review for Five Deadly Venoms on AllMovie

This kung-fu cult favorite doesn't quite live up to its reputation but still offers plenty of colorful action for fans of the genre. The big problem with Five Deadly Venoms is that it allows its story to overwhelm its action instead of allowing these elements to work hand in hand. The setup of a student uncovering the five mysterious "venoms" is promising but gets quickly sidelined by a political-corruption plot that bogs down the film's midsection with courtroom scenes that bring its momentum screeching to a halt. As a result, Five Deadly Venoms has less martial arts action than it could have had, and its pacing lacks the zip of other Shaw Brothers kung-fu classics like Five Fingers of Death. Despite this key problem, the film has its moments: the opening sequence, which depicts an old instructor laying out the deadly skills of the five title characters, has an entrancing comic-book feel, and the epic final battle dishes out plenty of wild martial arts action. Ultimately, Five Deadly Venoms is too convoluted and awkwardly paced to appeal to non-martial arts fans but offers up enough eccentric thrills to please the genre's hardcore enthusiasts.