Venom Mob


The Venom Mob is the colloquial title of a group of actors from the Shaw Brothers Studio, popular creators of martial arts films in the 1970s and 1980s. Most were friends since childhood and attended the Peking Opera School in Taiwan before meeting director Chang Cheh and moving on to the Shaw Brothers studio in Hong Kong.
They appeared in numerous Shaw films, but did not become a group in high demand until Five Deadly Venoms. They were the main choreographers in all of their films, highly skilled Chinese weapon experts, talented actors, and excellent acrobats. Their films usually dealt with Chang Cheh's common themes of brotherhood, valor, and betrayal.
As with most groups, time saw their talents being pulled in different directions, not to mention in-fighting for starring roles and production credits.

Roster

This is a list of the main five.
RolePerformera.k.aBackground
HeroKuo Chui#4 LizardHe usually played the lead hero and was the last man standing with the exception of four films. An acrobat and stuntman recruited by Liu Chia-Liang in Taiwan for Chang's 1975 film Marco Polo. This was followed by cameos in The Fantastic Magic Baby, The Boxer Rebellion, New Shaolin Boxer and The Magnificent Wanderers. His directorial debut was Ruthless Tactics in 1983. He did have one villainous role, that of the White Dragons crime boss in The Chinatown Kid opposite the late Hong Kong actor Alexander Fu Sheng.
VillainLu Feng#1 CentipedeA weapons expert and usually the villain, he received very few heroic roles. Chu Lu Feng was also recruited in Taiwan and began is small bit parts in films, such as The 7 Man Army, Shaolin Avengers, New Shaolin Boxers and The Chinatown Kid. He was one of the titular The Naval Commandos before cementing his reputation as a villain in both Heaven and Hell and Shaolin Temple. He is the only one of the actors to receive a credit as a "Fighting Instructor" on The Five Venoms.
HeroChiang ShengThe StudentKnown for his acrobatic ability, he usually was cast as a comedic character who supported the hero Kuo Chui. His on-screen debut was a comedic flashback with Lu Feng in the opening act of Shaolin Avengers, followed by a pair of villainous bit parts in The Brave Archer and The Chinatown Kid. Official debut films were The Naval Commandos and Shaolin Temple filmed back to back. Was also Chang Cheh's assistant director on several films. These three formed an ensemble that would remain together after departing from Shaw in films such as Ruthless Tactics and Fight Among the Supers. Chiang Sheng died in 1991 of a heart attack after a divorce and alcohol abuse.
Hero/VillainSun Chien#3 ScorpionPrimarily known for his kicking ability, he could be good or evil in Venom films depending on his role in the story. Sun Chien was a native Taiwanese recruited by Chang Cheh for Chinatown Kid to play opposite Fu Sheng. He practiced tae kwan do in the military and as a result many sources inaccurately report him as Korean. Sun Chien also worked for directors Sun Chung, Chu Yuan, and Liu Chia-Liang among others.
Hero/VillainLo Mang#5 ToadKnown for his physique and physical strength, he usually was the first one to get killed. He did, however, survive in two films. Mainly a supporting hero with Kuo Chui, but a villain two or three times. Was an accountant at Chang Cheh Film Co. in Taiwan who studied Mantis for years before landing bit roles in Shaolin Temple and The Brave Archer. This led to a trio of modern-day parts showcasing his physique in The Chinatown Kid, Heaven and Hell, as well as Deadly Strike for Shaw's satellite company Eternal Films. Afterwards, he returned to the Brave Archer series in an expanded role as "The Iron Palm" before starring as "The Toad #5" in The Five Venoms, one of his signature roles.
Hero/VillainWei Pai#2 SnakeDid not star in many films with the previous five. He did not possess the same fighting skills as the rest of the group and preferred drama to action. In addition to The Five Venoms, Wei Pai only starred in Chang Cheh's Invincible Shaolin, Ten Tigers Of Kwangtung, Kid With The Golden Arm and a flashback sequence in The Brave Archer Part 2. He defected to Golden Harvest and starred in Chang Cheh protégé John Woo's Last Hurrah for Chivalry the following year.

Second tier Venoms

Those listed usually were the supporting villains with Lu Feng, if Lu Feng had a rare hero role, the lead villain was usually either Wang Lung-Wei or Wang Li. Lung Tung-Sheng was usually a questionable character in a film who ended up siding with the heroes in the end. Females listed were usually "eye-candy" and got little fighting time in Venom films.
Films directed by Chang Cheh that feature at least three Venoms in starring roles.
Original H.K. English TitleProduction CompanyOriginal H.K. Release DateAlternate English Titles
The Five VenomsShaw Brothers8/12/78The 5 Deadly Venoms; Shaolin Deadly Poisons; Five Deadly Venoms
Invincible ShaolinShaw Brothers11/19/78The Unbeatable Dragon
Crippled AvengersShaw Brothers12/21/78Mortal Combat; Return of the Five Deadly Venoms; The Return of the 5 Deadly Venoms
Life GambleShaw Brothers2/22/79Life Combat
Shaolin RescuersShaw Brothers3/24/79Avenging Warriors of Shaolin
Shaolin DaredevilsShaw Brothers6/29/79The Daredevils
Magnificent RuffiansShaw Brothers9/20/79The Destroyers
Kid with the Golden ArmShaw Brothers11/2/79Kid With The Golden Arms
Heaven and HellShaw Brothers1/19/80Shaolin Hell Gate
2 Champions Of ShaolinShaw Brothers4/12/80Two Champions of Death; 2 Champions of Death
Flag of IronShaw Brothers8/14/80Spearman; The Spearman of Death
The Rebel IntrudersShaw Brothers9/10/80Killer Army
Legend of the FoxShaw Brothers11/15/80
Ten Tigers of KwangtungShaw Brothers12/20/8010 Tigers of Kwangtung; Ten Tigers from Kwangtung
Sword Stained with Royal BloodShaw Brothers3/6/81
Masked AvengersShaw Brothers5/15/81
Ruthless TacticsYu Feng Film Company1981Ninja in the Deadly Trap; Ninja's Deadly Trap
House of TrapsShaw Brothers1/9/82
Ode to GallantryShaw Brothers12/16/82

Venom-Related Films

Films directed by Chang Cheh that feature Venoms in supporting roles or fewer than three Venoms in starring roles.
Original H.K. English TitleProduction CompanyOriginal H.K. Release DateAlternate English Titles
Marco PoloShaw Brothers12/25/75The Four Assassins
Shaolin TempleShaw Brothers12/22/76Death Chamber, Death Chambers
The Naval CommandosShaw Brothers4/7/77
The Brave ArcherShaw Brothers7/30/77Kung-Fu Warlords
Chinatown KidShaw Brothers12/2/77
The Brave Archer 2Shaw Brothers5/13/78Kung-Fu Warlords Part II
The Brave Archer 3Shaw Brothers11/12/81Blast of the Iron Palm
The Brave Archer and His MateShaw Brothers2/25/82The Brave Archer Part 4, Kung Fu Warlord 4
Five Elements NinjasShaw Brothers4/21/82Five Element Ninjas, Super Ninjas, Chinese Super Ninjas, Chinese Super Ninja
Attack of the Joyful GoddessHong Kong Chang He Motion Picture Co., Ltd.10/3/83Attack of the Venoms, Five Venoms Attack
Death RingHong Kong Chang He Motion Picture Co., Ltd.1983
The Nine DemonsHong Kong Chang He Motion Picture Co., Ltd.1984The 9 Venoms, Nine Venoms
Shanghai 13Winners' Workshop Production Co., Ltd.1984The Shanghai Thirteen