ThiefHott
Too much of everything
Claysaba
Excellent, Without a doubt!!
Freaktana
A Major Disappointment
Giallo Fanatic
Quite honestly, I've never really been impressed by watching Chinese jumping around on the big screen like Peter Pan. The main reason I watched this movie is because Donnie Yen's in it. Also because Yuen Woo-ping was directing it, I liked Woo-ping's older movies, 'Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, 'Magnificent Butcher' and 'Dreadnaught' to name a few. So I thought at first "Donnie Yen in a Yuen Woo-ping movie, how can it go wrong?". But then then right in the few minutes we see characters flying across the screen and I thought to myself: "Oh no, this movie isn't for me". The fact that characters can fly already made it clear to me that they will be able to break heavy blocks of wood and stone slabs easily, make inanimate objects fly 20 meters across the screen and a lot of extravaganza about making people look elegant flying across the screen. Which I really don't have any interest in. To make it worse many of the fight scenes were noticeably sped up. I find it tolerable if it is in tiny parts of the movie; also it is not foreign that some fight scenes get sped up in Chinese martial arts movies. But in 'Iron Monkey' I thought it was taken to ridiculous lengths to be any entertaining. I didn't find the plot interesting either since it is Robin Hood just in a Chinese setting.But what I did enjoy about the movie was the acting, I have a weakness for the slightly exaggerated acting of Chinese actors, it reminds me of the German Expressionistic movies I love to watch. Whenever I am tired of the American acting or European acting then I usually watch late 70's and 80's Chinese movies. I also liked the story, with Miss Orchid and Iron Monkey having a past together that gave them a strong bond. A bond which they share with deep devotion and loyalty. I find it romantic. The story of the Wongs is interesting kind of too, with Donnie playing a strict father who raise his son. With strong disciplin and some physical punishment as well. But it has been repeated many times before so it is not as interesting as the story of Iron Monkey (Yang Tianchun) and Miss Orchid. Production value looks quite impressive, but it didn't make it more interesting or entertaining in my opinion. So my opinion will be not good but not bad either. I have no interest in watching it again. 5/10
eric262003
I'm not the greatest expert when it comes to Chinese folklore or whether such incidents depicted here ever existed. If so the issues faced are quite convincing and may hold a place in the annals of Chinese history and literature. The history goes back to mid 1850's when the rich kept getting richer and the poor were become more deprived of any financial gain. To me it the story has a Asian equivalent to the greatest English character in ancient folklore, Robin Hood. The time period was different, but the motives between Robin Hood and Iron Monkey are very similar as both rebels try to outsmart a corrupt government by committing criminal acts for a good cause.In a rather poor slum in China, refugees in the area are being overruled by corrupt governor (James Wong). An incognito hero donning a mask who only goes by the name Iron Monkey (Rongguang Yu) is willing to overthrow this Governor by robbing from him and all the other rich people to give to the impoverished villagers. Governor Cheng lines up possible suspects who may be this mysterious anti-hero. In the middle of this conundrum include a monk Wong Kei-Ying (Donnie Yen) and his young son Wong Fei-Hung (Sze-Man Tsang). Cheng demands Wong to search for Iron Monkey while he holds his young son hostage. Through trials and tribulations, father and son lead themselves to the abode of Dr. Yang (Rongguang Yu) and his assistant Nurse Orchid (Jean Wang). It's quite clear that Dr. Yang is indeed Iron Monkey. This clearly pointed out once the character is introduced.The story is simple and easy to follow through. However it skips through scenes at times which makes the movie feel a bit awkward at times. One minute there's bickering if or if not Fei-Hung may have a roast duck and segues to Dr. Yang and Kei-Ying joining forces to bring down Shaolin Monk Hiu Hing (Shi Kwan Yen) We're familiar with this character and lengths he went through so there's nothing new to inform us about here.Sure the story might be thin and there's a lot of fighting, but that's what you expect to see in an action film. Aside from that the plot of the story actually stands out pretty well. The legend of Iron Monkey has been mentioned in many stories and folklore as he fights corruptions from the Governor who's trying to gather enough money to support his nine wives. The corrupt Monk does unorthodox tricks up his sleeves (literally) that can break through anything. You wonder if these individuals are insured. Like in superhero and police dramas, there will be a lot of property damage and it affects innocent bystanders. One provocation and we all suffer. In a rare occurrence one bystander gets some restitution while the antagonists get what's given to them. The refugees won't expect much left after watching stuff getting destroyed.To me, I felt a little bit of Jackie Chan and Jet Li folded into one package. On the visual format, it's vintage Li. But action wise it has a Jackie Chan flare to it. Sure there's wirework involved and Chan (with the exception of the crappy "The Medallion") refrains from using cheap wirework to his advantage. The set pieces at the end will really set your souls on fire. Knowing that this is a fictional period piece film, that's classic Jet Li. The little girl in the film was adorable, but I'll just stay out of her way when it comes to battle. Let her have her duck.
Sky Diver
I was so impressed with Donnie Yen's performance in "Ip Man", so I started tracking down his filmography. Along that path I realized I had already seen him in "Hero", and, to my content, I also came across "Iron Monkey". This film is a true delight to any fan of this genre! This is one of THE most impressive Kung Fu movies I have ever seen to- date. It has the right mix of comedy, seriousness and top-notch fighting scenes. The actors alongside Donnie Yen are amazingly skillful, and the presence of such professional women martial-artists just lifts the whole experience up even more. This is a non-stop action movie with a tasteful sense of humor and true "wow!" fighting scenes. Totally highly recommended - satisfaction guaranteed.
daan_de_geus
The amazing Iron Monkey! This movie has a legendary status amongst martial arts fans, and for good reason!Iron Monkey is the Chinese robin hood and he owns in this totally cool martial arts flick directed by Yuen Woo Ping. The action is super fast paced (again, it's like a Donnie Yen movie trademark) and filled with wires and unrealistic stuff like that. But Donnie and Rongguang excel and shows true ass kicking moves. T he story is not really special or anything, but it suffices and the acting is good. I think about 70 % of the movie consists of fight scenes, 25% dialogue and acting and 5% classic Chinese actors making funny face at the camera. If you like unrealistic and speedy martial arts flicks, then this is the movie for you.
