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Iron Monkey
Miramax Films


8.2

based on 28 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 14 votes
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MPAA RATING: PG-13 for martial arts action/violence and brief sexuality

Starring Rongguang Yu, Donnie Yen, Sze-Man Tsang, Jean Wang, Sai-Kun Yam, and James Wong

Iron Monkey, one of the best-loved kung fu movies of all time, weaves fact and legend in a tale of a daring thief who uses his ill-gotten gains to aid the poor and dispossessed. (Miramax)

GENRE(S):	Fantasy
WRITTEN BY:	Tsui Hark Cheung Tan Pik-Yin Tang Tai-Muk Lau
DIRECTED BY:	Yuen Woo-Ping
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: March 26, 2002 Video: March 26, 2002 Theatrical: October 12, 2001
RUNNING TIME:	89 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	Hong Kong
LANGUAGE(S):	Cantonese (with English subtitles)

Original Chinese title "Siunin Wong Fei-Hung Tsi Titmalau," which translates as "Iron Monkey: The Young Wong Fei Hong"; Made in 1993, this film was released direct-to-video in the U.S. in 2000

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Film Threat Christopher Varney

Despite my ignorance of Hong Kong, I'm convinced that Iron Monkey could be the best, most entertaining martial arts film I may ever see.

100

San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham

Where it really counts, though, it's the same good old comic action fantasy.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

If Asian martial arts movies interest you even a little bit, you're going to want to see Iron Monkey. Not only that, you're going to want to see it more than once.

New Times (L.A.) Andy Klein

It's funny, heroic, exaggerated and, most of all, energetic; the film speeds along as though afraid to lose the audience's attention for even a moment.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Now the movie can be seen for what it was all along, remarkable by any standards.

Slate David Edelstein

A rollicking, comic-book Robin Hood plot and more furiously entertaining fight scenes than the ones in Ang Lee's solemn martial-arts art movie.

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

Viewers impressed by the fairly standard martial-arts action of "Crouching Tiger" will really be wowed after seeing this film.

Chicago Tribune Mark Caro

The characters may be speaking Chinese, but such rousing entertainment needs no translation.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

This superficial plot, almost devoid of characterization or weighty emotions, is an excuse for ferocious, fast and frequent combat.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

Lacks the poetic and romantic resonance of "Crouching Tiger," but it's got kicks aplenty -- of both the physical and the sensational kind -- and it lands them again and again.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Gravity-defying kung fu choreography.

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

Scenes of ingenious slapstick violence.

Mr. Showbiz Cody Clark

High drama this ain't. And yet, anyone looking for a hearty banquet of gymnastic, kung-fu tomfoolery won't walk away hungry.

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

A guilt-free, no-fat dessert from start to finish.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Not only visually brilliant, it's funny, too.

The New York Times Dave Kehr

Saving the big number for the climax, like any good musical director, Mr. Yuen finishes up with a spectacular variation on the traditional kung fu pole fight.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

It's indescribable fun.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Basically aimed at audiences who want elaborate fight sequences and fidget at the dialogue in between. It's for the fans, not the crossover audience.

USA Today Mike Clark

A long-on-video 1993 release now restored to its original Cantonese with different music and more audio pop.

Miami Herald Charles Savage

The creative vigor of its originality, distilled in a pure and unadulterated form, is simply exhilarating.

Boston Globe Jay Carr

They're as special as special effects get.

LA Weekly Paul Malcolm

A pure font of high-flying kung fu artistry, the likes of which has since transformed the way Hollywood's good guys and bad kick the crap out of one another.

Washington Post Rita Kempley

Showcases its cast's athleticism and Ping's kinetic high-wire artistry. But unlike similar Western-made fare, it doesn't take itself seriously.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

The requisite set piece, which will remind you of the treetop sequence in "Crouching Tiger," involves a fight atop a forest of burning poles, exactly the kind of thing you want in a movie like this.

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

No "Crouching Tiger." It lacks the richness of theme and performance that made Ang Lee's film so emotionally satisfying. In fact, watching Iron Monkey makes you realize just how Western and literary the sensibility of "Crouching Tiger" was.

TV Guide Staff (Not credited)

Martial arts spectacles don't come more spectacular than this, and Yuen bestows a quality of grace on the entire production.

Village Voice Dennis Lim

Anyone expecting the decorous serenity of the Ang Lee film should be aware that Iron Monkey strives for no more or less than comic-strip thwack and thump.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

The movie is never engaging on anything but a superficial level, and it gradually gets decidedly tiresome.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 14 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

[Anonymous] gave it a9:
Yuen Wo Pingis an ace choreographer, as he helped bring the Matrix trilogy, Kill bill and Kung Fu hustle to the top of the action genre. When he directs on his own, he pulls out all the stops and breathlessly packs tons of his fight sequences into one explosive package. If you like his fight choreography, there's plenty of it here, and it dominates most fo the screen time. THere's little, if any, filler in these intense 89min.

Gabor A. gave it a 4:
This, crouching tiger, hero(though not to the same extent). I'm sick of these plotless films with terrible cliche dialogue. "You have the skill but not the dicipline." Thats great. All the time in making these movies is spent on crafting the endless fight scenes. The result: lame and super repetetive movies. Bring something over from china that has a plot and a soul not just sword fighting.

A movie critic gave it a 9:
I really liked the plot. It made you really think, "ok, how are they going to get out of this?" and I really liked the English dub. But my only problem with it was that the Shaolin thing wasn't not focused on enough, and I wasn't sure what was going on with it. Great movie though.

Joe H. gave it a 10:
To all those who said it was a "crouching tiger" wannabe, you may want to take note that this film was actually filmed before that movie was made, but only recieved wide release after "Crouching Tiger"'s success.

Jacky C. gave it a 9:
One of the finest examples of the Hong Kong martial arts fantasy genre. The "thin," "pathetic" plot happens to derive from the story of Wang Fei-hong, a historical figure whose life has become a modern legend. A Chinese-speaking audience would already be familiar with the story, and would not need to be beaten over the head with dramatic development or exposition, making more room for those incredible martial arts sequences, which are what this genre is really all about. Iron Monkey shows off Donnie Yen's authentic Hung Gar skills, a rare treat to see on film. It would be fair to say that Crouching Tiger was an Iron Monkey wannabe, since it was actually made well after Iron Monkey's theatrical release... Ang Lee wanted to make an artsy martial arts fantasy that would stand a chance of being appreciated, and fairly reviewed, by non-Chinese audiences. He succeeded, and for those who aren't equipped to appreciate real Hong Kong film, best stick with his masterpiece.

James M. gave it a 10:
Definitely no "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon," but that is also a good thing. In a Hollywood review scale that tends to rate movies on the latest academy awards winning trends, its nice to see a movie that rightfully becomes individual in modern day cinima. Iron Monkey is a traditional kick-ass karate movie reminicent of Bruce Lee and Kung-fu Theater mixed with modern day visual effects that can be compared to Black Mask and the Matrix. The effect is a well done movie that has its home in traditional chinese cinima and modern fast action cinima.

Dan F. gave it a 4:
The martial arts were good, however they weren't able to eclipse the pathetic plot.

Iron Monkey Miramax Films

Iron Monkey
Miramax Films