Movie

The Thundering Mantis

1980 · 93 min

Lighthearted kung-fu clowning curdles into savage, unhinged brutality, leaving you exhilarated and slightly rattled by the final rampage.

Tagline: Mad, Bad and Insane
Overview: Ah Chi (Ka-Yan Leung) is obsessed with the martial arts and, more often than not, his kung-fu clowning gets him into trouble. Ending up facing Hsia (Eddie Ko) of the notorious Jade Brotherhood is inevitable. As a result, Hsia forces Chi's martial arts master to expel him. Masterless and working for a fish vendor, Chi meets a crafty kid (Yat Lung Wong), whose uncle Chow Tung (Chin Yuet Sang) is a master of the Insane Mantis style. The Jade Brotherhood aims for control of the small town but Chi is training with a new Master and will not accept bullies in the neighbourhood.

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Free in the UK

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: darkstrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
campystrength 2 of 3
bleakstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: easy-watch, 2 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: revenge
obsession
violence
grief
found family
Places: small town
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: None
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language mild
Violence strong
Sex none

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	8
Horror	3
Humour	4
Realism	4
Romance	1
Tension	6
Darkness	6
Complexity	3
Emotional weight	5

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Where to watch in the UK

Free

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Details

Genres: action
Directed by: Teddy Yip Wing-Cho
Written by: Chang Hsin-Yi
Starring: Bryan Leung Kar-yan, Chang Hai-Fen, Eddy Ko Hung, Wong Yat-Lung, Chin Yuet-Sang, Li Kun, Fang Mian, Ma Chin-Ku
Music: Stanley Chow Fook-Leung
Cinematography: Cheung Tak-Kon
Runtime: 93 min
Country: Hong Kong
Languages: Mandarin

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The Thundering Mantis

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