Iron Monkey [DVD] [1993]

Acclaimed director and action choreographer Yuen Woo Ping brings us his most grandiose effort yet. Exhibiting his mastery of the wire movie, as displayed in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, he brings us this highly entertaining period piece revolving around the father of legendary folk hero Wong Fei Hung (played incredibly convincingly by a young girl!) joining forces with a Robin Hood-esque outlaw who robs from the corrupt and gives to the poor by night, and by day runs a clinic. Phenomenal Martial Arts player Donnie Yen, who can be seen in Shanghai Knights and Blade II, stars alongside Mainland Chinese Peking Opera Player Yu Rong Kwong in what is a highly ammusing action comedy. Iron Monkey provides all the slapstick you would expect from a Hong Kong movie, as Yuen Woo Ping takes us through the corrupt Manchu governments quest to capture the title character, which culminates in a showdown above a flaming pit that really has to be seen to be believed. True Martial Arts fans should note that this DVD also provides two documentaries on Wu Shu Forms, along with interviews with leading cast members, Iron Monkey promotional trailers, and some glimpses of hot forthcoming titles. This title is an absolutely integral addition to the DVD collection of even the most casual admirer of Hong Kong Cinema. Miss it at your peril.

Iron Monkey is a fine wuxia film of the older generation of Hong Kong film makers. This means atmospheric movie making but with rather some if's from a modern perspective. Consider, for instance, presenting some sequences in fast forward. As was a classic with this kind of film, the movie also doesn't truly dare to crush the seriousness of human emotion -including humor but also heavier states- as do such later classics as Hero or Crouching tiger and most other films of contemporary Chinese filmmakers. Rather, it presents life as somewhat of a funny-funny comedy. Not bad, but the back-side of it is that you cannot take it very serious.An excellent film from that era is, if you ask me, "The emperor and the assassin", crushing the same story as in Hero, but from a wholly more psychologically tragic angle. That one's truly an underrated classic.

Watched this when it was released back in the days. Yuen Woo Ping and Donnie Yen at their best in my opinion. Some scenes could have done without the under cranking (speed ups) but other than that, this movie is a kung fu classic! Great performances alround! Amazing version on bluray and some awesome extras and features!! Well worth the money! Can we get the Jet Li's Once Upon A Time in China series now please? :)

This is a must have for any martial arts movie fan, also if you're a donnie yen fan then this is a must see. They don't make them like this anymore.

The mysterious masked man Iron Monkey robs from the rich to give to the poor in 1800's China. Based on a Chinese legend, this is a spectacular martial arts epic. Very funny in places too with superb martial arts action and Donnie Yen giving one of his best performances as a kind of Chinese version of Robin Hood. One of the best martial arts films ever made.

I really enjoyed this film, the fight scenes are amazing, the story line was easy to follow. Had to laugh at the dubbing in English, I turned that off and went onto the Cantonese version with English subs which made it much more enjoyable. My son will love this film , and I'm looking forward to watching it again . Well packaged and fast shipment thanks

Great film, classy wirework and seamless fight work. A pity that they chose to cut yuen woo pings work on the matrix, that was an insult! Sorry man!

This movie has a very classic story, but the fighting scenes are where it really shines.Directed and choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping, fighters defy gravity in intense, over the top, rapid and thrilling sequences.Audio is decent (nothing spectacular) and picture is quite crisp even though there are some noise during scenes at night. Overall the quality is better than the DVD version and I don't regret buying it.