Iron Monkey (UK)

9 / 10
12 votes cast
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A classic story of courage, honour and sacrifice
Certificate: 12
Running Time: 86 mins
Retail Price: £19.99
Release Date:

Synopsis:
For this breathtaking epic adventure set in late Ching dynasty, acclaimed action director Yuen Woo-ping combines incredible dynamic, high-flying fight-action and stunning cinematography with a classic story of courage, honour and sacrifice.

International action superstars Donnie Yen and Yu Rong Kwong give immaculate performances as two legendary warriors who must put their lives on the line to defeat the barbaric excesses of a corrupt political regime and protect the lives of the people whose cause they champion.

Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Photo Gallery
Animated Biography Showcase
Theatrical Trailer
UK Promotional Trailer
Interview Showcase

Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 1.78:1

Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 English

Subtitle Tracks:
English

Directed By:
Woo-ping Yuen

Written By:




Starring:
Donnie Yen
Sze-Man Tsang
Fai Li
Hou Hsiao
Yan Yee Kwan

Soundtrack By:
Richard Yuen

Director of Photography:
Arthur Wong

Producer:
Hark Tsui

Distributor:
Hong Kong Legends

Your Opinions and Comments

9 / 10
This is a class film - Yuen Woo Ping is ace! He choreographs the best fights you will ever see. Donnie Yen is cool, and Iron Monkey is just a class movie.

You must buy it.
posted by Chris Legg on 12/4/2001 04:39
10 / 10
This is by far the best movie ever on the history of DVD, such realistic fight scenes, I can`t believe they only charged me £14.99 for it. Go out and buy it NOW! oh and the dubbing is excellent too!
posted by TrickyDando on 4/6/2001 18:26
10 / 10
There is only one word to describe this film "Egregious".
Go out, buy it, and enjoy it.
Hoorah for Donnie Yen
posted by redrambler on 4/6/2001 20:36
10 / 10
Apologies of continuing the forum but elmore and redrambler have got to be kidding, amber blade was no way a cheap ripoff, have they both forgotten about 36 Chambers Of Shaolin - The Final Confrontation ? starring Lau Ka-Fai and directed by Lau Ka-Liang?? anyway sorry I`ll get back to the review.
It has been a long time since something of this quality has emerged from Hong Kong cinema and I feel this can only be the start of great things to come, the action, the romance the adventure, it is a pure epic in its own right. This is one I`ll watch over and over again. Highly recommendable.
posted by trumpedupcharge on 5/6/2001 01:54
10 / 10
This is quite simply the cleverest martial arts movie ever to be committed to celluloid.
posted by elmore on 10/7/2001 01:37
10 / 10
WOW, this film really is A classic story of courage, honour and sacrifice. I couldn`t beleive the quality of fight scenes, video and audio, my house frickin rocked with it man.

I challenge anyone to say anything bad about this movie and I`d whip his/her goddamn ass man!

Anyway, getting a bit carried away there, (therapist warned me about that), seriously though I really enjoyed this film and will be looking at some of the other Hong Kong Legend films available for my collection.
posted by randy buckskin III on 15/7/2001 18:14
10 / 10
Breathtaking. What other films of this genre owe to this movie should not be underestimated
posted by rubber faced warbler on 17/7/2001 17:56
10 / 10
Quite simply a delight from start to finish!
posted by chairman mau mau on 17/7/2001 18:07
9 / 10
Great film! One of the best of all time time! A deserved classic! OK, I`m getting carried away but it really is good. Fans of Once Upon A Time In China and the Matrix should love this.
The film has a simple but effective plot, good acting, scripting, directing and editing. It is a fast paced action movie. Importantly, the fight scenes are absolutely amazing and have to be seen to be believed. Yuen woo Ping is a genius and will undoubtedly re-use these techniques in the new Matrix films.
Iron Monkey also comes with effective extras including a fascinating chat with Donnie Yen. The DVD transfer is very good. Buy it NOW
posted by morpheus177 on 21/12/2002 14:30
8 / 10
A masterful martial arts movie set in ancient china. The sets are really well done and it really does look and feel like ancient china. The fight scenes are awesome and are well choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping who you may know as the choreographer of The Matrix. A sweeping epic about the legendary Iron Monkey, a masked hero who is like the chinese Robin Hood, fighting and stealing from corrupt officials to feed the poor. There is some great humour in some places as well. We also meet a young Wong Fei Hung, of Once Upon A Time In China fame. This movie really is one of the best ever to come from Hong Kong.

The picture quality is pretty good but there are a few signs of dirt and grain. The sound is only and AC3 but still sounds great. Would have been better if it was DD 5.1. The extras include inteviews and trailers amongst other things. For a film like this, I would have expected more and better extras.

Overall This DVD is highly recommended to buy. A must for any martial arts fan. Even if you arent a big fan, this will make a nice addition to your collection.
posted by dicanio on 18/1/2003 16:47