chiang Sheng.The stage is set for a big showdown and what a showdown it is: the last twenty minutes of this film is a non-stop showcase of supreme martial arts talent as the ten fighters battle it out in a courtyard and show off their more than impressive skills. Lu Feng dominates the proceedings and really burns up the screen with his awesome display of talent. Chiang Sheng is underutilised here but Sun Chien gets plenty of screen time and plays the most sympathetic character of the film. Chang Cheh has crafted another winning production and one of the best Venoms films I've seen.

This is better than the usual kung fu flicks. It is more about the characters than about the action.Like the other good kung fu films, it involves an isolated faction, in this case one that is determined near the end of the film, in a showdown with another fixed group of antagonists.The heroes here are total working class heroes, and are quite convincing in character. Sure, we get the same hokey stunts of people jumping 40 feet straight up, but what makes this watchable is that we can follow the characters, even though too many of them look too much alike.The film introduces our heroes one at a time, and one doesn't appear till near the end. It is the story of three working class men who spend their spare time in improving their martial arts skills.It is a fun film, and doesn't fall into the trap of simply showing too many acrobatics. There is actual dialog, and an actual story, though we have the usual loss in translation. Still, we get the gist of the story, because we can follow the characters.

AVENGING WARRIORS OF SHAOLIN (aka SHAOLIN RESCUERS, 1978) is an above-average entry in the series of kung fu films starring the group of actors known as the Five Venoms (KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM, KILLER ARMY, DAREDEVILS OF KUNG FU, TWO CHAMPIONS OF SHAOLIN, etc.). Four of the Venoms operate as a team here while the fifth is the lead villain. Like several of director Chang Cheh's earlier films, this one follows the aftermath of the burning of the Shaolin temple and the travails of the fugitives and their Manchu pursuers. Although the most famous character-Fong Si Yu-is briefly glimpsed early on, the main focus here is on Hung Si Kwan (who was often paired with Fong Si Yu in earlier films). Hung Si Kwan (played by Jason Pai Piao) hides out in a town where he is sheltered by the four good Venoms who all hold down regular jobs. Kuo Chui works as a waiter; Lo Mang makes bean curd; Sun Chien works in a dye factory; Chiang Sheng works for a traveling opera troupe. Each of the four practices their kung fu in the context of their daily work, e.g. Kuo Chui (aka Philip Kwok) uses rice bowl and chopsticks as weapons, a technique taught by his father (seen in flashbacks) who trained him to use anything at hand as weapons. The practice scenes are all quite clever and laced with humor. The entire film is shot inside the Shaw Bros. studio.There's a big fight at the end in which Hung Si Kwan and the four Venoms take on fifth Venom Lu Feng and his four Manchurian henchmen in an all-out battle in which the combatants use a variety of weapons. The Venoms are always exciting to watch in action, especially when most of them work as a team. While this may not rank with their best films, it's nonetheless a worthy entry in the Venoms' large, but short-lived, body of work.

As far as '70s kung fu movies are concerned, this film genuinely surprised me. There are well-choreographed fights scenes, bizarre weapons (including a pumpkin-shaped hammer), and a touch of comedy. This film doesn't spend too much time on mundane things like plot and characterization. Instead it is jam-packed with martial art sequences, including a 20 minute knock-down, drag-out, good-guy-vs-bad-guy finale. If you are a fan of such films like "Kid with the Golden Arm", "Five Masters of Death", and "Super Ninjas", I recommend finding a copy of this film.