THE DAREDEVILS & ODE TO GALLANTRY: Two Venom Mob Classics Headed To Limited Edition Blu-Ray From Eureka This Year!
Believe me, if I could make a list of home releases to get hyped up for as I did for the New Year theatrical ones, I would. There’s gonna be plenty to come moving forward, and thanks in particular to the success and progress of Eureka’s North American expansion in the past year with loads of niche classics in its library.
Their latest comes in a two-pack tribute to legendary auteur Chang Cheh with The Daredevils and Ode To Gallantry, set to arrive on limited edition Blu-Ray in March. Eureka’s announcement on Tuesday makes clear just what’s to come as well, including multiple film audio tracks as well as commentaries by in-house voices Frank Djeng, Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, along with Michael Worth who of late has become the face of all things Bruceploitation with the magnificent work he’s done to revive the post-Bruce Lee wave of bygone martial arts fandom through Severin Films.
Pre-orders go live in February over at the MVD Shop so there’s no order placing allowed quite yet. So, if you’re looking to buy yours, bookmark the page until then!
Eureka Entertainment is proud to announce the release of THE DAREDEVILS & ODE TO GALLANTRY: Two Venom Mob Films, available together on Blu-ray as a double feature arriving on March 25, 2025. Released as part of the Eureka Classics range in a Limited edition of 2000 copies exclusively featuring an O-card slipcase and collector’s booklet.
During his long and industrious career, the “Godfather of Hong Kong Cinema” Chang Cheh made several films with the celebrated “Venom Mob,” a group of skilled martial arts performers – including Lu Feng, Chiang Sheng, Philip Kwok, Sun Chien, Lo Mang, and Wai Pak – who rose to fame as the stars of his own Five Deadly Venoms. Here, Eureka Classics presents two of the Venom Mob’s best: The Daredevils and Ode to Gallantry.
Set in Republic era China, The Daredevils follows Yang Ta-ying (Lo Mang) as he sets out to avenge his father, a military commander who was murdered in cold blood by Han Pei-tsang (Wong Lik), a thief-turned-soldier who killed Yang’s father – along with the rest of his family – to take control of his estate and his army. With the help of his friends Chen Feng (Chiang Sheng), Fu Quanyi (Lu Feng), and Xin Zheng (Sun Chien), he sets out for justice.
Then, in Ode to Gallantry, a lone martial artist nicknamed “Mongrel” is continually drawn into an intense struggle between several warring martial arts clans after he stumbles across the Black Iron Token, which entitles the owner to have any wish granted by Xie Yanke (Wong Lik), a brutal kung fu master.
After forming in 1978 for Five Deadly Venoms, the Venom Mob made over a dozen films with Chang Cheh that featured at least three of their number in starring roles. Filled with thrilling action set-pieces courtesy of some of the most talented martial artists to emerge in the 1970s, The Daredevils and Ode to Gallantry are two of the finest among them. Eureka Classics is proud to present this duo of collaborations between Chang Cheh and the Venom Mob on Blu-ray for the first time in North America.
Special Features:
• Limited edition of 2000 copies
• Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Chris Malbon
• 1080p HD presentations on Blu-ray from masters supplied by Celestial Pictures
• Original mono audio tracks
• Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
• Two new commentaries by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and martial artist and filmmaker Michael Worth
• Two new commentaries by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
• Deadly Venoms – new interview with Hong Kong cinema scholar Wayne Wong on the Venom Mob
• PLUS: A limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing by writer and critic James Oliver
* All extras subject to change
