No comments about crazy shaolin disciples.

5 comments about Monkey Kung Fu: Monkey Fist, Floating Snake.

1. I first saw this movie years ago. I recently got the DVD of it off of here and their are parts missing from the dvd, little skips. I then got another DVD of it assuming that i got a bad copy, both where the same. So first get the VHS for the whole movie, I rencently got a new VHS of this and it has the entire movie.
   Now this movie is a really good classic kung fu flick. The training of the young fighter in monkey kung fu and the training of the master of snake style kung fu are very intresting to watch. This film dosent have a deep story but enough to make this movie a great buy for anyone who likes classic kung fu.



2. If you love good Kung Fu movies then this is the one. It is about the Monkey Style Kung Fu. Just no nonsense and any martial arts fan should own this movie.



3. this movie deserves it's 2 stars, but doesn't come close to getting a 3. The main acrtor in this one is an unknown and get this, he finally learns monkey style with 12 minutes left in the film.
   
   Now without any spectacular kung fu and absolutely nothing new, there are only 2 reasons why I can tell to get this, and they are reallly not good reasons.
   
   1.)-- Yun Sang Baan- huge muscles, this might be the crazy monk from shaolin vs. lama, but I am not 100% sure. But the muscles are the thing that made me think of that guy. But I think his name is william yen, but hey, it could still be the same guy. But yun sang baan can fight really well, he is probably better than chang yi overall in this movie at least.
   
   2.)--Chang Yi, he could have looked A LOT better in here. They cut up his scenes so much and the reversals are some of the worst ever. But this movie is actually kind of unique because chang yi is the guy who is the best fighter, so he wants collection money because he can beat everyone up. So old Mr. muscualr white har doesn't like this and takes on chang yi. THE VILLIAN IS DEFEATED AND GOES TO TRAIN SO HE CAN COME BACK FOR THE FINAL FIGHT. I have truly never seen anything like this. He has to train really hard to get back at the old man who beat him. Even though he initiated the fight, he still wants revenge. He does a lot of training and decides to stay with the snake style, he is just going to do it better this time I guess. There is a very funny moment when he is reminiscing of how he got beat, and it shows this reversal that was sped up about 20 times the speed and had the guy doing the most unnatural rolling motion you have ever seen. I don't doubt the filmmakers know at least in part what they are doing, but they could have at least viewed it once before releasing this to the movie theatres.
   
   So overall a movie that you have seen a hundred thousand times, has a small and shortly enjoyable twist, but the fighting sucks too much for thenm to rehash the most common storyline in kung fu history.



4. Despite the poor reviews, I purchased this movie with an opened mind. This movie had the foot prints of a very promising old school "kickers"!! I was especially impressed by the kung fu moves, which gave me a renewed respect for the monkey style. Despite the impressive training, especially the drunken monkey, I thought the final fight scene fell really short. It almost seemed like the director cut out a hugh chunk of the fight scene, and the movie ended! The expectation was set,,and I fell for it. I'm happy it only cost me $3.98 for this "BUMBO-CLOTH" flick!!



5. A fantastic revenge fight flick, great cheesy kung fu cinema.
   
   Unfortunately, they lost 95% of the final fight scene. One moment they are fighting, the next they are bloody and tattered, and the death blow is being delivered. Great set-up, huge let down ending.
   
   Worth the 3.98 version.

4 comments about Iron Monkey (Chk Sen).

1. This movie is the shiznit! It is serious and violent, and the comedy is unscripted. If you like these things, I don't think you'll be disappointed. If you prefer the Magnificent Butcher and say, comedic action movies like that, this isn't for you. Chen Kuan Tai has natural screen talent, and he directed this. The scene with his little brother has got to be one of the funniest ever, even though it's a little sad. But family comes 1st!!! It is a decent quality considering how old it is, but don't expect miracles on the digital transfer. However, it is very watchable and it's one of the best kung-fu movies I've seen.



2. man i have to tell you for a movie made in 1977 the action is so crisp and persistent. now this movie stars one of my favorite actors of the martial arts genre chen kuan tai as the real iron monkey who in real life studied and mastered the shaolin monkeyfist. this movie also has some of actors i like such as leung kar yan aka beardie, wilson tong aka the foot doctor, kam kong (master of the flying guillotine) and of course the great chi kuan chun as his shaolin brother. you can also catch a brief appearance by wong chi sang and on the back cover of the xenon version of the dvd it says alan hsu and jack long and william yen are in it but i couldnt spot'em. they must've been doing stunts and sommersaults. dvd quality i give it a 4 ans sound i give a 5 despite the brief switch to mandarin/cantonese in the middle of the movie. but anyways go pick this one its worth whatever price you pay.



3. With Chen Kuan Tai as director and lead actor and Ni Kuang writing the script, it would be hard for this movie to go wrong. That is why it is so hard to believe that it did. The Bloody Monkey Master is a proper name though I would have named it the Blood Soaked Iron Monkey. I wish I could just review this but I had so many problems with it and have to bring them all up.
   
   THERE ARE GOING TO BE A COUPLE OF SPOILERS DOWN BELOW BUT I CERTAINLY WON'T GIVE A AWAY THE ENDING.
   
   Chen Kuan Tai is a gambler and his family is full of revolutionaries. His family is captured by the general and are tortured because they won't give up the whereabouts of Kuan Tai. One kid looks like he is going to tell a soldier where he is Kuan Tai's dad chokes him to death so he won't tell. That was OK with me, but then things just get worse the whole movie. His family is killed and Kuan Tai wants revenge. So he goes to Shaolin and hopes to learn there. Chi Kuan Chun is a student there and they end up having a really good fight in the movie. So after learning monkey style the now called Iron Monkey goes undercover in the government and becomes a high ranking official. This is where my major problem comes into play. In order to gain trust by the 3 top guys under the genereal-Kam Kong(Elvis Tsui), Iron Monkey has to kill a bunch of revolutionaries. He goes on to kill like a hundred people!!!!! Finally at the end we get the battles with the top 3 guys and then Kam Kong. That was truly spectacular to watch and the movie would easily get a 4 or even a 5 if they didn't have all of those killings in the movie. Then I hated the ending. If they would have at least given him punishment than I would have been fine with this whole thing.
   
   Overall I haev to say that Chen Kuan Tai's portrayal of the monkey style is right up there with a movie like Mad Monkey Kung Fu and that is near impossible to do. Great kung fu but a tough movie to watch. You have been warned.
   
   The dvd quality is fine. Old print and scratched up but at least we get to see it, right?



4. this is a really worth it decent old school kung fu movie in the late 70's.
   
   A story about delinquent guy whose family has been murdered by the ching empire. The guy found refuge at shaolin temple where he soon learn one of the hardest technique called monkey fist. After he mastered the art, he left shaolin and went to join the ming empire to act as a spy so that he can assasinate the general who is responsible for the death of his family. He met the general at the end only to found out that the general also has a deadly kung fu technique.
   
   A very good kung fu between monkey fist vs. eagle claw style...great acrobatic moves and raw fighting with no wire and flying around. The picture of the film is not great but is bearable to watch but the sound is good. Highly recommended for old school kung fu fans out there

5 comments about Iron Monkey 2.

1. This is a run of the mill Hong Kong Actioner, and if you're a fan, you'll probably enjoy it, although not much. Donnie Yen is good, the action and fighting sequences are good, Yuen Wo Ping did design the fights. But the filming, editing, and overall quality are mediocre (fans expect this sort of low budget quality in most HK action films). I really believe this is Tai Seng's attempt to cash in on the popularity of Iron Monkey. Frankly, they've done a poor job, as any serious fan will detect absolutely no connection to that story and this.



2. Pretty standard low-budget HK actioner. The production quality is no where near the Quentin Tarantino presentation of "Iron Monkey." Feels like they took an old movie and repacked it for IM fans. Yuen Wo Ping is credited with the fight direction which is good. Acting directing is poor to mediocre at best... It is good to see more of Donny Yen, but I'd like to see more of him in some higher quality films, like a CTHD follow-up, Matrix-style or Jet Li film.



3. I felt so sorry for Mr. Yen being in this so called sequel. Please don't judge this movie in the same light of the original. If you do. You will be greatly disappointed.



4. Donnie Yen, Billy Chow, and two other guys that can fight almost as good as them. The fight scenes in this movie are good for seconds at atime, but nothing happens in this movie, and it's easily one of the worst directed movies ever, actually pretty amazing how bad this is.



5. This really is poor. Donnie Yen is an incredible martial artist. Billy Chow has chops too. But the film sucks. The stars are wasted. Dreadful story - usually to be expected as it's Hong Kong Cinema - but where's the thrilling choreography that makes up for the limits of a HK story? Further, my copy was faulty, (it skipped) which only added to the grief. There are a couple of decent moves, not fights, just moves, but, really, give this one a miss.

5 comments about Funky Monkey.

1. This show is very cute. The monkey and other scenes are just absolutely funny. There are a few "get real" plots but that goes for most movies now days. If you have kids at home be prepared to watch this movie over and over again. The husband likes it too, but I think he is ready to hide it for awhile. Buy it you won't regret it. It's a fun movie.



2. Just take a look at the DVD cover, and read the film title. Yes, they tell you all about the film, but what you still don't know is that `Funky Monkey' is far from fun or funny. Not that the film's idea of super-intelligent and super-athletic chimpanzee is awful, but the simple fact is the chimp in this messy film does not look special at all, looking like an ordinary monkey, the same primate you can find in a zoo.
   
   Add to this unmemorable animal, the film has only a very weak plot. The chimpanzee by the name of Clemens is given a special training for martial arts at a big company's lab. Matthew Modine is the chimp's caretaker who also shows some kung-fu actions. They both run away from there, go to San Diego without trying to cover up their traces, and start to live with a boy whose only concern is to attract the loveliest girl in his high school. The climax includes the silliest football game ever seen on screen, in which the boy, the chimp, the two bumbling white thugs, three Chinese kung-fu masters and the president of the company all join wearing uniform, plus Matthew Modine as referee.
   
   Not only that. The production company decided to use the stunts for the chimpanzee Clemens, but the double (who is always slouching in hairy costume, trying desperately to disguise himself as a chimp) is painfully obvious, and these "actions" are simply dull to see with unremarkable performance from Matthew Modine, not the best choice for this kind of movie. Perhaps they didn't see `Cutthroat Island.'
   
   If you know the troubled process of making this film, you might feel a bit kinder to the product, so let me tell you one thing I learned at IMDb. The film was originally shot in France, but the film company didn't like the results, so they re-shot the almost entire film in San Diego. AND the film went straight to video. I mean no disrespect to the people at Franchise Pictures (which gave us such films as `Driven' and `A Sound of Thunder'), but why didn't you release the first version instead of re-shooting it?
   
   Maybe kids find the film entertaining enough. But I am not sure. I am sure that most adults would be fidgety after watching it for five minutes, thinking `another 85 minutes of this?" And I don't know why, but Gilbert Gottfried also appears as cameo. Well, I waited for him to appear for an hour, and he was not great, either.



3. It is a very good movie and the service was great. There is not any problems with the DVD & there are no problems at all.



4. This is family movie, and reviews of 1 star are written by adults wanting an A-rate action film. This was never intended to be anything but a fun romp the entire family can enjoy, evidenced by the presence of "Touched by an Angel's" Roma Downey.
   
   I would caution parents on one adult theme prevalent throughout the movie, and that is the obvious effeminate nature of the two bumbling assistants to Flick. Hollywood, it seems, just can't resist trying to slip in a little child indoctrination to that lifestyle.
   
   The laughs are many, with the ending football scene taking the prize.
   
   Overall, there are much better family films with much more depth and feeling, such as "MVP: Most Valuable Primate" or "Polly."
   "Funky Monkey" tries to get serious a couple times but never nudges the heart like many other better films. As such, this makes a good rental for a few laughs, but isn't one I'd add to my collection for posterity.



5. I have a 6yr old and 3yr old and they both love this movie. My son is almost 7 and whenever he has a friend over, he wants to watch this movie with them and they laugh like crazy. Yes, a monkey may not be the best actor, but com'on...it's a kids movie and to see the monkey doing silly things and fighting the bad guys, was very entertaining for the kids. NO...it's not the Shawshank Redemption with great actors and a unique plot, but it's for KIDS. Bottom line is, the monkey's funny and the bad guys aren't so bad that they're too scary. Great movie for Kids and I enjoyed watching them enjoy it. We rented it so many times, that I had to come to Amazon to find the DVD so I could just buy it.

5 comments about Mad Monkey Kung Fu.

1. This movie is entertaining from the start to finish,,are art of old school kung fu very apparent and all over this flick!! Importantly,,the picture sound quality very, very good. If you're a lover of the monkey kung fu,,this is definately a must have. The fight scenes are truly amazing. A must have for the collection for sure!!



2. I did not like this because it is a bootleg. The film is great, but Red Sun is a bootleg "company" who are stealing the remastered versions from IVL DVDs made in Hong Kong. If you want the films, get the Thai releases that are all region or the HK IVL DVDs and don't buy the boots. Anyone that buys these discs are supporting the very reason why the US hasn't seen quality releases of these films for all these years ie bootleggars selling in legit stores. I honestly can't believe Amazon would allow this to be sold on here due to the chance of lawsuit by the Wienstein Company.



3. While I'm not a HUGE fan of this movie I am a fan of Hsiao Ho and his performance is worth the price of admission. Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad movie. If it were just based on the last 20 minutes and the cast it might well be the best kung fu movie ever made. You have the director, Lau Kar Leung as the protagonist, the lovely Kara Hui as his sister, and Lo Lieh as (surprise!) the bad guy.
   
   Chan (Lau) is a performer with the opera and master of the monkey fist. When Duan (Lieh) sees Chan's sister, he gets Chan liquored up and after he passes out, he puts him in bed with his (Duan's) wife and gets her to corroborate an accusation of assault. In an effort to save Chan, his sister agrees to become Duan's concubine. Chan gets his hands smashed and is then released.
   
   Years go by when Chan meets Little Monkey (Hsiao Ho) and the two become friends, though Chan is still quite melancholy. Little Monkey eventually learns Chan's monkey fist to defend himself against local thugs, who work for Duan. When Little Monkey tangles with Duan it is Chan's sister who helps him escape. Upon learning this, Chan decides it's time to get her back and take his revenge.
   
   This movie has great fight and training scenes but has some rather slow stretches. It often plays as a comedy yet the story is depressing, and some of the scenes are mean-spirited. Many of the fights (though well performed) involve more jumping around than striking. Until the last fight, that is. The finale is also some of Lo Lieh's most convincing work. You get to see Hsiao Ho's unbelievable acrobatic display. The guy does back hand springs so fast he looks like an oscillating fan.
   
   This DVD has the typical flawless, gorgeous picture of remastered Shaw Bros. films. Though this is far from the best of their productions, it is still a good flick and has enough fantastic moments to make a pleasant addition to any martial arts collection. It's hard for me to believe that Gordon Liu isn't in this. Was he too good for it? Maybe Lo Lieh was sick of fighting him at the end all the time.
   
   1979



4. This is one of the best from Shaw brothers. I saw this movie years ago. And the remastered version is nothing short of Amazing! The training is excellent, acting fantastic and a Must see DVD. This is simply the best. If your an old school fan, Shaw Fan or any fan of real Kung Fu movies then get this one now! The Teacher of the Shaw clan shows his true teaching abilities and the action is nonstop. This is a 7 star movie, but I'm only able to give 5. You will love this DVD as long as you get the remastered version.



5. Thank you for your promptness, I really enjoyed the copy of mad monkey kung fu it took me back to my youth.

4 comments about Drunken Monkey.

1. "Drunken Monkey" is a wild action comedy. Some of the humor does not translate from Chinese, but it is evident that the actors are having a great time. The plot is intricate. Two brothers are in business together. Biao, played by Lau Kar Leung (I think I have this right), is the older of the brothers. He discovers that the security business (similar to the wild west Wells Fargo) is being used by his younger brother for opium trade to the west. Biao has principles and insists his brother stop. This leads to an attempted assassination of Biao in what is a long and at times improbable martial arts romp. Although wounded, Biao is rescued from the river by Xiao Min, the ferry lady, played by Shannon Yao.
   
   Meanwhile the story shifts to a different group of characters. Chen Jiaye played by Lau Wing Kin is an artist who is drawing a martial arts manual for all of the poses of the Drunken Monkey kung fu style. Ah De played by Wu Jing is suspended in air on ropes and wiggles like a marionette as his master draws. Wu Jing is a muscular young guy who spends a substantial amount of the film with his shirt off.
   
   They bump into the ferry lady in town and follow her raft to the secluded house where she has been nursing the older brother back to health. Ah De copies a motion he observes from this master, AKA Man Bil (Biao) [I think I have this right]. The constable Hong Yi-Hu played by Gordon Liu reports it to the evil younger brother who now believes his older brother is alive. They follow Ad De & his artist master to the ferry lady's house where the final long confrontation begins.
   
   The film is fast paced. The emphasis is comedic rather than filled with gore. The poses Ah De gets immitating a monkey are hilarious. Watching this from the West, some of the comedy did not translate and the plot is so intricate that it strains believability. However, "Drunken Monkey" is not boring and often quite charming. Enjoy!



2. Maybe I would like this movie if I were young and stupid again. The fight scenes were pretty good. Gordon Liu was great as always. However, the "comedy" portions of the movie were terrible. You'd never know by the cover that this movie has a plentiful amount of mediocre Chinese "comedy." It was unfunny and stupid. It completely ruined the movie for me. 4-stars for the fighting, 2-stars for the movie.



3. If your looking for a fast paced excellent Liu Chia Liang movie, then this is the one to get. Its fast and one of their best. The Drunken style in the beginning of the DVD is sweet. You get to see Liu Chia Liang in action even through out the movie. Story line is good to. And the fights are fantastic. You wont be disappointedDrunken Monkey. Gordon Liu has a cameo in here but its very nice. And Liu Chia Liang is awesome as ever. Get this DVD for your Shaw Brother Collection. Its a must have must see DVD.



4. If you have a soft spot for 1970's style kung fu flix where first rate martial artist fought it out on solid ground with little reliance on wires, then DRUNKEN MONKEY is the movie for you!If you've wondered what ever became of stars like Shaw Brothers' greats Chi Kuan-Chun, Liu Chia-Hui (aka Gordon Liu), and master choreographer Liu Chia-Liang now that the youngest of them is well into his 50's, then DRUNKEN MONKEY is the movie for you!If you don't object to some laughs with your martial mayhem and some nostalgia with your kung fu kata, then DRUNKEN MONKEY is the definitely the movie for you!
   
   Directed and choreographed by Liu Chia-Liang ( in pinyin that's Lau Kar-Leung) and starring him as well, DRUNKEN MONKEY is just plain old fun from start to finish, with plenty of great fights and forms thrown into the mix not only by our old favorites mentioned above, but also by the younger generation represented by Wu Jing Jason, Lau Wing-Kin, and Shannon Yao.
   
   The plot centers on opium smuggling within Liu Chia-liang's delivery service, an operation somewhat like Wells Fargo. The smugglers are headed up by the hero's own brother who is in cahoots with the evil Chi Kuan-Chun. Liu Chia- Hui (aka Gordon Liu, in real life Liu Chia Liang's adopted Brother, an honorific title) plays a constable investigating the smuggling. The evil do-ers plot to kill the hero, and think they have succeeded, but his almost lifeless body is pulled from the river by our heroine (Shannon Yao) who becomes his prize student in monkey fist while he recovers from his injuries.Meanwhile elsewhere our two young heroes (played by Wu Jing Jason and Lau Wing-Kin) are obsessing over putting together a book of monkeyfist techniques.Eventually everybody comes together and things get really good!
   
   I simply can't recommend this movie highly enough. See it now!

5 comments about The Storm Riders.

1. First off, this can be found for a much lower price at off-shore sites.
   
   This Blu-ray release isn't going to win over any converts to this movie. The effects don't stand up compared to those of today, and Blu-ray technology only enhances the flaws of the film, BUT for those of you who remember its release 11 years ago, this is probably a disc you will want to purchase.
   
   I recall when "Stormriders" came out. It was the first big digital effects laden movie to come out of Hong Kong, and this movie with the ascendency of director Johnnie To and Milkyway ("The Longest Nite," "A Hero Never Dies," and "The Mission," all released within a nine-month period or so) marked a rebirth for HK flicks. Unfortunately, "Stormriders" is a bit of a mess. Those seeking authentic martial arts need not look to this swordplay fantasy epic featuring Sonny Chiba as he manipulates two young men (Ekin Cheng and Aaron Kwok) who are destinted to topple him. Beside those actors there's a busload of famous HK actors and actresses here doing the best they can. The action is choppy with jump cuts (and that pretty much describes the movie's plot, too).
   
   The disc features Cantonese (two) and Mandarin (one) audio tracks and optional English subtitles (plus several for various Asian viewers). The only extras are the trailer and a lousy effects reel.



2. I love this movie, my sons remember watching it with me when they were little. This version however has english subtitles which makes it hard to watch. Still a good family action movie.



3. Version: Hong Kong/ Puzzle World, Ltd. / Region Free
   Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
   MPEG-4 AVC BD-50 / AACS / 1080p-24fps
   Running time: 2:07:42
   Movie size: 28,202,999,808 bytes
   Disc size: 29,197,063,392 bytes
   Total bit rate: 29.45 Mbps
   Average video bit rate: 18.00 Mbps
   
   LPCM Audio Chinese 6912 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 6912 kbps / 24-bit
   DTS-HD Master Audio Chinese 1975 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1975 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
   Dolby Digital Audio Chinese 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps
   
   Subtitles: English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean
   Number of chapters: 21



4. This is a pretty decent sword flick. Has some good action, story is not too strong but hey, this is about kicking tail. It's no House of Flying daggers but it's good enough that I have watched it several times.



5. This wasn't the movie I was looking for. It didn't look like this when I first saw it but my boys love the movie. I didn't like the way it look but they do.

5 comments about Iron Monkey [Blu-ray].

1. Yuen Wo Ping has become synonymous with breathtaking fight choreography, and his distinctive style has been highlighted in films such as THE MATRIX and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. IRON MONKEY tells the tale of a small village in China that suffers under corrupt rule from the local governor who hordes grain for himself in the reserves while his people starve. A mysterious figure, dressed all in black and known only as the "Iron Monkey" (Yu Rong Guang), soon rises up and begins his Robin Hood-esque crusade to steal from the rich in order to feed the poverty stricken villagers. When the legendary enforcer Wong Kei-Ying (Donnie Yen) and his young son Wong Fei-Hung (Sze-Man Tsang) arrive in the village, the Iron Monkey finds that he has a very worthy adversary. As Wong Kei-Ying quickly discovers though, outward appearances can be very deceiving, and he soon must make personal choices as he begins fighting against the oppression in the village in order to save his own son.
   
   Yeun Wo Ping serves as not only the fight choreographer on the film, but also as the director as well, and stylistically, IRON MONKEY rivals any of Yuen Wo Ping's more widely known movies. Drawing upon the tradition of Hong Kong martial arts cinema to utilize wire work to allow kung fu scenes to take on an other worldly and supernatural feel, Yuen Wo Ping has since elevated that which had become gimmicky and expected in these films to that of a grace and beauty in artistic movement. Yes, the fight scenes later used in 2000's CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, are completely in the same style as those in IRON MONKEY, but with Yuen Wo Ping, they do not become just rehashed versions of similar themes, but rather have taken on their own distinctive artistic identity, just as one expects to see outrageous stunts in a Jackie Chan film or incredibly fast paced fights in one of Jet Li's movies. With Yuen Wo Ping's style, there is a calmness and grace in the choreography and it is illustrated beautifully in IRON MONKEY as characters chase each other and battle across rooftops. There is a lightness in this approach and an airiness that allows the film to breathe, never stifling the story's progression in sake of a stock action sequence.
   
   A key example of this in IRON MONKEY is a scene where the Iron Monkey and Miss Orchid (Jean Wang) are alone in an open two story room, defying the laws of physics as they both easily fly around to gather papers that were blown around by a breeze. Elementally they each move as light as the air that carries the papers, and while the scene is beautiful in itself to watch, it also serves as a parallel to the gentleness in the relationship between the two characters. Yuen Wo Ping's choreography does become very much like dance, and through it he is able to convey plot elements to the audience without dialogue, thus letting the story progress as opposed to getting bogged down as unfortunately happens in many action sequences in other movies of the genre.
   
   Known as well for his creativity and innovation within his choreography, Yuen Wo Ping likewise envisions some fantastical scenes within IRON MONKEY, including a battle atop a grid of freestanding poles that the main characters must balance upon as they are fighting while an inferno rages below. This sequence is the penultimate one in the movie, and much like the fight amidst the treetops in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, establishes a defining imagery for the film.
   
   While the beauty of Yuen Wo Ping's choreography is central to the visual dynamic of IRON MONKEY, there are fantastic performances by some talented individuals that make the film more fully realized. Having tremendous athletes who can pull off the complex wire work sequences with apparent ease is one thing, but having them also be able to develop complex characters with multi-dimensional layers is what makes IRON MONKEY a success and does not allow it to be relegated to becoming just another superficially stylized picture. Donnie Yen (SHANGHAI KNIGHTS) is fantastic in his role as Wong Kei-Ying and brings a depth of emotion to the actual historical figure. Coupling this with his extraordinarily adept proficiency as a martial artist, Yen's performance is one of the best seen in recent martial arts epics.
   
   Playing Yen's son, the wonderfully talented young actress Sze-Man Tsang has absolutely amazing martial arts talent, and her ability to play so remarkably well off of Yen and her other adult co-stars further strengthen the core cast that Yuen Wo Ping has assembled for the film. This focus on character, and the incorporation of specific character traits into the fight choreography itself, helps establish a through line in which the audience can be drawn in and in turn empathize with the characters' struggles. This elevates IRON MONKEY into more than just a retelling of a tale from classic Chinese folklore, but something that is indeed timeless and that can be accessed by any audience. When paired with the innovative and distinctive style of Yuen Wo Ping, IRON MONKEY becomes a film that stands apart from its imitators.
   
   For the Blu-ray release, there are two small interviews that comprise the bonus features. The first featurette is a nine minute interview with Quentin Tarantino about his insatiable love for Hong Kong cinema and the other is a six minute interview with Donnie Yen on the making of the film. While not extensive in nature, both interviews provide great insight into the genre and feature clips from multiple other Hong Kong kung fu films to allow the audience to compare and contrast what it is they are talking about, thus making for an enjoyable look into the genre.



2. The martial arts sequences have been cut as well as other scenes. Worst off all they've yanked the original music score which added tremendously to the action scenes and fit like a glove. Now they've replaced it with an incredibly weak ineffective score that sounds like something from a hand soap commercial. Skip this version and look for one of the uncut import versions instead.



3. This is just more proof that Quentin Tarantino is a total A-hole. Why on earth would he allow Miramax to release this hack job? There are scenes missing, the action scenes are cut and worst of all the exciting heart-pounding music score has been replaced by what sounds like music from a hand soap commercial. Skip this version and look for one of the uncut import versions instead.



4. Although the product description relegates the tale of the Iron Monkey to the realm of "myth," it is actually based on the historical true life story of the very real Dr. Yang Tianchun and Nurse Orchid. Wong Fei Hung was also a real person in Chinese history and his later exploits in life are chronicled in both the old and more recent versions of Master Jackie Chan's "Legend of the Drunken Master."
   
   Just to clear up the confusion, "legends" are based on historical fact, while "myths" deal with imaginary 'supernatural' beings like Osiris, Odin, Zeus or Jehovah.
   
   "Iron Monkey" is a fun film to watch whether one digs kung fu or not; the humor is universal and the action sequences are well choreographed and beautifully filmed. The story line is uplifting and conveys a moral lesson as valuable today as when the real Iron Monkey fought corruption and decadence in Canton more than a hundred years ago.
   
   In the end, the viewer comes to realize that Chief Fox knows more than one thinks he does.



5. It was a fun gift...My fiance loved it. He has been trying to get this movie, so it was a good surprise.

5 comments about Iron Monkey.

1. Yuen Wo Ping has become synonymous with breathtaking fight choreography, and his distinctive style has been highlighted in films such as THE MATRIX and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. IRON MONKEY tells the tale of a small village in China that suffers under corrupt rule from the local governor who hordes grain for himself in the reserves while his people starve. A mysterious figure, dressed all in black and known only as the "Iron Monkey" (Yu Rong Guang), soon rises up and begins his Robin Hood-esque crusade to steal from the rich in order to feed the poverty stricken villagers. When the legendary enforcer Wong Kei-Ying (Donnie Yen) and his young son Wong Fei-Hung (Sze-Man Tsang) arrive in the village, the Iron Monkey finds that he has a very worthy adversary. As Wong Kei-Ying quickly discovers though, outward appearances can be very deceiving, and he soon must make personal choices as he begins fighting against the oppression in the village in order to save his own son.
   
   Yeun Wo Ping serves as not only the fight choreographer on the film, but also as the director as well, and stylistically, IRON MONKEY rivals any of Yuen Wo Ping's more widely known movies. Drawing upon the tradition of Hong Kong martial arts cinema to utilize wire work to allow kung fu scenes to take on an other worldly and supernatural feel, Yuen Wo Ping has since elevated that which had become gimmicky and expected in these films to that of a grace and beauty in artistic movement. Yes, the fight scenes later used in 2000's CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, are completely in the same style as those in IRON MONKEY, but with Yuen Wo Ping, they do not become just rehashed versions of similar themes, but rather have taken on their own distinctive artistic identity, just as one expects to see outrageous stunts in a Jackie Chan film or incredibly fast paced fights in one of Jet Li's movies. With Yuen Wo Ping's style, there is a calmness and grace in the choreography and it is illustrated beautifully in IRON MONKEY as characters chase each other and battle across rooftops. There is a lightness in this approach and an airiness that allows the film to breathe, never stifling the story's progression in sake of a stock action sequence.
   
   A key example of this in IRON MONKEY is a scene where the Iron Monkey and Miss Orchid (Jean Wang) are alone in an open two story room, defying the laws of physics as they both easily fly around to gather papers that were blown around by a breeze. Elementally they each move as light as the air that carries the papers, and while the scene is beautiful in itself to watch, it also serves as a parallel to the gentleness in the relationship between the two characters. Yuen Wo Ping's choreography does become very much like dance, and through it he is able to convey plot elements to the audience without dialogue, thus letting the story progress as opposed to getting bogged down as unfortunately happens in many action sequences in other movies of the genre.
   
   Known as well for his creativity and innovation within his choreography, Yuen Wo Ping likewise envisions some fantastical scenes within IRON MONKEY, including a battle atop a grid of freestanding poles that the main characters must balance upon as they are fighting while an inferno rages below. This sequence is the penultimate one in the movie, and much like the fight amidst the treetops in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, establishes a defining imagery for the film.
   
   While the beauty of Yuen Wo Ping's choreography is central to the visual dynamic of IRON MONKEY, there are fantastic performances by some talented individuals that make the film more fully realized. Having tremendous athletes who can pull off the complex wire work sequences with apparent ease is one thing, but having them also be able to develop complex characters with multi-dimensional layers is what makes IRON MONKEY a success and does not allow it to be relegated to becoming just another superficially stylized picture. Donnie Yen (SHANGHAI KNIGHTS) is fantastic in his role as Wong Kei-Ying and brings a depth of emotion to the actual historical figure. Coupling this with his extraordinarily adept proficiency as a martial artist, Yen's performance is one of the best seen in recent martial arts epics.
   
   Playing Yen's son, the wonderfully talented young actress Sze-Man Tsang has absolutely amazing martial arts talent, and her ability to play so remarkably well off of Yen and her other adult co-stars further strengthen the core cast that Yuen Wo Ping has assembled for the film. This focus on character, and the incorporation of specific character traits into the fight choreography itself, helps establish a through line in which the audience can be drawn in and in turn empathize with the characters' struggles. This elevates IRON MONKEY into more than just a retelling of a tale from classic Chinese folklore, but something that is indeed timeless and that can be accessed by any audience. When paired with the innovative and distinctive style of Yuen Wo Ping, IRON MONKEY becomes a film that stands apart from its imitators.
   
   For the Blu-ray release, there are two small interviews that comprise the bonus features. The first featurette is a nine minute interview with Quentin Tarantino about his insatiable love for Hong Kong cinema and the other is a six minute interview with Donnie Yen on the making of the film. While not extensive in nature, both interviews provide great insight into the genre and feature clips from multiple other Hong Kong kung fu films to allow the audience to compare and contrast what it is they are talking about, thus making for an enjoyable look into the genre.



2. The martial arts sequences have been cut as well as other scenes. Worst off all they've yanked the original music score which added tremendously to the action scenes and fit like a glove. Now they've replaced it with an incredibly weak ineffective score that sounds like something from a hand soap commercial. Skip this version and look for one of the uncut import versions instead.



3. This is just more proof that Quentin Tarantino is a total A-hole. Why on earth would he allow Miramax to release this hack job? There are scenes missing, the action scenes are cut and worst of all the exciting heart-pounding music score has been replaced by what sounds like music from a hand soap commercial. Skip this version and look for one of the uncut import versions instead.



4. Although the product description relegates the tale of the Iron Monkey to the realm of "myth," it is actually based on the historical true life story of the very real Dr. Yang Tianchun and Nurse Orchid. Wong Fei Hung was also a real person in Chinese history and his later exploits in life are chronicled in both the old and more recent versions of Master Jackie Chan's "Legend of the Drunken Master."
   
   Just to clear up the confusion, "legends" are based on historical fact, while "myths" deal with imaginary 'supernatural' beings like Osiris, Odin, Zeus or Jehovah.
   
   "Iron Monkey" is a fun film to watch whether one digs kung fu or not; the humor is universal and the action sequences are well choreographed and beautifully filmed. The story line is uplifting and conveys a moral lesson as valuable today as when the real Iron Monkey fought corruption and decadence in Canton more than a hundred years ago.
   
   In the end, the viewer comes to realize that Chief Fox knows more than one thinks he does.



5. It was a fun gift...My fiance loved it. He has been trying to get this movie, so it was a good surprise.