Crippled Avengers (1978) User Reviews

A sequel in name only...

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 3 June 2017]

... as it is sometimes called "The Return of the Five Deadly Venoms", this is vintage Shaw Brothers kung fu at it's finest.

Three men show up at a man's house to kill him, only he's not home, so they decide to chop off his wife's legs and hack off his small son's hands. Just then, the father returns home and calmly slaughters the three killers. Unfortunately, his wife perishes from her wounds, but the son survives, and the father sees to it that he is fitted with fully articulated metal hands. After training into adulthood, the son uses his metal-handed kung fu prowess to cripple the grown children of his mother's killers. And all this just in the first fifteen minutes! All of this training and revenge has left the father and son mean and violent. When a traveler makes an impolite comment, they blind him. When the local blacksmith dares speak out, they render him deaf and mute. When a passerby offers help, they chop off his feet! And finally, when a wandering hero promises to avenge these crimes, they defeat him, put his head in a vice, and give him brain damage! The four victims of the original victims band together and travel to a wise old kung fu master who trains them to overcome their handicaps and become The Crippled Avengers! Exciting, colorful and ludicrous in equal measure, this film actually manages to outdo it's more famous predecessor. Highly recommended to fans of the genre and bizarre-cinema buffs. This genre is definitely not up my film alley, but this one I enjoyed.

Cripple-tastic!

[BA_Harrison · 8/10 · 27 January 2016]

Unlike The Five Venoms (1978), which came out the same year (and which also featured several of the performers who collectively became known as The Venoms), Crippled Avengers doesn't waste any time getting to the good stuff: the action begins immediately, with a gang of Tian Nan Tigers storming the household of hero Tao Tien-tu (Kuan-Tai Chan), looking to teach him a lesson for his arrogance. Unable to find the master of the house, the gang kill Tao's wife instead, by lopping off her legs, and cripple his son Tao Sheng by hacking off his arms. No sooner has this been done, than Tao Tien-tu arrives home to see his family in pieces and takes revenge, kicking Tian Nan Tiger ass. What a way to start a film: wholesale slaughter and dismemberment!

To further avenge his family, Tao Tien-tu spends the following years killing the remaining Tian Nan Tigers, and gets Tao Sheng—now equipped with telescopic metal arms that shoot deadly missiles from the fingers—to cripple the Tigers' sons. But their reign of violence doesn't end there: the pair proceed to strike fear into the locals, maiming anyone who offends them. Blacksmith Wei Da-ti (Meng Lo), who stands up to Tao Tien-tu, pays for his bravery by being poisoned, which makes him mute, and having his ear drums burst; travelling hawker Chen Shun (Phillip Kwok) is blinded; Hu Ah-kuei (Chien Sun) has his legs cut off for accidentally bumping into Tao Tien-tu; and when martial arts expert Wang Yi (Sheng Chiang) confronts the bad guys, he has his head crushed in a vice, which turns him into a simpleton (albeit one who can still do impressive kung fu!).

United by fate, the four cripples become fast friends and travel to the Eagle Mansion, home of Wang Yi's master, where they train in the martial arts. Three years later, having overcome their disabilities though kung fu (and with the help of a pair of strap-on metal legs for Hu Ah-kuei), the foursome leave to take revenge on the tyrannical Tao Tien-tu and his equally vile son.

Featuring such blatant silliness as disabled fighters with 'bionic' limbs, the plot for Crippled Avengers is unarguably extremely far-fetched stuff, but the 'crazy factor' only adds to the fun of this much-loved Shaw Brothers classic. A talented cast, loads of superbly choreographed martial arts action (including a wonderful training sequence involving metal hoops, and the use of numerous weapons), some surprisingly bloody violence, and expert direction from the legendary Cheh Chang, all add up to one hell of an enjoyable time. Highly recommended.

It's has nothing to do with the original, however , in my opinion The Crippled Avengers is much better than The Five Deadly Venoms

[RectalGORE · 7/10 · 31 March 2005]

The Crippled Avengers is a very entertaining film by cult kung fu movies production company called Shaw Brother. It has all the actors who have participated in The Five Deadly Venoms and Chinese Super Ninjas 1. It certainly has a classic cast who knows how to fights beautifully. It also has a cool plot that has surely inspired the directors of Crippled Masters, crappy kung fu movies in which there also some crippled avengers, However, The Crippled Avengers by The Shaw Brothers manages to entertain much more either than The Crippled Masters or The Five Deadly Venoms. Most of its fights are fantastic, even though that some of them can actually bore you. The characters and the acting are very typical for a Shaw Brothers' production. However, The Crippled Avengers has an interesting plot and a faire of blood compared to the average kung fu flick. The story is about a master whose son's hand had been cut before his son and him became revengeful due to that incident. They make innocent people crippled for no reason. Therefore, some of the people who have been crippled by them become avengers, even though that they are crippled. They meet a master who teaches them and train them useful kung fu techniques that can be practiced even by those who are disabled. In a nutshell, The Crippled Avengers is an entertaining kung fu flick that I certainly recommend to those who are in favour of kung fu and martial arts cinema. 7/10

"All in color, for a dime"

[winner55 · 10/10 · 9 July 2005]

"All in color, for a dime" - that's what comic books were said to offer in their "Golden Days", action and adventure impossible to perform in "real life", presented in a colorful, but inexpensive, format. Of course nowadays, comic books cost as much as movies, and actually more than "bargain basement" video, such as this re-release of the Shaw Bros. classic "Crippled Avengers".

As I write this, "The Fantastic Four" is going into national release; it is hard to believe that Marvel Comics publisher Stan Lee spent some 30 years trying to get that film made; and it will have cost millions of dollars; and it involves tons of computer-graphic effects; and it is being hyped "4 wall", as the ad-men say, i.e., in every possible media, as if it were the new "Gone With the Wind"; when, after all, it is only a childhood fantasy, however entertaining.

Fortunately, by the time he began making the "Venom" ensemble pictures, famed Hong Kong director Chang Cheh had learned to stop taking such films all that seriously. While the production values of this film are quite good for their day, Chang Cheh is not intent on making a classic here. He merely wants to make a colorful comic book of a movie suggested by Chinese folk legends, allowing the Venom actors (most of whom had actually trained in dance and acrobatics) a chance to show off their athletic talents. And just to be on the safe side, he placed at the center of the film Chen Tai Kwan, a classically trained martial artist who had also developed considerable skill as an actor. His presence adds credibility to what, after all, is itself a childhood fantasy.

For its kind, for its day, this is an exceptional bit of genre fluff; and one has to mention the creative charge brought to this film by a performance ensemble in its prime, and in which everyone is clearly having a great time providing their audience with a great time. This film is just dam' fun to watch, and more than once! One loves these characters, despite the occasional bit of ham, and I repeatedly find myself in awe at the acrobatics of the concluding fight sequence, even though I have seen similar, & more spectacular, feats performed live (i.e., w/o the aid of editing) at a circus. I suppose that's partly because the actors rely as little on the editing as possible, and the director insists on getting as much on film in single takes as possible, and wisely shoots the fights in full-shot, so we can watch these bodies move with as much grace as the actors can conjure. But it's also because all involved are asking their audience to set aside adult judgments on their performance and simply enjoy a well-rehearsed and directed bit of old-fashioned Chinese-style showmanship.

When people say "they don't make them like they used to", this is the kind of film they're talking about. A genre-defining moment in the history of "old-school" kung fu films, this film was frequently imitated, and never bettered.

By far the best Venoms movie

[sfstendebach · 9/10 · 24 October 2010]

Despite the title, this is not a sequel to The Five Deadly Venoms. it has the same actors and director, but the stories are not related. In my opinion this film is much superior to the original.

It is about an evil politician who cruelly disfigures four men. Once disfigured the four go to learn kung fu. After an amazing training montage, the four go back to get revenge. It is a really fun and campy film.

Besides the venoms it also stars Chen Kuan Tai; Chen Kuan Tai is most famous for his role in Killer Constable, another outstanding film. He has great on screen chemistry with the venoms. This is just a fun and violent film.

good one!

[roland26 · 24 July 2001]

From a completely martial arts stand point this movie rocks! The fight scenes are very very well done! The Chinese opera performers really did themselves credit.

As for the plot, well it is a typical kung fu theater movie, with the heroes battling incredible odds and adversity culminating in a good but rather short final battle

A must see for kung fu fans

Fight!

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 5 July 2016]

Three men, crippled by an evil warlord, become friends and learn kung fu with the help of an old teacher and his idiot pupil.

Ian Jane of DVD Talk rated it 4.5/5 stars and wrote, "With heroes you can cheer for and bad guys evil enough to hiss at, The Return Of The 5 Deadly Venoms is top tier old school martial arts mayhem at its best." Bill Palmer, Karen Palmer, and Richard Meyers wrote in The Martial Arts Encyclopedia, "The story is somewhat unusual, and there are plenty of excellently choreographed fight scenes." Yes, there is a cheesy scene of a man chopping down bamboo with his fists, and much of the story is set against an obviously fake backdrop. But this is part of the Shaw Brothers charm. We get more of what we love from Shaw, Chang Cheh and the Five Venoms. We also get something of a gimmick with "crippled" fighters. They are a bit more amazing to watch than "drunken masters", at least.

Five Deadly Venoms are the 5 actors

[MrDefaulto · 10/10 · 3 March 2008]

Just to clear something up, since a lot of people are complaining that it's not a sequel to five deadly venoms... Actually after the movie Five Deadly Venoms, that group of actors became known as "The Five Deadly Venoms" just like "The Rat Pack". So the title "Return of the Five Deadly Venoms" refers to a return of those 5 actors, not the 5 characters from the first film.

I saw this film when it was titled "Mortal Combat" which was actually quite a few years before the famous arcade game Mortal Kombat.

I hate to admit it... but I really do enjoy the dubbed versions. I know they add quite a bit of "cheese" to the movie, just like how ridiculous Godzilla is in English. And normally I would hate that.. but I guess since I grew up with the cheese, I enjoy it.

Either way this is a great film, I finally got ahold of the newly remastered version "Crippled Avengers" and it's worth getting. Much better than my "Return" DVD.

I rated it 10 out of 10 because it was the one movie from way back that stood out in my mind. I'm so happy i finally found it! still it's at least 8 without the happy memories.

A legendary film that feeds on it's legend more than real merits

[The_True_Meller · 6/10 · 5 August 2010]

Sorry folks, but for me Crippled Avengers (AKA Return of the Five Deadly Venoms - named so probably for the marketing purposes alone, without any connections to the earlier film, except the director and the cast) was a let down, one of the glorified Shaw pictures I found less gripping than many others shaded by it's legend.

It doesn't take a genius to see that Chang Cheh just let it rip with the script and story instead of trying to make a point or create any menacing moods or great wallowing in traditional virtues (although there's a dose of loyalty, friendship and your regular good old heroism and self-sacrifice thrown in for a spice). The story must be one of the most cartoonish in Shaw history, excluding their pure fantasy adventures, and this time in a bad way.

Although in Kung Fu films, action is what mostly counts, I'd like to see some story development and good characters, and mostly there was neither. Even in my eyes the almighty Chen Kuan Tai is plain and hammy in the role of evil master Dao Tian Du. The sympathetic heroes do their best for what is given to them, which is not a lot, script-wise. And instead of a good story, we have a script that just routinely moves from set-piece to other, culminating in the final, mandatory and satisfactory revenge, and that's it, folks.

Then, after all the complaining and bashing, the good things. And of course, there's the acrobatic skills of the cast, being dizzying at best. There's also something compelling about the brashness of the film's most cartoonish fantasy elements, mainly the iron prosthetics that have unusual kill skills and hidden secrets. These add spice to otherwise routine script. And like mentioned earlier, the main cast do their best, especially Philip Kwok in the role of a blinded man, in my eyes definitely the best performance in the film.

Somehow I feel this movie owes it's status to the nostalgics who have seen it first time dubbed in English in the 70's in some grind-house or Chinatown theater. And I can't blame them for that, being a nostalgic in some matters myself. In my books, however, this is more of run-of-the-mill "Another Shaw production" as they called their flicks themself, with some unique spices added on. Entertaining, yes, but doesn't cut the custard like it's reputation lets you think it would.

This is my truth. What is yours?

Not A Sequel

[aum-7 · 10/10 · 23 January 2007]

Classic 70's kung fu, Tarantino might have taken some of his ideas from flicks like this, even the Matrix franchises.

The main actors starred in over a dozen films together, although this film has nothing to do with the 5 Deadly Venoms characters, it does not take away its entertainment value. I originally viewed it as "Mortal Combat", perhaps this film was incorrectly renamed "Return of..." due to the infamous video game.

Directed by Chang Cheh, he showcased the talented skills each actor possessed, the training/fighting sequences with Philip Kwok (blinded) and Chiang Sheng (scholar maimed an idiot) displayed their "light skills" - acrobatics and incorporating weapons are amazing, Sun Chien (legs cut off) showed off kicks better than a Rockette, Lo Mang (rendered deaf-mute) demonstrated upper body strength training with multiple boxing bags.

As an avid VenomBratPacker, I enjoyed "Return of..." aka "Mortal Combat" more than "5 Deadly Venoms".

Unfortunate 2nd half. Hard to Score this, Worth watching.

[andressolf · 7/10 · 27 May 2013]

The first 1/3 of this movie I would dare say is genius. It's a really smart and great movie. The rest of the movie (that is to say the last 2/3rds of it) is pretty stupid...

Let me be brief, since this is all opinion anyway. I would rate the first 1/3 of this movie a 9 out of 10- easily. It was fun and entertaining to watch and intriguing. Even the following parts (after the martial arts training the avengers get) is SOMEWHAT interesting, but the film for me all falls apart definitely in the 2nd half of the film because it seems like the movie loses purpose and it's pointless violence and has corny fight scenes and corny bad guys to make matters worse. I mean really now. The 2nd half of the movie is nearly ALL action and reliant on action and not so much story telling and the action is not all that good! The action is not at all real kung-fu, instead it is circus acts and it is absolutely ridiculous to watch. At least some kung-fu movies (like Jackie Chan movies and The Prodigal Son to give you an idea) make their ridiculous fight scenes funny or fun to watch, but these fight scenes are long and grueling to watch because they seem SO choreographed and staged. It does not seem authentic. Some of the stunt work is sloppy, and just seems like it's done by poor performers. Overall I am not pleased by the 2nd half of this movie but I enjoyed the first half for the concept and storytelling so much that I would like to see this movie remade some day and done properly. That is to say- with a story that stays intact and that does not simply disappear for poor fight scenes that follow the characters main quest. It seems like this movie is very much 'hit it and quit it' in the 2nd half. In and out, and yet for such a simple idea/concept it is lost in how long they drawn the movie's fight scenes to do it. So in the end it is a waste of time it feels like cause it builds up to a rather lame 'climax' if you can even call it that. *** spoiler alert *** Also we never see them bury one of their fallen or how they live their lives after the battle, or how the city is changed for the better afterward. It's really a rushed ending and 'hit it and quit it' like I said it is, but takes so long to get to? Doesn't make sense. They could have used that last half hour of precious movie time to explain what happens after the battle, and they could have gotten to the battles sooner and made them shorter and sweeter. But ah well. It is what it is. A very mixed movie, and a waste of time in the end if you ask me. But first 1/3 is worth watching if you plan to write your own remake of this story which I think is worth telling- just differently.

Gung fu gold...

[poe426 · 10/10 · 19 August 2011]

The righteous Du Tian Dao is away when a trio of "the Tigers of Tian Nan" show up at his mansion; they cut off his wife's legs and his son's hands. Upon arrival, he kills all three of them, but his wife dies from her injuries. Years later, a blacksmith makes a pair of iron hands for the son, Du Chang. These hands are spring-loaded and can extend a foot or so; they can also shoot darts from the fingertips. Chang makes short work of the sons of the three men who maimed him. When blacksmith Meng Lo belittles Chang, he's poisoned and thereby made mute and has his eardrums ruptured, deafening him. Philip Kwok is blinded. When Wu Gui bumps into Chang, he promptly has both legs amputated. Stalwart Wang Yi (Chiang Sheng) vows to avenge all three, but ends up being turned into "an idiot." (This is accomplished by tightening a metal band around his head...) Needless to say, there are some humorous exchanges between the quartet (Sheng literally "flips out" at one point, jumping and rolling and flipping all over the place.). They eventually meet Sheng's Master and are taught Kung Fu. Wu Gui gets a new pair of iron legs, courtesy of blacksmith Meng Lo. Kwok is taught to use his heightened sense of hearing. Meng Lo is taught "signing" of a sort, feeling words as they're traced into his palms by fingertips (none of that lip-reading nonsense, here), but naturally prefers to let his fists and feet do his talking for him. Kwok and Sheng at one point perform an acrobatic ballet together, using a metal ring about a foot and a half in diameter that has to be seen to be appreciated. And thus the stage is set for the Final Showdown(s). One of the very best to Chang Cheh's Shaw Brothers classics.

(Romantic) Crippled Avengers

[chironpa · 7/10 · 19 May 2006]

I don't know why this is entitled, "Return of the Five Deadly Venoms". When I saw it, the title was "Crippled Avengers". I think some idiot mistakenly labeled it "Return..." because 5 of the six actors from "Venoms" is in it. Thing is, of those six characters, one of the guys playing a Venom is not in Crippled Avengers, so it's definitely not a return at all.

Here are the "returnees" as I know them by their characters in Venoms: Toad, Scorpion, Lizard, Centipede and the Apprentice that was schooled in all 5 fighting styles.

For anyone interested, this same group shows up in another movie I just saw called, "Killer Army".

I really enjoyed this movie. The fight choreography I see in most action films today makes me want to hurl--seriously, it's pathetic and disgusting. I've been told the actors in these movies attended the same school Bruce Lee did--a theater school where they learned drama, acrobatics and swordplay.

All of the scenes are shot on sound stages (which always gives films an otherworldly feel which I think boosts the audience's sense of fantasy.)

It's a little 2-dimensional, but you have to remember the era. Besides, these films were stories about legends and folk heroes, so the lack of the dimension and the scenery lends it a storybook feel.

This story is about justice. It's about how even when circumstances look bleakest, you still have the choice to turn your situation into something positive or negative. Watch this and compare the villains to the heroes. This is white-hat/black-hat storytelling at its most romantic.

Chang Cheh enters the realm of total fantasy

[InjunNose · 5/10 · 22 August 2023]

In "Crippled Avengers" (aka "Mortal Combat," aka "Return of the Five Deadly Venoms"), pioneering Hong Kong action director Chang Cheh officially enters the realm of total fantasy. "Five Deadly Venoms" looks crude and tentative next to this absurd concoction of high-kicking, baton-twirling superheroics, and if you liked that film, you'll love this one.

Chen Kuan-tai is a martial arts master whose home is invaded by three rivals; Chen manages to kill them, but not before they murder his wife and chop off his son's hands. The son (Lu Feng) grows up, becoming a hateful bully with prosthetic hands made of iron. He, his father, and the father's chief henchman (Wang Lung-wei) cripple anyone who challenges their appalling behavior: a local blacksmith (Lo Meng) is made deaf and mute; a traveling salesman (Kuo Chui) is blinded; a passerby (Sun Chien) loses his legs after trying to intervene; and a visiting martial artist (Chiang Sheng) is rendered "slow" (does that adjective meet your exacting standards, IMDb?) when the villains put his head in a vise. These men band together, becoming pupils of Chiang Sheng's elderly sifu (Ching Miao) in their quest for revenge.

That synopsis sounds gruesome, but all of the violence in this film has a cartoonish, unreal quality. None of it is even remotely convincing, and that includes the fight scenes themselves: they look more like acrobatic exhibitions than fights. Are the opponents actually trying to hurt each other, or are they just performing tandem somersaults? That's the problem with "Crippled Avengers." It goes without saying that the actors are physically talented, and the acrobatics are fun to watch...up to a point. But the conspicuously flashy choreography, the flowing hair and silly costumes, and the lack of anything resembling human characterization ultimately left me with a feeling of sterility. This is the kind of movie that's generally more appealing to a young audience.

Chinese martial arts cinema as we know it would not exist without Chang Cheh, so it feels unfair to knock him for the stylistic overindulgences of a film like this. Still, I prefer the Chang Cheh of "Trail of the Broken Blade" and "Blood Brothers": the Chang Cheh who staged epic, bloody kung-fu battles *and* made his characters seem like real, three-dimensional people who had things at stake.

An interesting movie!

[GOWBTW · 8/10 · 8 December 2007]

Can que aka "Mortal Combat" aka "The Crippled Avengers" is a fun-flick on individuals of different handicaps becoming martial art warriors. A warlord causing trouble in the land by maiming, crippling and killing innocent people. He blinds one man; a blacksmith is force to drink something to make him mute, and the warlord makes him deaf too. One man gets his legs chopped off. And the fighter in white is made into an idiot by the warlord's henchmen. All three men bond and are made into warriors. The blind fighter relies on his ears; the deaf fighter uses his eyes and his blacksmith skills to make the maimed fighter steel legs. He has to use his waist to gain control of the heavy prostheses. And he was very effective on the hulking goons. Despite being an idiot, Wang Yi fighting skills remained intact. And all four fighters are ready to seek revenge. The results, a real bloody mess. Each one performed their skill without a single problem. Quite interesting, yet fun to watch. This martial art film is a keeper. 3 out of 5 stars!

Crippled but Deadly

[Filmfandave · 10/10 · 20 September 2010]

What makes this one of the best Venoms movies is the characters of the accidental heroes, who all happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, swearing vengeance against a rich and infamous kungfu grandmaster (played sinisterly by Shaw Bros veteran actor Chen Kuan Tai) and his merciless son (Lu Feng).

Kungfu flicks of this era rarely portray handicapped as heroes. So the decision to make them heroes was a breakthrough for kungfu movie lovers.

Four laymen: Kwo Chue, a toy hawker, as the blind; Lo Meng, an iron smith, as the deaf and mute; Sun Chien, as the legless; and Chiang Sen, a swordsman, as the retarded become comrades by chance after being brutally maimed by the evil kungfu grandmaster and his son.

Seeking for revenge, the four go on some very arduous martial arts training specializing in unique kungfu skills with the help of Chiang Sen's kungfu master. The four then join forces to settle the score with the evil kungfu grandmaster and his son in a hand-to-hand mortal combat that only the undaunted, not the strongest, survive.

This particular Venoms' vehicle is one that helped maintain their fame in the early 80s following their groundbreaking box office hit "THE FIVE VENOMS" (1978). For lovers of old school kungfu flicks, this is one they must not miss !

NOT a sequel and slow start up as well

[bgrubb · 1 January 2003]

This movie has two major problems. First despite what the DVD and VHS covers say it is NOT a sequel to "Five Deadly Venoms". About the only thing it has in connection with "Five Deadly Venoms" is the main cast and director. Everything else is different and as a result anyone who is expecting a true sequel to "Five Deadly Venoms" will be sadly disappointed.

This wouldn't be that big a problem if the movie went straight into the action but here too the movie differs from "Five Deadly Venoms". Only after four of the characters are crippled are they trained and then it is not in the venom styles. That all said the fighting scenes that do happen are top notch but they and the movie would have been better served by a tighter storyline and not being called a sequel to "Five Deadly Venoms".

He's not as armless as you might expect.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 11 April 2024]

'Crippled Avengers (1978)' starts with a woman and child being mutilated by a rival gang, and you'd think the rest of the film would follow the now-armless boy as he grows up and learns Kung fu to get revenge on his attackers. You'd be wrong, though. Instead, the boy's father turns up and kills all three of his opponents with a single punch each, then promises to build his son a new set of iron arms and allow him to train in martial arts. Cut to many years later, and the now-adult son has joined his father in ruling over a nearby village with utter contempt and ruthlessness. Driven by bitterness, the pair - and their equally as despicable friend/ coworker - take it upon themselves to disable anyone who so much as thinks about inconveniencing them in even the most minor way. It really is unexpected that these would become the villains, but it makes for a more interesting movie by twisting the format slightly and allowing the true heroes to emerge. Those heroes are the eponymous avengers, and I don't think it's a spoiler to say that each of them crosses paths with the baddies early on. One is blinded because he expressed happiness that mercy was shown to someone, one is deafened (and made mute) because he verbally challenged the antagonist's ruthless rule, one has his legs removed because he accidentally bumps into the man with the iron firsts, and the last - an already skilled martial artist - is given brain damage because he attempts to defeat the evildoers after seeing what they've done to the other three. Needless to say, the punishment does not equal the supposed crime. The four victims find their way to a martial arts master and spend the next three years learning not just how to overcome their disabilities, but how to use them to their advantage. When their Kung fu is strong enough, they set out for vengeance. Although it's a classic revenge story at its core, the flick never really feels like its heroes are in it just for themselves. Instead, it feels like they're fighting for a somewhat 'noble' cause, taking down the villains because it will end their reign of tyranny over the nearby town. There are also brief moments of humour sprinkled throughout the narrative, both intentional and otherwise. Therefore, it feels surprisingly light despite its relatively heavy events. When everything comes together, it's a blast. Just when you think you've seen all the different types of choreography possible in a movie like this, the piece goes and throws in some metal hoops to redefine your definition of 'humanly possible'. Some of the set-pieces are just genius. The feature places more focus on sheer acrobatics than a lot of its peers, which is a refreshing angle to take and allows for some stunning scenes in which the players twist and flip and tumble through the air like they're competing for gold at the Olympics. The different styles of the four heroes also come together nicely, as a lot of a attention is placed on their teamwork and the ways in which they help each other out with their various weaknesses (two bros kick butt and hold hands for a lot of this and it's great). The final third, in particular, is a ton of fun. Some of the stuff before that is a little strained, and the training sequences don't quite convey the sense of progression I'd like them to. The writing is generally quite clunky, and a lot of the dialogue is stilted both in itself and in its delivery (a few of the performers are notably better at fighting than talking). It's unclear how much of this is due to the translation (MUBI's subtitles are clearly incorrect on a number of occasions), but several of the more obviously iffy segments must have been as such from the moment they were filmed. The final fight is also marred somewhat by an obvious and ungainly wirework stunt that serves to do nothing other than pull you out of the experience right when it ought to be at its most satisfying. It's made all the more frustrating by the fact that the actors don't need wires to impress, as evidenced by... well, literally everything we've seen them do prior to this moment. Still, despite some legitimate issues, the overall experience is exciting, well-paced and chock-full of astonishing set-pieces. It's really entertaining.

good action

[stu_x · 10/10 · 1 April 2005]

I like this movie because of some of the training scenes and fight scenes. The fights really demonstrate the actors' skills. Watch the last fight, and you'll see what I mean. The fights are shot in long takes, and the camera allows you to see all the action. You don't get cheated like in Hollywood movies, which put the camera way too close to the action to hide the actors' inability to fight.

Despite the title, this movie nothing to do with Five Deadly Venoms. This movie just has the same director and most of the same actors from Five Deadly Venoms.

I prefer this over Five Deadly Venoms. This movie has more action, and I felt Five Deadly Venoms was a lot slower and did not have very good fighting scenes.

This and The Kid with the Golden Arm are my two favorite Chang Cheh/Venoms movies I have seen. If I had to choose between the two, this wins over Kid with the Golden Arm.

This is not really RETURN OF THE FIVE DEADLY VENOMS

[PTVideo · 7/10 · 20 December 2005]

Any serious fan knows this as either CRIPPLED AVENGERS or MORTAL COMBAT. We need to find some better artwork to associate the image more correctly. It's actually a pretty good film, featuring some amazing action sequences and everybody's favorite 70s visual tropes (zooms, extreme close-ups, etc.). It was recently re released on DVD as part of the Shaw Brothers collection. The plot's a classic with the four heroes all being crippled in one way or another by a Manchu (?) warlord, and the foursome learning to work together despite their handicaps to fight back. Faces and style will be familiar to fans of the 5 Deadly Venoms as it's by the same director and features much of the same cast.

AMAZING!

[BandSAboutMovies · 10/10 · 12 December 2021]

Released in the U. S. as Mortal Combat and The Return of the 5 Deadly Venoms, this is the story of how Chu Twin and his son Chu Cho Chang have started a reign of terror. It all begins when Chu Twin returns home to find his wife murdered and his son critcally injured, with his arms amputated from the elbows down. Making him iron arms and training him in kung fu, the two find that revenge is not enough and now they have become the villains, crippling four men who get in their way.

The town's blacksmith is forced to drink a burning liquid that takes his voice whole a ear clap from Chu Twin makes him deaf as well. A travelling salesman is blinded by Chu Cho Chang and another has his legs torn off just for bumping into Chu Cho Chang. When kung fu Yuan Yi, he attempts to make the evil doers pay for this damage, but instead finds his head crushed inside a vice, reducing his intelligence to that of an idiot.

As they escape to the temple of Yuan Yi's master, they each find ways to use their injuries to their advantage, with the blacksmith increasing his vision, the salesman being able to hear a leaf hit the ground and the legless man gains iron legs and feet. As for Yuan Yi, he now sees fighting as a child's game, happily laughing even in the face of death.

The four men return on Chu Twin's 45th birthday and exact their revenge, battling a series of kung fu experts before challenging the evil master and his iron fisted son.

Four of the Venoms - Kuo Chui, Lu Feng, Sun Chien and Lo Meng - show up in this film and it's quite literally a living and breathing cartoon. Movies like this are why you seek out the films of Shaw Brothers and director Chang Cheh.

Okay, but it's NOT a sequel to 5 Deadly Venoms.

[tigger-93 · 7/10 · 13 January 2001]

More like an actors' reunion; in addition to the four 5DV actors in main roles, you'll see a bunch of other familiar faces in the secondary characters. Also, some of the director's tricks from 5DV are also on display (training flashbacks, for example).

The movie itself is more bloody, more choreographed, and more silly/ridiculous than 5DV. Certainly worth watching if you're in the mood for that sort of thing.

I got .. four on it?

[kosmasp · 9/10 · 21 July 2023]

No pun intended - I am surprised that this also was released under the title of return of the 5 deadly venoms .. I reckon people tried to cash in on another movie by Chah Cheng ... who also directed this one. And also the movie does have some of the same actors .. Lo Meng amongst them to name just one.

That all said, hopefully you don't mind that title .. but also do not mind the Crippled Avengers (no relation to the MCU either in case you were wondering). Let's also say that you should not expect any political correctness .. at all. Also the mentioned Lo Meng is clearly not someone who was an actor ... I reckon he learned a lot by doing ... he seems to be quite sure about his martial art ... but also that film martial art is .. well different .. even more so, if you have a "handicap".

All that said, the movie has some incredible scenes .. the fighting is quite well choreographed. Of course like with many movies from that era, the props do look quite cheap nowaday ... you can tell those were not really swords for example ... but they did that to protect their actors and stunt people. Try not to be fixated about stuff like that .. and just enjoy the mayhem .. maybe a bit too long .. but still a movie any eastern/martial arts fan has to have watched at least once ...

Good stuff

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 7/10 · 11 January 2023]

This is the third classic Hong Kong martial arts movie I've watched in the last few days, and it dawned on me I'd been taking something for granted: no stunt doubles. It seems obvious now, but it's always cool when the actors are genuinely doing all their own stunts, and there's no awkward editing to hide switch-ups between actor and stunt double.

Crippled Avengers proved to be another satisfying martial arts film. It at first seems to centre on a father whose wife is killed and his son maimed by getting his arms chopped off, and their desire for revenge (the son gets metal arms built for him that make his punches super deadly). But no - these two are the villains, and either they were evil all along, or the tragedy made them evil, because they go on to maim another four characters in various ways, and they're the heroes who train for the purpose of seeking revenge for their permanent injuries.

The first third is the weakest - it's all the set-up and main characters getting injured/disfigured one by one. The second third is focused on training, and I think I enjoyed that part the most. And then the final third is where most of the action/revenge is, and it was also largely satisfying, with plenty of impressive choreography and creative fight scenarios on display.

Like many martial arts movies, the ending feels abrupt. I think the first act is a little repetitive, and the way the writers keep finding reasons to send the hero with metal legs out of the action (he's the most powerful, because he had his legs cut off and replaced with iron, much like the main villain's son's arms) gets pretty comical. But most of it works well, and I did find the story and characters more engaging than I usually do in martial arts movies. I think it's pretty successful overall.

Yeah, but what about the Five Deadly Venoms?

[rommiej · 5/10 · 29 July 2000]

"The Five Deadly Venoms" was a pretty enjoyable kung-fu movie, so I was kind of looking forward to seeing "The Return of the Five Deadly Venoms." Unfortunately, it was a big disappointment. While "The Return of ..." has its moments, it's pretty much your average, ordinary, run-of-the-mill kung-fu movie, featuring interminable (though fairly well choreographed) fight sequences strung together by a thin plot line. The characters and their various handicaps may have been unique at the time (you can probably blame this for inspiring "Crippled Masters"), but the biggest problem for me was that this movie has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO with "The Five Deadly Venoms." You can't really even make the stretch: there are four main characters - not five - and none of them has been trained in the style of a venomous insect or reptile. There is no mention whatsoever of any venom, deadly or otherwise. Aside from sharing many of the same actors, the two movies are completely unrelated. So why is this one titled as if it's a sequel? Very annoying.