Two Champions of Shaolin (1980)

An Exercise In Nonsense

A different way of telling a story

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Director Cheh Chang helms another solid bit of marital arts for the always amazing Venom Mob stable of martial arts actors. This film is a tale of Shaolin vs. Wu Tang and is a typical Cheh bloodbath (in one early scene, a character actually has their man- parts ripped off during a fight!). The story is basically Lo Meng wanting revenge on the Wu Tang clan who killed his family when he was a child. The film starts strong, but has a slump in the second act and the fighting kind of drops off until the climax, but the fight scenes that are here are amazing! Overall, this isn't the best from The Venom Mob, but it's still pretty darn amazing.

Another Shaw Brothers classic directed by Chang Cheh. This one is neither as violent or as iconic as some of the director's other films, but it still a completely entertaining movie, running the usual plot lines with finesse and efficiency. One thing I found about the film was that the characters were once again more involved than in your usual martial arts film. Each takes an opposing stand on the side of good or evil and the mix of loyalty and adversity is a good one. The plot involves the usual treachery and deceit, mixed in with plenty of action so that there's nary a dull moment.Most of the Venoms are present in the cast here, albeit with the likes of Phillip Kwok missing. Lu Feng has a typically strong role and Chiang Sheng is as goofy and likable as ever. I always get a kick out of seeing Sun Chien in these films too. The fight sequences, when they come, are outstanding. There are tournaments and tests of strength here, and things inevitably build to a splendid climax in which multiple heroes and villains do battle on a big scale. The usual violence is present, with opponents being castrated and impaled by needles and flying daggers and the usual blood spray stuff. The choreography is outstanding and once again this is a highlight of the genre.

The so-called "venoms" were a charismatic crowd, singularly or all together, and Chang Cheh, for my money, was one of the very best martial arts movie directors. Both Cheh and Lo Meng are in fine form, here. Meng, as Shaolin strongman Tong, could've almost stepped right out of (or into) one of the Italian sword and sandal epics (he's even referred to as "the Chinese Hercules" and lifts (and throws) stone pillars and uproots trees to prove it). (And, like the Hercules of ancient mythology, he's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer, if you know what I mean...) He teams up with one Hu Huigan, whose followers carry around lanterns adorned with his name and a list of his accomplishments (almost makes Muhammad Ali's bragadoccio seem tame). He even castrates an opponent during a duel... Along with the younger Wei Xinghong, a Ming loyalist (of the Wu Dang clan, but aligned with the Manchus when we first meet him), Tong and Hu face the mysterious Mr. Gao and his cadre of monkey kung fu practitioners, the infamous Yuan brothers (who actually wear monkey masks when we first see them in action). The stage is set for a spectacular finale, and Cheh and his stars don't disappoint.

The Poison Klan aka The Venoms have several entertaining martial arts films and 2 Champions Of Death is no exception. This film pits the Wu Tang against the Shaolin. As with a lot of martial arts films revenge and betrayal are behind the action. The fights are fluid and there are plenty of them. These guys don't seem to pull their punches!! Sun Chien is a terrific leg kicker and he showcases his talent very well in this film. I found the storyline easy to follow and interesting enough to hold my attention between fights. Also, picture quality and sound were adequate. The Poison Klan were martial arts experts introduced in the film Five Deadly Venoms. They each had their own lethal fighting style. The actors that played The Centipede, The Snake, The Scorpion, The Lizard and The Toad gained popularity and went on to star in several martial arts films together. Collectively, they are known as The Venoms. In addition to Sun Chien, The Venoms include: Lu Feng, Wei Pai, Chiang Sheng and Lo Meng.