Iron Monkey

This film has everything you'd want in a good martial arts film - characters, story, setting and of course, martial arts. The comparison to Robin Hood is apt as it centres on vigilante justice.

Films like this I can watch again and again, unlike an over inflated Hollywood blockbuster. There is a continuing trend for far eastern film makers to work in the west, like Jet Li, Tsui Hark and Yuen Woo Ping but their best work was done in Hong Kong and China. This film is a good example.

With gorgeous photography, lively martial arts and a great cast this can't help pleasing. Yu Rong Guang is relaxed and charming as Dr Yang and Jean Wang as Orchid Ho is sublime and spirited. Donnie Yen brings his usual intensity to contrast with the other two. It is that ancient story of the mysterious hero robbing the rich and giving to the poor but the plot keeps one interested while the action goes on.

My favourite scene is not a martial one but when a sheaf of papers is blown about and Dr Yang and Orchid collect the sheets up. It is a short scene but full of grace and beauty and quiet humour, a million miles away from Hollywood. Nothing in 'Matrix Reloaded' sticks in my mind like that scene.

A splendid film!

For all you people who've only seen the matrix, CTHD, and think fight club features the best fighting ever, you ain't seen nothing yet. Iron Monkey features Hong Kong movie making at one of its best. For those of you who couldn't find a plot, I don't know what kind of movie you saw or how well you pay attention to a movie but I found the plot to be about a good doctor who helps the poor, and the oppressive govt official that's after him. And it gets complicated by Donnie Yen's character. And sorry, for those of you who don't know, there's no literal Monkey made out of Iron in this movie just like there are no crouching tigers or hidden dragons in that movie. But Iron Monkey is a martial arts classic.

Hong Kong film director and martial arts expert Yuen Woo-ping is absolutely outstanding. In "Iron Monkey," one scene I admire most is the poetically quiet, beautiful interaction of fluid movements in graceful progression: as Dr. Yang and Miss Orchid close shop (the clinic), a whiff of wind blows the papers (written prescriptions) up in the air, and Yang (who's actually Iron Monkey) elevates himself up into the air to catch the flying papers, while Orchid, with a few agile movements and glides, catches the balance of the flying papers. It's like a short interlude - a silent romantic song with punctuated accents - with a slight kick from Miss Orchid, a stool plops into place upside down as it should be on another neatly ends the piece. I actually relish this quiet segment much more than the awe-struck extensive finale scene, which is truly an amazing display of exquisitely choreographed martial art movements of three masters (two good forces tenaciously team up against one skillful evil monk) on multiple wooden poles with inferno-like fire a-dancing below. Fantastic performances from Donnie Yen as Wong Kei-ying, father of Wong Fei-hung, who's deftly portrayed by a young girl Tsang Sze-man, and Yu Rongguang as Dr. Yang/Iron Monkey, with Jean Wang as Miss Orchid, to the upstanding police chief, the devastating evil monk and all.

Iron Monkey is essentially a film about the legendary Shaolin kung-fu master (also known as drunken master) Wong Fei-hung when he was young. In fact, the alternate title is "Siunin Wong Fei-hung tsi titmalau," literally: Young Wong Fei-hung's iron monkey.

Follow this up with Jet Li's "Once Upon A Time In China 2" ("Wong Fei-hung ji yi: Naam yi dong ji keung" 1992, literally: Wong Fei-hung #2 - young man should be self-sufficiently strong) and the adult Wong Fei-hung portrayal will be better understood: why he's so good at his knowledge and practice of Chinese medicine, why he acted so restrained and coy with Aunt Yee, whom he very much loves but won't express so - all due to the austere teachings from his father as noted in "Iron Monkey." We also learn that he lost his mother at a tender young age - though from Jackie Chan's "The Legend of Drunken Master" (2000 USA, "Jui Kuen 2" 1994, literally: Drunken fist 2), we can see he has quite a wonderful stepmother - smart and wittily portrayed by Anita Mui! See it if you want another excitingly fun, martial arts action-packed drama about the adult Wong Fei-hung.

Version: Universal Studios / Hong Kong Legends R4 DVD release. Cantonese / English subtitles.

I first saw 'Iron Monkey' on an old, poor-quality VHS release with dodgy English subtitles placed underneath really big and bright Chinese subtitles that took up half of the screen space. You know the type I'm talking about. Even then, my immediate reaction was "AWESOME WOW AWESOME".

The corrupt officials of a Chinese province find themselves the target of Iron Monkey (Rongguang Yu), a sort of Chinese Robin Hood. When Wong Kei Ying (Donnie Yen) and a young Wong Fei Hung (Sze-Man Tsang) arrive in town, Kei Ying is forced to help the corrupt authorities track down Iron Monkey. Naturally, things get complicated when a group of Shaolin rebels arrive in town. Led by Hin Hung (Yee Kwan Yan) these evil Shaolin Monks and Nuns have been paid take out our heroes, leaving Iron Monkey, Kei Ying, Fei Hung, and Miss Orchid (Jean Wang) to kick many an evil-doers arse.

The story in 'Iron Monkey' serves only as a device to allow for more fighting. Things that might usually be kept secret are revealed nearly straight away, just to avoid any major plot twists and allow for more kung-fu time. In fact, in 'Iron Monkey', kung-fu time occurs much more frequently then plot-development time, and whenever a plot-development moment comes along, it usually accompanied by kung-fu time. Awesome.

We all know that Donnie Yen and Rongguang Yu are awesome. They spend a good deal of time putting on some awesome fight scenes. Jean Wang and Sze-Man Tsang (who, in Monkey Magic style, is actually a girl) pull of some really cool action sequences. Granted, most of it is grounded in fantasy, much like 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' and friends, but it still looks really cool, and a few of these fights are easily some of my favourite fight-scenes ever. Also, the technique names rule. I wish I could perform a no-shadow kick or a King Kong palm.

'Iron Monkey' is nearly nothing but martial arts fantasy. Fans of Hong Kong wuxia movies will get a kick out of this, as will action fans in general. Fans of 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', 'Hero', and 'House of Flying Daggers' should see this to see how wuxia should be done, but they may not like it. Fantastic action movie - 9/10