Mantis – Movie Review
First Reaction – Mantis spends more time on the tension for power, than the operations of the assassins.
Director: Lee Tae-sung
Writer: Byun Sung-hyun, Lee Tae-sung (Screenplay)
Cast
- Yim Si-wan (Squid Game)
- Park Gyuyoung
- Jo Woo-jin (The Match)
- Choi Hyun-wook
Plot: Mantis, an ace assassin, returns to the contract killer industry after a hiatus, encountering his trainee friend Jae-yi and a retired legendary killer Dok-go, who now runs the organization.
Runtime: 1 Hour 53 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Mantis starts when an ace assassin known as Mantis Han-ul (Si-wan) returns to the business. He reconnects with his trainee, Jae-yi (Gyugoung), and the retired killer Dok-go (Woo-jin). They are facing a change in leadership, with their roles being reassigned to other fighters.
However, Han-ul refuses to let Jae-yi be pushed out of the organisation and challenges the leadership. It leads to him trying to open his own group to give her a chance to prove herself and take the jobs he wants to do, using the team he wants to use.
Verdict on Mantis
Recap
The movie follows a former ace assassin who wants to return to the industry. However, he discovers the world has changed a lot, and now, he must prove his place in the organisation. It leads him to begin a change in the system, which could overthrow everything people have worked towards.
Best Parts
The movie does create a world similar to John Wick, where assassins work together and follow rules. It has good performances throughout, which help us understand the characters’ decisions. Elsewhere, the deeper story of power and control is interesting to see.
Worst Parts
The idea of a movie about assassins have such little action is disappointing. It focuses more on the dynamics of everyone involved than on diving deeper into how they operate in the world.
Final Thoughts – Mantis lacks the action expected from an assassin world.
