Crippled Avengers - Return of the Five Deadly Venoms

(aka "The Return of the 5 Deadly Venoms" or "Can que")

directed by Chang Cheh
Hong Kong 1978

Four strangers become friends and join forces against an sadistic warlord and his son who made them cripples.

Like so many foreign films. The Crippled Avengers when released in the U.S. was re-titled 'The Return of the 5 Deadly Venoms'. This title was most likely done to cash in on the success of The Five Deadly Venoms which was also directed by Cheh Chang and also feature many of the same actors. The original English language title 'Avengers Handicapped', is more in line with what this film is actually about.

Right off the bat this film establishes a brutal tone through its gory dismembering sequences. The fight scenes are all exceptional. Another area where this film excels are the training sequences where the four cripples get ready to for their showdown verse those responsible from making them cripple. Even though the film does rely a lot of its action sequences. The more character driven moments are very satisfying and help propel the story forward. When all is said and done, Crippled Avengers is a highly entertaining film that culminates in an explosive finale that solidifies this films place as one of the greatest martial arts films of all time.

- Michael Den Boer

Posters

Theatrical Release: December 21st, 1978

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DVD Comparison:

Crash Cinema - Region 0 - NTSC vs. IVL - Region 3 - NTSC vs. Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) - Region 1 - NTSC

Big thanks to Ole Kofoed for Craxch and IVL the Screen Caps and Michael Den Boer of 10K Bullets for the Dragon Dynasty caps!

1) Crash Cinema - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT

2) IVL - Region 3 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Crash Cinema Region 0 - NTSC	IVL Region 3 - NTSC	Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	1:46:26	1:39:53 (4% PAL speedup)	1:44:38
Video	2.05:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: ? mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 9.18 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.54 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Crash Cinema
Bitrate: IVL
Bitrate: Dragon Dynasty
Audio	English Dub 2.0	Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1	Mandarin Dolby Digital Mono, English Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles	None.	English, Chinese or none.	English or none.
Features	Release Information: Studio: Crash Cinema Aspect Ratio: Widescreen letterboxed - 2.05:1 Edition Details: • No extras. DVD Release Date: August 17, 1999 Keep Case Chapters 14	Release Information: Studio: IVL Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1 Edition Details: • Original Trailer. • IVL Trailers for 5 SB titles. • Movie stills. • Poster. • Biographies and selected filmographies of cast & director. DVD Release Date: October 19, 2004 Keep Case with outer sleeve Chapters 12	Release Information: Studio: Dragon Dynasty Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1 Edition Details: • Dragon Dynasty Promo Reel (16:9; 2:27) • Trailers for The Killer (16:9; 2:10) and Fist of Legend (16:9; 1:46) DVD Release Date: September 14th, 2010 Keep Case with outer sleeve Chapters 20

Comments

ADDITION: Weinstein (Dragon Dynasty) - Region 1- NTSC - September 2010 - Crippled Avengers under the alternate onscreen title 'The Return of the 5 Deadly Venoms' is given a strong transfer from Dragon Dynasty. And unlike the IVL transfer which was a standard conversion. This new transfer from Dragon Dynasty is a proper NTSC transfer. Colors and flesh tones on the Dragon Dynasty transfer look similar to the IVL transfer. Here is where the similarities end as the image looks shaper and black levels fare much better on the Dragon Dynasty transfer. Also the Dragon Dynasty transfer has none of the 'combing' issues which plague the IVL transfer.

There are two audio options on the Dragon Dynasty release Mandarin and English. Both sound clear and balanced throughout. A sampling of the English subtitles reveals that there are just as many instances where the subtitles match word for word, as there are instances where they don't match.

Extras for the Dragon Dynasty release is limited to two trailers for unrelated films and a promo reel for Dragon Dynasty.

- Michael Den Boer

Recommended Reading in Chinese/Hong Kong/Taiwanese Cinema (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)


Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy by Zhen Ni, Chris Berry, Ni Zhen	Zhang Yimou: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers) by Frances Gateward	Chinese Films in Focus: 25 New Takes by Chris Berry	Wong Kar-Wai: Auteur of Time (Bfi World Directors) by Stephen Teo	China into Film: Frames of Reference in Contemporary Chinese Cinema (Envisioning Asia) by Jerome Silbergeld	New Chinese Cinemas by Nick Browne	Once Upon a Time in China : A Guide to Hong Kong, Taiwanese, and Mainland Chinese Cinema by Jeff Yang	Chinese Film Theory by George S. Semsel	Women Through the Lens: Gender and Nation in a Century of Chinese Cinema by Shuqin Cui