Movie: Mantis Fists and Tiger Claws of Shaolin (1977)
Directed by Cheung Sum and Simon Hsu
As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL
Plot:
A mysterious stranger shows up in town to find his long-lost sister. While there, he protects the locals and gets accused of murder. Hilarity ensues.
Background and Reaction:
What's I found most striking about this movie is how much it seems like a spaghetti western. Except for the part where the love interest turns into a praying mantis. The weapons and fighting style are different, but many details of the storytelling are similar. There's the scene where the hero is tortured. There are scenes where the hero is in a business establishment (which serves as the analog for the old west saloon), outnumbered, and makes quick work of defeating his adversaries. And the basic plot seems like it should be a Spaghetti Western.
I enjoyed this more than last week's movie, largely because I could better appreciate the plot.* As I noted above, this played very much like a spaghetti western. But, that, said, it kind of tried to bite off too much. It was part martial arts showcase, part revenge story, part giant monster movie. And to some degree it just kind of muddied everything.
Of course, I did enjoy the Three Stooges-like physical humor and the preying mantis porn at the beginning.
Ratings:
Dave: 9.2-9.3
Sean: 2 out of 4
Scott: 7
Me: 6
Ethan: 7
Bechdel:
Mantis Fists and Tiger Claws of Shaolin fails the Bechdel test.
Tangentially-Related Anecdote:
There was this time that...oh, to hell with this. I have never had to go find my long lost sister in a brothel, and I have never dated anyone who could turn into a praying mantis. At least, not as far as I know.
*I have been told in no uncertain terms that kunf=g fu movies aren't supposed to have plot -- that they are simply excuses for displays of martial arts prowess. I believe the analogy that was used involved porn movies and sex.
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