Feng hou

This is a must see flick for any martial artist or just fan of the genre. Liang is the best director and choreographer of this time period.....probably still to date. Bruce Lee's fight choreography even pales when compared to Liang.

As a Bagua/Hsing-i instructor for over 20 years, I have witnessed many different levels of kung-fu expertise. 'Mad Monkey' is the best demonstration of footwork and kung-fu mastery that has ever been put on celluloid. Lui Liang's choreography and acting are first rate. As a viewer make sure to pay close attention to the demonstration of monkey style vs. all other 'hard' styles. In this demo., Liang shows how any martial artist should strive to become more and more loose/relaxed during a fight vs. what we are normally shown, which is the hero flexing his muscles and locking out into stiff poses for the camera. The story is gripping and the kung-fu is top notch, this is truly a martial masterpiece!

Smitten with the pretty sister of martial arts expert Chen (Lau Kar-leung/Liu Chia-Liang), evil gang-boss Tuan (Lo Lieh) does whatever it takes to make the woman his concubine: with some help from his equally scheming wife, Tuan frames Chen for rape, a crime punishable by drowning, but spares him this fate when Miss Chen (Kara Hui) declares that she is willing do whatever is necessary to save her brother's life. True to his word, Tuan allows Chen to go free, but not before making sure that the poor sap's hands are brutally crippled to ensure that he cannot seek retribution.

This being a traditional Shaw Brother's revenge tale, however, such dastardly deeds do not go unpunished: working as a street performer, Chen meets petty thief Little Monkey (Hou Hsiao) to whom he teaches the secrets of his powerful Monkey Fist kung fu (allowing for some really entertaining training scenes); after a few run-ins with local villains who have been causing trouble in town, Little Monkey confronts their boss, who—surprise, surprise—turns out to be none other than that scheming scoundrel Tuan! Major ass-kickery ensues...

It's been over twenty years since I first heard about this film from a friend, but I've only just gotten around to seeing it; if I had known at the time it was a Shaw Brothers production and that it starred HK cinema legends Lau Kar-leung and Lo Lieh I probably would have checked it out pronto, but alas, access to IMDb was still years away and I had no way of finding out any details about the film. Still, better late than never, and I'm glad to say that the wait was worth it: Mad Monkey Kung Fu is an excellent slice of old school fight action, a brilliant mix of expertly timed physical comedy and very impressive martial arts mayhem that, even at a massive 116 minutes long, never delivers a boring moment.

Monkey style always makes me laugh, what with all that comical twitching, scratching and screeching mid-fight, and this film sees Hou Hsiao giving it his all, acting the complete fool with ease whilst performing incredible acrobatics and dishing out some serious drubbings; Lau Kar-leung is just as impressive as his sifu, performing lightning fast moves and breath-taking somersaults; and Kara Hui also displays some impressive moves during her brief fight scene. Meanwhile, Lo Lieh proves why he is one of the finest baddies in the history of Hong Kong cinema, being utterly loathsome and simply begging for a bashing (which, of course, he duly receives before the final credits roll).

Take my advice, don't leave it two decades before YOU check out Mad Monkey Kung Fu!

This is another great movie I had the good fortune to see for the first time on the big screen (thanks to Rick Baker et al). Back in the late 80's I was a relative newcomer to the genre and only really knew about the big three JC, SH & YB. I wasn't sure what to expect when I paid my hard earned money to see this in a "Triple bill of Classics" at the old Scala. I need not have worried, I was left breathless by this movie. If you're a fan of Hong Kong Action / Kung Fu movies and haven't seen this movie, do so NOW!

I recently watched this movie again, bit of a nostalgia weekend (May 2011), and was blown away all over again. Really is a top notch Kung Fu movie, they don't get much better! I'm pretty sure I will not be leaving it quite so long before it gets another viewing!

Feng Hou, or Mad Monkey Kung Fu as its English title is known, is deceptively well crafted. On the surface, a classic master and student Kung Fu story well known to those familiar with Shaw brothers films and Kung Fu cinema in general, but underneath the incredible martial display, athleticism, and humour of the film lies an incredible meditation on succumbing to one's vices, pride, and the inevitable fall that follows.

Lau Kar Leung needs no introduction, as one of the finest martial artists and martial arts choreographers, he also directs this film in addition to playing one the leads, the crippled Kung Fu master Chen. Lo Lien also puts on an exceptional performance as the conniving and thoroughly evil, Tuan. Another staple actor of Shaw brothers films, Hsiao Ho, shines in a rare performance as a lead as the eponymous Monkey. His acrobatics and good natured performance as the outsider, Monkey is amazing and endearing.