Iron Monkey
1993
Yuen Woo-Ping's exhilarating martial arts film stars Yu Rong Guang as Dr. Yang, a kind family doctor who charitably provides medicine and care to impoverished villagers, along with his assistant, Orchid (the lovely Jean Wang). Yang, however, also masquerades as the crime-fighting Iron Monkey, who robs gold from the rich and .. Read more
| Starring | Donnie Yen, Yu Rong Kwong, Jean Wang |
|---|---|
| Director | Yuen Woo Ping |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, World Cinema |
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Iron Monkey
Yuen Woo-Ping's exhilarating martial arts film stars Yu Rong Guang as Dr. Yang, a kind family doctor who charitably provides medicine and care to impoverished villagers, along with his assistant, Orchid (the lovely Jean Wang). Yang, however, also masquerades as the crime-fighting Iron Monkey, who robs gold from the rich and gives to it the poor, much to the dismay of the corrupt local governor (James Wong). When famed fighter and physician Wong Kei-Ying (Donnie Yen) and his young son, Wong Fei-Hung (crossdressed actress Tsang Sze-Man), wander into town, the cowardly ruler captures the boy and pits his father against the elusive Iron Monkey. Eventually, the heroes must unite to face an even greater foe--a renegade Shaolin master (Yen Yee Kwan) and his treacherous lackeys.
This Chinese variation on the legend of Robin Hood is a good-natured (and often funny) action movie that features numerous outstanding fight scenes (including a battle fought on poles over a raging fire) and a surprising amount of cooking (yes, cooking). The film is the prequel to Tsui Hark's ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA series, which follows the adventures of folk hero Wong Fei-Hung as an adult. IRON MONKEY is particularly revelatory due to the amazing action sequences directed by Woo-Ping, who went on to choreograph the intricate fights of THE MATRIX and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.
| Starring | Donnie Yen, Yu Rong Kwong, Jean Wang |
|---|---|
| Director | Yuen Woo Ping |
| Studio | E1 ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 26 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: Cantonese |
| Dubbed | English |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 26 Mar 2001 Production year: 1993 |
| Format | DVD |
Iron Monkey (1993)
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Most helpful member's review
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35 out of 38 people found this review helpful
Crap
This film was rubbish
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Most recent members' review
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7 out of 7 people found this review helpful
One of the best Chinese Martial Arts films for its time.
This film has a storyline that is similar to Robin Hood - steal from the rich and give to the poor. It portrays China in the olden days when government positions could be legally purchased, i.e. money buys power.
The film makes use of one of the most famous Chinese pieces of music and is a recurring theme throughout the film.
You also get to watch a good combination of real Chinese Martial Arts techniques such as No Shadow Kick, Super Eagle Claw, Shaolin Palm, Crab Hand Grab, Shaolin Pole and Shaolin Double Sword.
You also get to see a good combination of Chinese Fantasy Martial Arts techniques such as King Kong Palm (Hand of God Palm) and Flying Sleeves.
The film is for the most part in the style of Mortal Kombat - an excuse for lots of fighting.
The fighting scenes used are typical of the ancient Chinese days, e.g. fighting on roof tops and in battlegrounds where the fighters have to balance on wooden poles.
This is a good film for those that like a beat-em-up style fighting movie like Mortal Kombat. Not so good for those that also like a complex relationship foreground story such as that of the princess in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.
Out of all the Chinese martial arts films I have watched in the last 20 years, this one has always been in my top 3 of rewatchable Chinese martial arts films. -
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Iron Monkey
Yuen Woo-Ping's exhilarating martial arts film stars Yu Rong Guang as Dr. Yang, a kind family doctor who charitably provides medicine and care to impoverished villagers, along with his assistant, Orchid (the lovely Jean Wang). Yang, however, also masquerades as the crime-fighting Iron Monkey, who ...
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