Iron Monkey (1993) directed by Yuen Woo-ping
I have a special place in my heart for martial arts pictures. These are the kind of movies I grew up watching as a kid. Even when I could barely keep up with the subtitles I could still take delight in the high flying acrobatics and kick ass heroes and heroines on screen. And let's be honest, that is really the only reason why you watch these movies in the first place, to watch the fighting and crazy stunts.
Iron Monkey is a great example of this formula. It is an action comedy that doesn't take itself too seriously whose foundation is in its amazing fight sequences. Kung fu pictures are a lot like musicals in a way; there is a certain rhythm and pace to the story which sets up the inevitable fight scenes. This movie is loaded wall to wall with action scenes with enough story to hold it all together and to make you actually care.
The Iron Monkey is a Robin Hood type figure who terrorizes the local government and helps out poor peasants. By day he is Dr. Yang, a doctor at a clinic who helps the needy, by night he runs across rooftops in black like Zorro. He runs into a problem in the form of the other hero of the film, a passerby named Wong Kei-ying (the father of the legendary Wong Fei-hung), who is forced to try to capture the Iron Monkey. Naturally Wong befriends Yang, but if only he knew who he really was! Dun dun dun. All is well though when Wong and the Iron Monkey realize they have a common enemy in the corrupt government and an evil ex-Shaolin monk.
Something that may put some people off is the sort of campiness of the film. There are some definite cornball moments, but Iron Monkey is meant to be more Rush Hour than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The story is kind of generic, but it is a good combination of fun and breezy with enough seriousness and sentiment to it to make you care. But all that is sort of secondary anyways to the fighting sequences which are quite fantastic. Yuen Woo-ping, the fight choreographer of The Matrix, Crouching Tiger and Kill Bill, is renowned for good reason. There is a delicate grace and excitement to his choreography that is as artful as any ballet. The climatic finale is as innovative and thrilling to watch as any. In it, the Iron Monkey and Wong face off against the evil monk on top of a series of wooden poles rising above a pit of fire. Great stuff.
Grade: B
I have a special place in my heart for martial arts pictures. These are the kind of movies I grew up watching as a kid. Even when I could barely keep up with the subtitles I could still take delight in the high flying acrobatics and kick ass heroes and heroines on screen. And let's be honest, that is really the only reason why you watch these movies in the first place, to watch the fighting and crazy stunts.
Iron Monkey is a great example of this formula. It is an action comedy that doesn't take itself too seriously whose foundation is in its amazing fight sequences. Kung fu pictures are a lot like musicals in a way; there is a certain rhythm and pace to the story which sets up the inevitable fight scenes. This movie is loaded wall to wall with action scenes with enough story to hold it all together and to make you actually care.
The Iron Monkey is a Robin Hood type figure who terrorizes the local government and helps out poor peasants. By day he is Dr. Yang, a doctor at a clinic who helps the needy, by night he runs across rooftops in black like Zorro. He runs into a problem in the form of the other hero of the film, a passerby named Wong Kei-ying (the father of the legendary Wong Fei-hung), who is forced to try to capture the Iron Monkey. Naturally Wong befriends Yang, but if only he knew who he really was! Dun dun dun. All is well though when Wong and the Iron Monkey realize they have a common enemy in the corrupt government and an evil ex-Shaolin monk.
Something that may put some people off is the sort of campiness of the film. There are some definite cornball moments, but Iron Monkey is meant to be more Rush Hour than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The story is kind of generic, but it is a good combination of fun and breezy with enough seriousness and sentiment to it to make you care. But all that is sort of secondary anyways to the fighting sequences which are quite fantastic. Yuen Woo-ping, the fight choreographer of The Matrix, Crouching Tiger and Kill Bill, is renowned for good reason. There is a delicate grace and excitement to his choreography that is as artful as any ballet. The climatic finale is as innovative and thrilling to watch as any. In it, the Iron Monkey and Wong face off against the evil monk on top of a series of wooden poles rising above a pit of fire. Great stuff.
Grade: B
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