The righteous Du Tian Dao is away when a trio of "the Tigers of Tian Nan" show up at his mansion; they cut off his wife's legs and his son's hands. Upon arrival, he kills all three of them, but his wife dies from her injuries. Years later, a blacksmith makes a pair of iron hands for the son, Du Chang. These hands are spring-loaded and can extend a foot or so; they can also shoot darts from the fingertips. Chang makes short work of the sons of the three men who maimed him. When blacksmith Meng Lo belittles Chang, he's poisoned and thereby made mute and has his eardrums ruptured, deafening him. Philip Kwok is blinded. When Wu Gui bumps into Chang, he promptly has both legs amputated. Stalwart Wang Yi (Chiang Sheng) vows to avenge all three, but ends up being turned into "an idiot." (This is accomplished by tightening a metal band around his head...) Needless to say, there are some humorous exchanges between the quartet (Sheng literally "flips out" at one point, jumping and rolling and flipping all over the place.). They eventually meet Sheng's Master and are taught Kung Fu. Wu Gui gets a new pair of iron legs, courtesy of blacksmith Meng Lo. Kwok is taught to use his heightened sense of hearing. Meng Lo is taught "signing" of a sort, feeling words as they're traced into his palms by fingertips (none of that lip-reading nonsense, here),but naturally prefers to let his fists and feet do his talking for him. Kwok and Sheng at one point perform an acrobatic ballet together, using a metal ring about a foot and a half in diameter that has to be seen to be appreciated. And thus the stage is set for the Final Showdown(s). One of the very best to Chang Cheh's Shaw Brothers classics.

Another top-notch offering from the Shaw Brothers stable, this time utilising the unique storyline of using one's disability to overcome the odds, as well as including all of the bloody action and martial arts skills one has come to expect from what was one of the most reliable studios (in terms of film quality) in the world. The hilarious plot includes all manner of strange and shocking incidents, as well as incredible cheesy dialogue ("I have no arms. You have no eyes. Now we're even!"),strong and imposing characters and even plenty of comic relief, coming from a brain-damaged hero who proves to be more of a hindrance than a help when it comes to fighting with our heroes.

The story goes that a warlord returns home to find his son armless and his wife dead of blood loss after having her legs cut off by an enemy. He duly kills the men responsible, but as the years pass he becomes twisted and begins to torture innocent folk. His son is fitted with iron hands which can also shoot deadly darts from the fingers (I bet they don't sell those down at M & S!) and also goes around beating up and crippling everyday townsfolk to make himself feel better about his disability! Thus, the four heroes are formed. The first a wanderer who finds himself blinded in a savage encounter; the second a tough guy who is made mute and then deafened in addition; the third a guy who has his legs cut off for some reason or other, and the fourth a would-be hero who becomes an idiot after his head is crushed with an iron band! After some tough training techniques in the outback (including hilarious shots of wooden dummies being kicked to pieces, some excellent acrobatics with steel rings, and a guy punching a jug through the holes in a spinning wheel) the guys return to town to take on the bad guys and get their revenge.

Whew! That's one hell of a plot and CRIPPLED AVENGERS is one hell of a movie, a totally solid viewing experience for martial arts fans which is basically one big long action sequence with only a few pauses in between. The fights are kept varied and are always fast and furious with good camera angles and techniques, and it's often impossible to take your eyes from the screen once they begin. The bad guys are extremely evil and sadistic and hissable, the good guys an odd but worthy bunch who make for interesting and original hero types. The storyline incorporates some fairly suspenseful moments along with a lot of imagination and effort, and the film is also extremely violent. The exciting climax finishes things off nicely and as a whole the film is great fun, with strong production values and a wealth of excitement, weirdness and danger right from the beginning. Just my cup of tea in fact. Highly recommended for fans of the kung fu genre.

Unlike The Five Venoms (1978),which came out the same year (and which also featured several of the performers who collectively became known as The Venoms),Crippled Avengers doesn't waste any time getting to the good stuff: the action begins immediately, with a gang of Tian Nan Tigers storming the household of hero Tao Tien-tu (Kuan-Tai Chan),looking to teach him a lesson for his arrogance. Unable to find the master of the house, the gang kill Tao's wife instead, by lopping off her legs, and cripple his son Tao Sheng by hacking off his arms. No sooner has this been done, than Tao Tien-tu arrives home to see his family in pieces and takes revenge, kicking Tian Nan Tiger ass. What a way to start a film: wholesale slaughter and dismemberment!

To further avenge his family, Tao Tien-tu spends the following years killing the remaining Tian Nan Tigers, and gets Tao Sheng—now equipped with telescopic metal arms that shoot deadly missiles from the fingers—to cripple the Tigers' sons. But their reign of violence doesn't end there: the pair proceed to strike fear into the locals, maiming anyone who offends them. Blacksmith Wei Da-ti (Meng Lo),who stands up to Tao Tien-tu, pays for his bravery by being poisoned, which makes him mute, and having his ear drums burst; travelling hawker Chen Shun (Phillip Kwok) is blinded; Hu Ah-kuei (Chien Sun) has his legs cut off for accidentally bumping into Tao Tien-tu; and when martial arts expert Wang Yi (Sheng Chiang) confronts the bad guys, he has his head crushed in a vice, which turns him into a simpleton (albeit one who can still do impressive kung fu!).

United by fate, the four cripples become fast friends and travel to the Eagle Mansion, home of Wang Yi's master, where they train in the martial arts. Three years later, having overcome their disabilities though kung fu (and with the help of a pair of strap-on metal legs for Hu Ah-kuei),the foursome leave to take revenge on the tyrannical Tao Tien-tu and his equally vile son.

Featuring such blatant silliness as disabled fighters with 'bionic' limbs, the plot for Crippled Avengers is unarguably extremely far-fetched stuff, but the 'crazy factor' only adds to the fun of this much-loved Shaw Brothers classic. A talented cast, loads of superbly choreographed martial arts action (including a wonderful training sequence involving metal hoops, and the use of numerous weapons),some surprisingly bloody violence, and expert direction from the legendary Cheh Chang, all add up to one hell of an enjoyable time. Highly recommended.