Touches You

Awesome Movie

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

This has got to be one of my favorite old school Hong Kong Kung Fu flicks. There are a lot of clichés in both the writing and the characters' mannerisms, but for someone who enjoys this genre of film those things are par for the course. On the other hand, there are a few things that make this film stand out. The protagonist style (mantis) is one that is already one of the weirdest (and most vicious) systems of Kung Fu in the martial arts world, and has been given an even weirder twist in this film. Secondly, the boy in this film is one of the stars and nearly steals the show; he has some impressive training sequences, does some impressive acrobatics (some of them wire assisted) and has at least one solid fight scene. The last thing that really makes this film stand out is the ending. The whole film up until the end is pretty happy-go-lucky and predictable, but the bizarre and brutal nature of the film's conclusion has caused it to stand out in my mind. For fans of the genre who don't mind a dark twist here and there this is a gem, but if you're easily shocked, please turn away.

I got "Mantis Fist Boxer" on a DVD which also has the movie "Tiger From Canton" from Ground Zero Entertainment. I really wish that Mantis Fist Boxer had been released under the Black Belt Theater Digital Remix collection as opposed to the Brooklyn Zu collection. The print of this movie reeks like the real Brooklyn Zoo and could sorely use some digital touching up.I've watched my fair share of old school Kung Fu movies, and when I say the print of this film is BAD I mean it is an atrocity. In many scenes the film is so over-exposed in either red or blue you can scarcely tell what you're viewing. And when the film isn't over-exposed the pan and scan ratio is so messed up the actors look like you're seeing them in fun house mirrors that make them taller and thinner. Of the more than 100 old school Kung Fu movies I've seen, the Brooklyn Zu print of Mantis Fist Boxer is THE WORST I've seen to date.Normally, cheesy dubbing in crazy British voices would amuse me, but in this film it just adds to the painful experience of having to sit through the movie.Nothing can save this film. Even having the same band of bandits from Dragon Lee's "Champ Against Champ" doesn't help this movie. Even my normal fascination with the mystique of the 18 Bronzemen of Shaolin doesn't help. The plot is so rushed we learn nothing about nor care for the hero. Nor is it explained how or why the evil boss has the 18 Bronzemen of Shaolin at his disposal."Mantis Fist Boxer" SCREAMS amateur production from the shoddy quality of the print, to the lack of a coherent plot, to visual effects that are anything BUT special, all capped off by a rushed stereotypical ending."Mantis Fist Boxer" is now currently tied with "18 Bronzegirls" on my list of worst Kung Fu films ever. Avoid this low budget stinker at all costs

`I call this my Shrimp Fist, I designed it to beat idiots like you,' says the happy-go-lucky Ah Chin, a trouble-making scamp with an eye on helping the needy. His misadventures lead to all kinds of trouble with the Jade Horse clan, who set their mind on wiping out Ah Chin and all who knows him. God knows what triggers the brutal assault, but needless to say Ah Chin must hone up on his kung fu skills (by learning a crazy form of Mantis Fist) in order to defeat these evil scoundrels. Fists perched, legs balanced and beard on full display, Leung Kar Yan truly shines in this somewhat lacklustre kung fu quickie. Culminating in a memorable if truly insane finale, we watch as Ah Chin becomes so bitterly twisted and vengeful, he takes on a new deranged form, dribbling down his beard and occasionally collapsing into lapses of Mantis convoltions, before breaking his opponents to pieces and eating their sweet raw flesh. Hmm, tasty.

As the movie starts, you rapidly become aware of the fact that it's supposed to be a comedy. Not from any perceived attempts a humour, but from the ridiculous faces that are pulled by our protagonist as he gets into 'wacky' situations. Plot? Well, not really. Our bearded hero goes through the traditional ritual of making friends, beating up some bad guys, watching his friends die horribly and revenging them in a long and tedious manner. The kung-fu, while not as stilted as it would be in, say, a Chang Cheh movie, is nonetheless unconvincing and unspectacular. Even by the lowest of standards this movie has nothing going for it, and it should be avoided at all costs.