Now available from Eureka! Entertainment
The Venom Mob formed in the early 1970s and were used in many films, two of these found in this new set.
The Daredevils (aka Shaolin Devils aka Za ji wang ming dui) (1979)
Posing as acrobats and gun dealers, the Venom Mob tries to get closer to the man who killed one of their brothers to exact revenge.
Written by Chang Cheh and Kuang Ni with the former also directing, this film offers a lot of good fights, some fun stunts, and a classic tale of revenge better served with your buddies. This is one of those films that shows what martial arts cinema of the China in the 1970s could do. There is a lot going on here, but it all makes sense when one pays attention. The presence of a bunch of different fighters with different strengths in their arts makes for some truly entertaining fights and for some impressive sequences. The acting works here and cinematography is on par with some of the best Celestial Pictures films. The work here is solid on pretty much all fronts.
Ode to Gallantry (aka Xia ke hang) (1982)
A wanderer ends up in many fights due to being mistaken for someone else.
Also Written by Chang Cheh and Kuang Ni with Louis Cha also joining them and directed by Chang Cheh, Ode to Gallantry is a solid double feature for The Daredevils with a good story, some good directing, and acting that works well for the story. Seeing ladies of the genre Hui-Ling Liu, Hsueh-Erh Wen, and Tsui-Ling Yu show up in this one and get their own fights is a treat and most martial arts fans who know their stuff should be delighted with. The three of them sell the film to this viewer, but they aren’t alone here with Phillip Kwok, Chien Sun, Sheng Chiang, Ching Tang, as well as a bunch of others joining in the fun. The fights are once again the main reason to watch this, and they are both well done and entertaining. There is something in how this film looks as well, it’s charming, it has that era’s typical camera movements that many will recognize, and it’s fun.
This new double feature set here is presented beautifully with new artwork by Chris Malbon and a solid new transfer of the films from Celestial Pictures masters. The audio commentaries, of which there are 4, are good but again with people who know films well but were not involved in the making of the films. Other extras worth checking out here are the included booklet and the interview with Wayne Wong about the Venom Mob. Overall, the set is more than decent, and fans of the genre will want to pick this up. Of course, the master of such filmmaking Chang Cheh has been getting the royal re-release treatment for his best work and this is no different, it’s a perfect addition to one’s collection of his works.