Known primarily for their work in Jackie Chan's Three Dragons movies with Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung are a perfect example of this. Also worth mentioning are the various partnerships between Ti Lung and David Chiang in classic Shaw Brothers movies, as well as the films that boast Jean-Claude Van Damme and Scott Adkins as co-stars.

The vast majority of these actor team-ups are duos and trios, but that's not the case for the Venom Mob. Taking their name from their Five Deadly Venoms movie from 1977, the Venom Mob consisted of five actors, all of whom being talented martial artists. A long list of great kung fu movies managed to pack all five of these stars into their casts, and delivering exhilarating martial arts action in the process.

The Venom Mob Made Some Of Shaw Brothers' Best Kung Fu Movies

The Venom Mob Can Be Found In Some Of The Greatest Martial Arts Films Of The 1970s And 1980s

Part of what makes the Venom Mob stand out is the sheer number of quality kung fu movies that they made together. Obviously, The Five Deadly Venoms remains their greatest contribution to the genre; it weaves a compelling, martial arts-themed mystery centered on one fighter's mission to find the five kung fu experts trained by his master. He doesn't know who they are, or which ones are good or evil, which adds greatly to the intrigue. But, of course, the true highlight is the action, which is ed by the fact that each star brings something fun to the table in of their skills.

After The Five Deadly Venoms, the Venom Mob reteamed multiple times. None of their subsequent collaborations achieved the popularity of The Five Deadly Venoms, but quite a few are ed as among the best of Shaw Brothers' kung fu movies. That can be said of Invincible Shaolin, Shaolin Rescuers, The Kid With The Golden Arm, and Crippled Avengers. Some are standard, martial arts adventures about revenge and freeing people from oppression, while others - like Crippled Avengers - can be a bit more unique. Crippled Avengers focuses on five fighters who each have to overcome sort of handicap in order to defeat their foes.

What Makes All The Venom Mob Movies Worth Watching

The Venom Mob Movies Contain Top-Notch Martial Arts Action

While it's true that some Venom Mob movies stand above the rest, it's important to note that nearly all of them are entertaining. That boils down to a number of factors, one being the involvement of Chang Cheh. Every Venom Mob film was directed by Chang Cheh, who ensured that each of his additions to Shaw Brothers' catalog met his standards for storytelling and martial arts action. Having Shaw Brothers' top director helm all of their movies helped guarantee that every Venom Mob movie would be a worthwhile viewing experience.

There's also the matter of the actors themselves. It's evident when watching The Five Deadly Venoms or any other Venom Mob movie that all five of the actors are genuinely talented. Their individual skillsets and specialties, such as Sun Chien's focus on high kicks and Chiang Sheng's athletic jumps, show through in every movie. Their diverse talents, combined with the quirky personas they've created, which often carry over from film to film, provide a great deal to look forward to going into a Venom Mob movie.

11 Kung Fu Movies Feature All Five Of The Venom Mob In Various Roles

Released In 1981, The Brave Archer 3 Was The Last Movie To Include All 5 Venoms

During the 1970s and the 1980s, the Venom Mob was highly active, generally making multiple movies a year. They quickly became favorites of Chang Cheh, a prominent name at Shaw Brothers and one of the greatest martial arts movie directors of all time. Chang built several of his movies around the five stars, who typically played the main characters in their films. Thanks to his frequent use of the actors in his films, Phillip Kwok, Lo Mang, Chiang Sheng, Lu Feng, and Sun Chien made a grand total of 11 films together.

• The Five Deadly Venoms
• Crippled Avengers
• Shaolin Rescuers
• Invincible Shaolin
• Kid with the Golden Arm
• Magnificent Ruffians
• The Rebel Intruders
• The Daredevils
• Ten Tigers of Kwantung
• The Chinatown Kid
• The Brave Archer 3

There are a lot of constants in these 11 movies that clearly distinguish them as Venom Mob films, such as Lu Feng's characters usually being evil, spear-welding villains and Lo Mang's characters often being the first to die. However, they don't all follow the same formula. In The Five Deadly Venoms, Phillip Kwok, Lo Mang, and Chiang Sheng are the heroes with Sun Chien and Lu Feng playing the villains. Some Venom Mob movies reuse those dynamics, while others mix it up by having Lu Feng play a hero or Lo Mang take on a villainous role. At one point or another, every Venom Mob actor plays at least one villain and one hero.

Kung Fu Movies That Include Some Venom Mob

Phillip Kwok, Chiang Sheng, and Lu Feng Made Several Movies Without Lu Feng And Sun Chien

A movie doesn't necessarily have to include all five of the actors to be counted as a Venom Mob film. Given the challenges that likely came with fitting all five actors into so many movies, it's not surprising that some of their collaborations with Chang Cheh were missing an actor or two. For instance, there were several Shaw Brothers movies that focused specifically on Phillip Kwok, Chiang Sheng, and Lu Feng. In these instances, Sun Chien and Lo Mang would be replaced with other actors. Such was the case with Flag of Iron, which carries all the usual characteristics of a Venom Mob film despite lacking two of the group.

Of course, that's not to say that all movies that include more than one of the five actors is a true Venom Mob project. Early in their careers, and sometimes even after The Five Deadly Venoms launched them to stardom, they would be cast in small, ing roles. Movies that went in this direction include Shaolin Temple, the first two Brave Archer films, and Shanghai 13. But even without counting these films, there's no shortage of entertainment to be found in their work. After all, nearly two dozen movies - that indeed be fairly classified as Venom Mob films - offer plenty of well-choreographed action and old school, kung fu fun.