It’s been a good few years since I’ve seen Shaolin Mantis, and oddly I did have a review of this for the prior Dragon Dynasty disc, but that most have disappeared with ECAV 1.0, alas this is just an opportunity to watch and write about another slice of martial arts greatness from mastermind Lau Kar Leung (Eighth Diagram Pole Fighter, 36th Chamber of Shaolin).
Shaolin Mantis is another Shaw Brothers martial arts epic with rebellion at its heart. In this one David Chiang plays Wei Fung, a student who is hired to keep tabs on the Tien Clan, to check in on them and prove that they’re working with Ming Loyalists to take down the Ching Dynasty. As a student he uses his studies to get in with them, and things to fine for a while, until his true nature his revealed. Things are complicated by the granddaughter of a clan member Chi-Chi falling for Wei Fung.
I’ll state this out front, this is not a huge action epic, Lau Kar Leung made a film that is 100% story first, and the action sequences that do pop up, are built around that, and are all the better for it. The choreography that is here, is of that 70’s Shaw variety and is fantastic, so what you get, you won’t be disappointed. Performances are great across the board.
88 Films presents Shaolin Mantis in a 2:35:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer that looks quite solid. Colors are stable, detail is nice, there is damage here and there, but that’s to be expected. Audio is handled by HD mono tracks in English and Mandarin, and those sound solid and come through audibly without issue. Extras include multiple commentary tracks, interviews, and trailers. RECOMMENDED!