Seamlessly branching genres "Shaolin Mantis" has something for everyone though the film's English title is a tad misleading (aside from Gordon Liu's cameo in the preface the word Shaolin is never uttered and its likeness disappears with the actor's brief appearance). The film's romantic angle is decidedly lighthearted, but the script's central conflict -- because it is of a time-sensitive nature -- makes for drama of consequence. Atypical of your regular Shaw Brothers programming the champion's a member of the Ching Dynasty (the good guys) attempting to expose a group of rebels (the bad guys). The cast includes David Chiang, Cecilia Wong, Lau Kar-wing, Norman Chu, John Cheung, and Wilson Tong who all perform admirably within the protagonist-learns-a-new-style-by-watching-an-animal/insect template.