If you're a Venoms' fan, you'll notice that when it comes down to the wire, at the end of just about all Venom movies, they are always the last men standing (fighting). Friends from childhood, they all attended Opera School, Kuo Chui studied Taiwanese Opera, while Lu Feng and Chiang Sheng were classmates and studied Peking Opera, though they all lived under the same roof. They all appeared in serveral Shaw Bros' movies, but only in supporting roles. They appeared in The 4 Assassins and The Shaolin Temple (Death Chamber), but they wouldn't get the credit they deserved until, as unknowns, they'd be casted by directorChang Cheh in the 5 Deadly Venoms.

It would be within these films that their true talents would come to the forefront. They were the main choreographers on almost all of their movies. Excellent acrobats, they showcased these skills in the apt title movie - Magnificent Acrobats (Daredevils of Kung Fu). And again, you'll find these (3) working their magic together at the end of the movie, flipping, turning, somersaults, etc.................just feeding off each others' energy and movements. They said that they worked so well because, having been trained at the same school and growing up together, they knew each others' movements so well, it was almost impossible for them to make mistakes when working with each other.

And, if you'll notice in their films, when choreographing scenes for others (Lo Mang and Sun Chien), though their scenes were very good, when these (3) were in a scene the pace just seemed to soar. Their movements were so well-timed that they left little room for error, especially with weapons.

Watch the weaponry in these films:

  • The Destroyers
  • Masked Avengers
  • House of Trap
  • Unbeatable Dragon
  • Spearmen of Death
  • Ninja in the Deadly Trap
  • Legend of a Fox
  • Sword Stained With Royal Blood

    The Best of the Best

      Best Actor - Kuo Chui

      Best Choreographer - (Tie)
      Kuo Chui/Lu Feng

      Best Weaponry - Lu Feng

      Best Acrobats - Chiang Sheng/Kuo Chui

      Best All-Around Talent - Kuo Chui

      Most Potential - Kuo Chiu

      Never Played a Villain - Kuo Chui

      Best Director - (Tie)
      Chiang Sheng and Kuo Chui

      Director's Favorite - Chiang Sheng

    • Venom-ography

    (+ Chiang Sheng was the Asst. Director)

    Kuo Chui - (The Hero). An all-around talent, he was versitile with weapons, as well as acting and acrobatics. He stated that ace director Liu Chia-Liang was the first person to really notice his talent in an earlier Shaw Bros' film, which led to him getting a starring role in the classic - 4 Assassins.

    Possibly the most visible "Venom" of the bunch, he's never played a villain in any of their films and holds the distinction of being one of the few associated with the group that has appeared in numerous films Tiger & Crane Fists, Secrets of the Shaoilin Poles, and Master of the Flying Guillotine, once he settled in Hong Kong.

    One of Hong Kong's top choreographers, he was slated to choreograph Jean Claude Van Dammes' Hard Target and help on the James Bond movie (which starred Michelle Yeoh), but it never came about. He appeared in John Woo's Hard-Boiled (as a villain), going up against ex-Venom buddy Lo Mang. He in still in high demand in throughout Asia's film industry as a top Choreographer.

    Chiang Sheng - (The Mediator). Usually, the comic and a gifted Acrobat, he would nearly steal the show in just about every film they made together. A favorite of director Chang Cheh, he would assist him in directing a lot of the Venoms' films, he was capable in front or behind the camera.

    He seemed lost when he starred in 5 Fighters from Shaolin, a Taiwanese film, made after his Venoms' days and though the film was decent, the chemistry just wasn't there. In this film, he still showed his same expertise, yet, something seemed to be missing as he was portrayed as an Idiot/sideman in a kung-fu film that offered more "slapstick" (comedy), than serious kung-fu.

    He was definitely out of his element. In Shanghi13 he looked so "worn", far from his normally vibrant self. Possibly over work and over-indulgence were taking their toll. Kuo Chui stated in a magazine interview that Chiang had started drinking "heavily" after not being able to get the types of film roles that he was used to in Taiwan. Yet, because of his wife, he chose to stay in Taiwan, instead of seeking jobs in Hong Kong.

    He died in 1991.

    Lu Feng - (The Villian). He's usually the villian in about 99% of their films and the consumate weapons expert. He stayed with Chang Cheh the longest, learning his "Tricks-of-the-trade" on camera work, setting up shots, and so on. He was multi-talented and showed a lot of potential in many different areas. I'm surprised that he didn't become a full-fledged director, himself.

    He was also responsible (in part) for a lot of the Choreography of their films and definitely had the skills to pull off just about anything a scene called for. Rumor has it, he and Kuo Chui had a big fight over who should get top credit for a film they had did. So furious, Kuo Chui didn't appear in 2 Champions of Death, choosing to work behind the camera. To smooth things out between them, director Chang kept Lu Feng out of Ode to Gallantry.

    Excellent with weapons, he receive an award for Best Supporting Actor for the film Avenging Shaolin Warriors. He should have won one for his performance in The Destroyers for his use of the Kwan-do (Bladed Staff-like wepaon). His expertise with this weapon was the highlight of the film and left no doubt in one's mind that he was an excellent martial-artist. He and good friend Robert Tai would re-edited an older film (Return of the Assassin) and added new footage to give us Fists of Legends 2: Iron Bodyguards in the mid '90s.

    Also See

    Biography Page

    30 Most Influential People

    Previous  I  Next 

    Home  I  Sitemap  I  Movie List  I  Bios Menu  I  Search  I  FAQs  I 

    Contact Info
    © Beijing Video. All rights reserved.