The Magnificent Ruffians

From the archive

The Magnificent Ruffians (alternately titled The Destroyers, Daring Kids,[1] and The Destroyers Of The Five Deadly Venoms[2]) is a 1979 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh and starring the Venom Mob. Plot Yuan Ying Fei (Lu Feng) is a wealthy businessman and renowned martial artist specializing in the golden sword technique. Although he seeks out worthy opponents, the increased Western influence and modernization of the country means the prestige of martial arts and other Chinese traditions have since stagnated, leaving little to no practitioners left to challenge. Those that remained have either been killed by him or were driven out of business and left town. Martial artists He Fei aka Twin Blades (Chiang Sheng), Yang Zhui Feng aka Magic Pole (Phillip Kwok), Feng Jia Ji aka Magnificent Kicks (Sun Chien), and Zeng Qiao aka Sharp Axe (Wong Lik) are amongst those who have lost their jobs and homes to Yuan, and live their daily lives freeloading at local restaurants. They catch Yuan's attention when they use their skills to maneuver through a pit full of traps at one of his restaurants, and are enlisted to harass the remaining merchant escort business in town run by Guan Yun (Lo Mang) and his mother (Wang Lai) and sister Guan San (Annie Liu) into selling their business to him. Yuan's plan backfires however, as all of them share the same outlook on life and instead become friends, practicing kung fu daily and bringing each other food. When he is alerted of their newfound friendship, Yuan decides to set up Yang and secretly places explosives in his pole. During a sparring session, Yang inadvertently sets off the explosives, killing Guan. His friends, thinking he was hired by Yuan to kill him, attack a horrified Yang who runs away. Yuan arrives claiming to take revenge for Guan and kills Feng and Zeng while He escapes. He finds Yang outside the Guan residence whereupon he discovers that Guan's mother and sister have hung themselves, seeing suicide as the only way they can finally be rid from Yuan's torments. He and Yang eventually figure out they had been set up by Yuan and confront him together in a final showdown where they kill him and successfully avenge their friends. Cast Lu Feng as Yuan Ying FeiLo Mang as Guan YunPhillip Kwok as Yang Zhui FengWong Lik as Zeng QiaoChiang Sheng as He FeiSun Chien as Feng Jia JiWong Lai as Guan Yun's motherAnnie Liu as Guan SanWong Ching-Ho as Cashier WangWang Han-Chen as Cashier QinShum Lo as Cashier ZhuoLui Tat as ZhengPaul Wong Kwan as Meng LongYu Tai-Ping as Chief LiHsiao Yu as Lui JingChan Fai-Kei as Meng HuWong Ka-Leung as Meng BiaoLam Chi-Tai as Chen QingChan Chi-Lok as Meng Jiao/extraYang Hsiung as BodyguardTony Tam Chun-To as BodyguardTeng Wei-Hao as BodyguardCheung Lin-Ping as BodyguardNgai Tim-Choi as WaiterLau Fong-Sai as WaiterChow Kin-Ping as ServantChan Hung as ServantHa Kwok-Wing as Servant/ThugLai Yau-Hing as ServantChoi Kwok-Keung as ServantLau Chun as Restaurant boss