Mantis Review
Director: Lee Tae-sung
Date Created: 2025-09-26 17:19
3.5
Mantis Review: The latest Korean film on Netflix (사마귀) is by director Lee Tae-sung, who co-wrote the script with Byun Sung-hyun and Lee Jin-seong. The film features Im Si-wan as Han-ul, Park Gyu-young as Jae-yi, Jo Woo-jin as Dok-go, with Choi Hyun-wook, Bae Gang-hee, Hwang Sung-bin, Yoo Soo-bin and several others in the cast. The runtime of the movie is 113 minutes. The thriller is also set in the same world as the blockbuster of 2023 titled Kill Boksoon. While the movie brings back the stylish fight choreography and underworld drama that made its predecessor popular, it also struggles with pacing and depth, leaving me feeling entertained but not completely satisfied.
Mantis Review
Korean movie Mantis centres on two assassins, Han-ul and Jae-yi, who seek to break loose from the stifling structures of their business after the death of the powerful leader of Kill Boksoon, Min-kyo. It falls apart as his business, MK, does; a new generation of assassins descends upon fighting for domination. Han-ul overestimates that he will develop an organisation of his own, while Jae-yi, Han-ul’s friend from way back when, is hungry to prove that she will rise by any measure of her preference.
This setup has a lot of potential. Friendships, jealousy, and ambition play out against bloody contracts and shifting allegiances. But whereas I did very much relish the personal politicking between Han-ul and Jae-yi, I could do nothing but feel that the greater tale was perhaps a trifle too boilerplate. Secret assassins’ guilds’ plotting against one another are tropes we’ve heard thousands of times before, and Mantis does nothing particularly new with them. At times, I even felt that the film was an extension of Kill Boksoon rather than an interesting tale of its own.
If there’s any single good reason to view Netflix’s Mantis, it’s the action. Director Lee Tae-sung obviously knows a thing about choreographing fights that are simultaneously stylish and vicious. The hand-to-hand combat scenes are tight, well-choreographed fights, while the duels that incorporate weapons are crisp and believable. I liked particularly the way the movie made each punch and each parry mean something. While there are literally an endless number of action films here and there, whereby fights seem bright but empty, here the violence actually adds something to the tension.
Another highlight is the performances. Im Si-wan brings an arrogant charm to Han-ul that’s at the same time infuriating but endearing. Park Gyu-young flat-out shines as Jae-yi. I liked that her character’s rage and motivation were not only expressed by dialogue but by facial cues. She does an excellent job of convincing you that Jae-yi craves to break out of Han-ul’s shadow. Their bickering, arguing, and shared intimate moment chemistry form the emotional centre of the film.
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Jo Woo-jin as Dok-go also adds depth with his silent but authoritative presence, but I wish his character could have been built just a bit deeper. Benjamin by Choi Hyun-wook was a character I did feel served no purpose of substance to the image; his existence was that of an annoying factor, but at times like background noise.
Although I liked the Korean film Mantis because of its actions and performances, I never felt close to the development of the plot. From power play, loyalty, rivalry, romance, none of them gets adequate attention. Some parts of the scene were quick and slow. Some patches also left me confused over the timing of events, which did distract me from the viewing.
Another failure was the extremely predictable nature of some of the plot twists. I wanted bigger surprises from a film that exists against the gritty backdrop of assassins. The tension between Han-ul and Jae-yi goes down a roughly preordained road early. I also wish that the film could’ve done more to develop the plights of the next gen of assassins — mentioned but not seen, but hardly developed.
While those faults exist, I couldn’t help but enjoy watching the Netflix movie Mantis. It’s the sort of picture you could view if you crave silky smooth action, cool cinematography, and a pinch of emotional drama. The fight scenes had me glued to the screen, while the jealousy tension between Han-ul and Jae-yi created a humane element for the picture that I became interested in. I even caught myself at one point rooting for their relationship despite knowing their jealousy and ambition would be their downfall.
Nevertheless, I also left the film anticipating that it had been bolder. Some fun or emotional scenes between the protagonists could have enhanced their relationship. Likewise, more attention on differentiation could have made the film ideal instead of becoming a supplementary epilogue of Kill Boksoon.
Netflix Film Mantis Review: Summing Up
Overall, Netflix thriller-action movie Mantis provides good entertainment with its well-choreographed fights and good performances, especially from Park Gyu-young and Im Si-wan. But like its character, however, it also gets careless with a predictable script and erratic timing. Being one who enjoys movies that are full of fight scenes, I liked the choreography and emotional undertone, but as one who hungers after an original tale, I was a tad unimpressed.
