Agreement:100% of 3 voters agree with Mr. Mike's reviews Gender: Male Age: 41 Location: Ontario
Bio: Mike Rawding is a public school teacher in Brampton, Ontario. Watching dubbed versions of Shaw Brothers movies (5 Deadly Venoms, Kid with the Golden Arm, Super Ninjas) in the early 1980's on Buffalo 29 hooked me on the genre. You can bet that after a year in my class, the kids know who Chang Cheh was! The restored versions are the way to watch the movies, imo. Keep them coming, Celestial!
The Magnificent Ruffians (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure "The Magnificent Ruffians" is like Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven": a meta-movie that explores the end of a particular era. The Venoms play marital arts experts in a time and place when such skills don't put food on the table, thanks to the advent of guns. Only Lu Feng's escort service is still in operation, and he runs it to lure expert fighters into death duels.
There's plenty to like about this Venoms movie, from the outstanding choreography right down to the hairdos of the actors. Seriously! I've never seen their hair look so clean and natural in any of their movies. It's a refreshing change from some of the ugly wigs they've worn.
Wang Li steps up to play a lead role. Lo Mang is awesome as Lu Feng's main escort service competitor. Another winner from Chang Cheh and the Venoms.
"House Of Traps" is the "Abbey Road" of the Venoms sub-genre. There are parts that don't work (the objectionable torture scene), the story is hard to follow, but the jaw-dropping choreography and the stand-out acting performances save the day.
Two treasures are stolen from the court, and rebellion against the emperor are the two basic plot points of "House Of Traps". The treasures and list of rebels are hidden in the aforementioned house. Some of the Venoms are trying to break into the house, and some are working to protect its treasures. Martial arts mayhem ensues.
Special mention must be made of the "Baby Benoms" (Wang Li, Yu Tai Peng, et al) who do the most with their roles. Bonus marks must also be given for the execution (pardon the pun) of the titular house. Great sound effects and gore make it seem like something out of "Deathtrap Dungeon".
Repeated viewing is necessary to follow the narrative threads. A nice swan song for the end of an era, and a mandatory part of any Venoms collection. Seeing Chiang Cheng playing an acrobat makes me wish he were still alive, doing cameos for Quentin Tarantino movies or giving out autographs at conventions. Buy "House Of Traps", and give the Venoms the curtain call that they deserve.
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Overall I agree with you, pretty bizzare ending! Wang Li to me is actually the unofficial sixth Venom, time for his just reward as an era ends!
You may have heard or read somewhere that some Shaw Brothers films were shot with minimal scripts, and storylines/character sketches were made up as filming progressed. This seems obvious in Ode to Gallantry. The story is a confusing and unengaging mess about a kung fu master that uses his powers to keep several fighting schools in line. Kwok Chue plays a dual role along the lines of The Prince and the Pauper: one a well-heeled scoundrel, the other a lowly bastard with a pure heart. Don't even try to follow the story from there. Everyone thinks 'Bastard' is the other guy, and try to direct him in various ways.
Kwok Chue makes the most of the role, and I admit he does act like a martial arts amateur very convincingly. The other Venoms just don't have a lot of screen time (Chiang Cheng), or they don't have a lot to do (Sun Chien). Actually, Sun chien plays his role of a gang leader pretty well, but we just don't get to see him in action as much as we like to. The rest of the main Venoms are not in this one. Wang Li is okay as the kung fu master who has achieved ultimate power.
It is expected that some Shaw Brothers films reward the patient viewer with top notch fighting scenes during the finale. While I can't fault the calibre of the fighting, there isn't enough of it in Ode to Gallantry to make sitting through the first hour or more seem worth your time. Venoms fans will enjoy this one, but I doubt it would make a fan of anyone else.
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Your review is very good. The whole mistaken identity thing is not very interesting at all. The Venoms can't even save this one. The plot is awful.
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