So I watched a film last night and I thought I?d share it with you. The film in question is Thundering Mantis from director Teddy Yip: a Kung Foo movie made in 1980 starring Chi Leung (AKA. Beardy) as the hero, his side kick Wong Yat-lung as ?The Kid?, with the grand master played by a moustached Chin Sang and Eddy Ko cast as the film?s pale-faced villain.
The plot starts out classically enough, with Beardy convincing his grandfather to teach him the Mantis fist, but cock-sure and arrogant he gets himself into trouble with the local gangs while trying to play hero. Where this film differs from the usual Jackie Chan fair is in its rather dark twist in the end, with Beardy becoming possessed by a mantis demon and the death toll climbing which leads to a shocker of an ending.
There?s plenty of martial skill on display. Beardy looks great and gives a compellingly powerful performance, though as a ?poser? it comes mostly through his stance and charismatic acting. Ko seems more suited as a duellist and his sequences often take place in the form of grip sparing with little range beyond this. Director Robert Tai knows this and has to resort to body doubles for many of Ko?s more elaborate sequences and apply jump-cuts to his more acrobatic movements. A rather forgettable performances is given from up-and-comer, Chin Sang using his masked status as a vehicle for his career, while the goon squad display standard foils of no particular speciality.
The real standout performance for me comes from the ?Kid?, Wong. A classically trained acrobat schooled in the Chinese Opera. Throughout the film he shows amazing performances in agility: spinning on ropes and balancing on brick-stacks, and even manages to give a strong performance as the Drunken Mantis in his fight scene. As an actor he seems at ease and presents himself as being sympathetic when the film puts him in danger.
Over all it was a decent production and has convinced me that Leung and Wong are names to be followed. Also that it would be great to see Ko doing what he's most suited for and wielding a blade. The movie is available to watch on You Tube at the moment. For those interested, it features extended opening credits where the silhouetted cast display their abilities as a preview of the film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymVZXOWqHPM