M O V I E - R E V I E W S CRIPPLED AVENGERS 1978, Hong Kong. Starring Kuo Chui, Chiang Sheng, Lo Meng, Lu Feng, Sun Chien, Chen Kuan-tai, Wang Lung-wei. Directed by Chang Cheh. A Shaw Brothers presentation. Review by Keith Allison Prolific kungfu film director Chang Cheh went through three stages during his long career with the Shaw Brothers studio. The first was the heroic swordsman film era, which he helped create with stars like Jimmy Wang Yu and Cheng Pei-pei. When that was dying, Chang moved into the realm of kungfu films with the new generation of Shaw Brothers stars, lead by David Chiang and Ti Lung. At the end of the 1970s, as Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung revolutionized the way kungfu films were made, Chang entered his third phase, in which he worked with the group collectively known as The Venoms. The group of men got that nickname from their first film together, The Five Deadly Venoms ("A film as brutal as nature itself!"). The Venoms were played by Kuo Chui, Lo Meng, Lu Feng, Sun Chien, and Wei Pei, with Chiang Sheng playing the sixth Venom. For whatever reason, Wei Pei, who portrayed the Snake Venom, would not go on to be one of the Venoms. Instead, he went over to Golden Harvest to work with John Woo in films like Last Hurrah for Chivalry. Crippled Avengers is one of my all-time favorite kungfu flicks. It is brutal, action-packed, and totally over-the-top -- basically, it's everything we've come to expect from a Chang Cheh film, and then some. The Venoms were easily the most energetic and talented group of guys the Shaw Studios ever got a hold of. With but a couple exceptions, almost everything they touched turned gold. This one, however, is pure platinum, like Ric Flair's hair. The film opens with a group of thugs searching for a guy named Tu Tin-to. They visit his estate and, upon discovering he is away, make one of those leaps of logic that only happen in kungfu films. "He's not here? Well, then let's cut off his wife's legs and his son's arms!" When Tu (Chen Kuan-tai) returns, he is furious. His wife dies from loss of blood, but his son survives, and Tu gets him a pair of iron arms that can smash through anything and shoot darts! He grows up to become Lu Feng, the Venom who was almost always stuck being the rotten one. I don't know how he was before the incident, but after it, Tu is a ruthless killer. He rounds up the sons of all the people responsible for his wife's murder and son's crippling, and lets his son smash them up with his new iron arms. Before too long, Tu and Son have the town in an iron grip of fear. Enter the other Venoms. Kuo Chui plays a wanderer who is blinded by Tu's son. Lo Meng is an uppity blacksmith who doesn't like them bullying people. For that, he is made deaf and dumb. Sun Chien is some guy or other. I don't know what the hell he was hanging around for, but they tear his legs off. Finally, Chiang Sheng, known to fans as "Cutey Pie," plays a wandering kungfu hero who tries to stand up for the others and, as a result, has a metal band tightened around his head until he goes insane. Wouldn't it be easier just to kill your enemies? Well sure, but a movie called Dead Avengers would be a whole different genre. Anyway, the crippled guys hobble off together in defeat, hoping that they can find Chiang Sheng's old kungfu master and get some advice. The shot of the four of them limping and rolling out of town is both moving and ludicrous. Chiang Sheng's teacher is located and trains each man in a form of kungfu that makes the most of his remaining appendages or senses. Sun Chien, who has always been a spectacular kicker, gets some iron legs that work as good as real ones. Lo Meng learns, I don't know, deaf guy kungfu. Kuo Chui learns blind boxing. Chiang Sheng giggles and flips around a lot. As always, he's the comic relief, or as comically relieving as you can be in a movie about men seeking vengeance against those who ripped their limbs off. Armed with their new skills and iron legs, they go off to kill Tu and his evil son. You should be thankful that I have made it this far without any jokes pertaining to Lu Feng being unarmed in most of his fights. Naturally, they take time out to kill Shaw Studio's busiest villain, Wang Lung-wei. This guy has died more times than I can count. He's been killed by the best in the business, time and time again. The fighting is absolutely brilliant throughout, and they turn it up several more notches for the totally breath-taking finale. The Venoms hold nothing back, and Chen Kuan-tai proves every bit their equal. Once again the kungfu films teach us that if villains gang up on someone, it's evil, but if heroes do it, well, that's what the other guy gets for being evil. Sun Chien gets to kick through people's chest, and everyone turns in absolutely stellar performances. I was out of breath and totally exhausted by the time the final punch and kick was thrown. Don't get this film confused with Two Crippled Heroes ("No fighting on my monkey's grave!") or Crippled Masters. Entirely different things there. Those films are okay, and the guys in them really are armless and legless, but as far as films go, no one can deliver entertainment like the Venoms, and this is one of their best. Has any other genre stood up for the rights of the handicapped to be ass-kickers the way kungfu films have? I don't think so. They are brimming with one-armed, no-legged, blind bad-asses. You don't get that shit in a romantic comedy. Kungfu stands up for the rights of the everyday person, and teaches us all that someday, someone is going to step off that "short bus" you dickheads made fun of in high school and kick your ass! return to top » © Copyright 1998-2001, Keith Allison and Teleport City Heavy Industries. All them rights is reserved, baby! Email us for reprint information and permissions. Those caught stealing our content will be subjected to a Mario Van Peebles movie marathon.