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Shaolin Mantis

Shaolin Mantis

1978
Drama, Action
1h 36m
Lau Kar-leung spins this kung-fu yarn that features a Manchu as the hero, something of a rarity in which Manchus are usually branded villains. Wei Fung (David Chiang Da-wei) is ordered to spy on the wealthy Tien family, who is suspected to have connections with the recently overthrown Ming. He works his way into the house by posing as a teacher for the family's spoiled daughter, Chi-chi... (All Movie Guide)
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Shaolin Mantis

1978
Drama, Action
1h 36m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 60.1% from 30 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(30)
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Rated 22 Jan 2012
90
95th
A Manchu spy sent by the Qing Emperor worms his way into the household of an evil Ming loyalist by marrying his daughter, but the spy is soon discovered leading to a dazzling array of kung fu fights. The finale sees the spy develop Mantis Fist to counter the Ming grappling Shadow Style. The first half is all setup, but second half is non-stop martial arts action, with tons of cool weapons and several deftly choreographed two on one fights. David Chiang gives his best lead performance ever.
Rated 22 Sep 2014
80
81st
Infiltrating a family to undermine their political aspirations, having the daughter fall for you so she's willing to leave everyone else behind, learning martial arts from an animal and then beating up the rest of the family. I'd call that either 'a regular tuesday' or 'Shaolin Mantis'. Around the halfway point the fun begins and barely lets up. Cool fights with a lot of variation and the movie pulls out an end reveal that more or less says 'screw you, viewer!' and I love it even more for that.
Rated 05 Jul 2014
80
44th
I don't know why it's called Shaolin Mantis. The only thing Shaolin in it is a monk that loses a fight 3 minutes into the movie. I thought the Mantis style was going to be a no-show as well, but luckily arrives in the last third. I like that this is more plot oriented than most Kar Leung movies with enough action, but there are some noticeable oddities in how the plot is carried out. I kept zoning out of some of the fights, not that weren't meticulous, but they didn't have a lot of pop either.
Rated 19 Apr 2015
60
41st
David Chiang is an affable and engaging hero but a weak story and some lazy plot developments (the escape from the manor for example) let this down a little. The fight scenes are well-choreographed, and some are indeed terrific, but on the whole they tend to lack satisfying conclusions. The Mantis Style is impressive once it's finally brought out.
Rated 29 May 2008
71
60th
After 45 minutes of story the fighting starts -- and doesn't stop until the very end. Mostly weapon-fighting until the showdown between Wei Fung and Master Tien, Mantis Style vs. Shadowy Fists. Some great moments.
Rated 23 Mar 2022
40
30th
What was with the ridiculous plot, let alone the finale? Why did they dress up to sneak out of the house but basically have to fight every single relative on the way out? I was disappointed that the mantis part didn't factor until the final act, but also expected a much more epic film than the claustrophobic family compound. Fav scene: the most ridiculous circumstance of learning from an actual mantis.
Rated 07 Jul 2015
65
65th
Putting aside the unfortunate fact that all of these kung-fu flicks share pretty much the same formula, Shaolin Mantis has one of the more coherent and entertaining scripts in the Shaw Brothers repertoire, which is good because it takes a while for the story to unfold before the fighting finally starts. As another user noted, the only Shaolin guy here gets his ass kicked 3 minutes into the film, and the Mantis style is a late show, but the action is certainly satisfying as well.
Rated 23 Jul 2018
65
62nd
Decent and the middle part was actually my favorite, the beginning was okay but a little too generic. The ending was generic too plus the fights weren't that impressive.
Rated 20 May 2022
65
29th
The highlight is the studying real mantis to develop the mantis fighting style. While that moment arrives late in the movie, there are enough fights to keep it entertaining. Unfortunately the setup to the finale could have been developed better. Interestingly the heroes & villains are not as black and white. The tacked on final sequence completely shifts the moral choices of the hero between family, emperor and his love. Alas the movie ends unresolved because of a very abrupt ending.

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