This puts Chi-Chi in a difficult position and forces her to have to choose between husband and family. Eventually, Wei must get the information he has gathered back to the Emperor or his own family will suffer.

When Tien investigates Wei's background and finds out who he really is, lovestruck Chi-Chi saves Wei's life by marrying him and promising Tien that Wei will never leave the village. He infiltrates the clan by serving as tutor to Chi-Chi (Cecilia Wong Hang-Sau, aka Huang Hsin-Hsiu), the spoiled teenaged granddaughter of Tien (Lau Kar Wing). If Wei fails in his mission, his own well-connected family will be punished. David Chiang plays Wei Fung, a young scholar recruited by the Emperor to infiltrate the Tien Clan in order to get evidence of the clan's connection to Ming loyalists and anti-Ching activities.

Every character has clearly understandable motives and the impending clash of loyalties is inevitable, but no less heartbreaking for being so. It's a complex story, slowly and deliberately crafted, that, for the most part, avoids casting anyone as good guy or bad guy. For the first three-quarters of its 102-minute length, MANTIS is more of a drama with kung fu scenes than a traditional martial arts film, as it builds up the tensions among a clan that learns of a traitor in its midst, but one they must tolerate in order to keep the clan patriarch's granddaughter happy. SHAOLIN MANTIS (1978, aka THE DEADLY MANTIS) ranks among the best work of premier kung fu director Lau Kar Leung (aka Liu Chia Liang), who's better known for THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN, 8-DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER, HEROES OF THE EAST, and LEGENDARY WEAPONS OF CHINA.

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