House of Traps

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Feb 11, 2016 Directed by Chang Cheh ("Five Deadly Venoms," "One-Armed Swordsman"), this was a very well made, action packed kung-fu flick that featured a better than average story gimmick, the titular House of Traps. A prince hides a valuable jade antique in the House of Traps and Philip Kwok is then sent by the emperor to retrieve the valuables. This martial arts film is part Jules Dassin heist film and part "SAW" with the house full of bloody graphic traps. This film is certainly not as elaborate as either of those, but they're pretty unique and fun elements that really elevate what would otherwise be simply a solid martial arts outing. I think this one is a must-see for martial arts fans. See more May 10, 2009 I was caught off guard by the start to this one because major villains are presented as very likable right away. Feng Lu as The Butterfly, a famous thief, is normally instantly recognized as a villain with his beard but he shaved it off for this one and it makes a huge difference haha! He and others align themselves with a Prince who is leading a revolt against the emperor, and usually rebels are heroes. But then you have these rebels storing their stolen treasures in a house of traps (labeled as such with a huge sign!), and you know it's not supposed to work that way, that eventually some good guys are going to have to beat the traps. It ends up being 2 of the heroes from The 5 Deadly Venoms (Feng Lu was a villain in both then), but not without some surprises along the way. A minor surprise was how a servant is flogged to prove his honesty about a major accusation: they drop him from six feet up chest first onto a board of six-inch spikes! Then they jump on him and role him around! Oh god it was horrible and yet he survived, only in the movies. See more Jan 25, 2009 The plot is surprisingly intricate; it actually reminds me of "The Five Deadly Venoms." Of course, if you're after a strong plot and great acting, you've come to the wrong place. When I watch a Venoms movie, I want fast action with tight editing and this movie delivers. The story is really just a long, drawn out build-up to the always amazing end fight scene. It's interesting that the movie introduces each of my favorite Venoms actors at different points throughout the story. I found myself cheering whenever another Venom would appear. Incidentally, I watched this with the English dub. I'm used to watching Venoms movies with the cheesy English voiceovers and this one has the cheese level on extreme! See more Dec 29, 2008 Venoms. Not too bad, but not too great either. See more Read all reviews

House of Traps

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