Audience Member
Wei Fung (David Chiang, King Boxer, The Boxer from Shantung) has been given an assignment from the Emperor himself: work his way into the Tien Clan rebels, gain evidence of their connection to a series of enemies and report back. If he fails, his entire family will be punished. Complicating the mission is the fact that he's already fallen for one of his enemies, Tien Chi-Chi (Huang Hsin-Hsiu), the granddaughter of the rebel leader.
The rebels have already learned that Wei-Fung is a spy, yet Chi-Chi has already fallen for him. Her grandfather Tien (Lau Kar Wing, the choreographer of so many movies, including Master of the Flying Guillotine) doesn't want to break her heart, so if she can gain Wei-Fung's hand in marriage — and he pledges to never leave — he may live. However, if he doesn't come back with the list of spies, his entire family will be decapitated. And what does the praying mantis have to do with an entire new style?
Unlike so many Shaw Brothers martial arts movies, the fighting is part of the story instead of the entire tale. It naturally comes out of the human drama within the movie, making Shaolin Mantis a movie worth discovering. It also has a shock ending that made me love this film.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/06/23
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Audience Member
Directed by Lau Kar-leung, this film tells the story of a man who learns martial arts by observing a praying mantis (because that's how you learn martial arts, right?). Oh, and he does have to learn this new technique in order to get revenge (of course). Like most films directed by Lau Kar-leung, this one features some excellent old school style fight sequences that make it well worth watching.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/31/23
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Audience Member
Actress Huang Hsin-Hsiu really commands the majority of this film. A beautiful and skilled actress/martial artist. It seems to be strictly a drama, interspersed with fight scenes, but towards the end a hero retreats to the wilderness and discovers a mantis and adopts its fighting style. I really loved this one. Great sets, as always amazing choreography and the acting was outstanding.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/06/23
Full Review
Audience Member
This underrated martial arts flick stars David Chiang as a scholar turned spy against a potential threat in the form of a family. Things gets complicated when he falls for their daughter, and then he must fight his way out.
The movie is very good, with an excellent plot and musical score. The fight scenes are very well staged, especially the first round. David Chiang and his wife must fight three uncles, the mother, and grandfather in order to leave the family home. The fights move along swiftly, with a build up to more talented fighters.
The plot gets a bit messy at the end, and seems a bit rushed. We see the main character's real motivation at the end, and by then its too late. Some stuff comes out of nowhere and its all very moot, but the weapons fighting is the real highlight of the movie.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/05/23
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Audience Member
awesome mantis scenes & finale, starring David Chiang (Once Upon a Time in China II / Shaolin Abbott / One Armed Swordsmen), & more..
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/12/23
Full Review
Audience Member
See, the description above works just fine for this, especially for a David Chiang movie. The one on the Dragon Dynasty case might be a bit more eye catching but describes spoilers from late in the film. So I found myself expecting certain major events to happen, with no real knowledge of how the film would even start. But anyway... loved it, haha, of course! Liu Chia-Liang never disappoints, and his leading man is by far my favorite of the era this time.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/27/23
Full Review
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