Iron Monkey

When I first viewed this movie through the Amazon streaming. It is the Miramax release of the film. I thought it was a great movie. I even watched it a few times. What I didn't know is what one of the other reviewers referenced in terms of things being cut from the movie. It wasn't only fights scenes cut it was the whole point of the movie. This is from the Wikipedia page about the movie:"In its release in 2001, Miramax made several changes that the company felt would make it more marketable to American audiences: As most Americans are unfamiliar with the story of Wong Fei-hung, his name was removed from the original Chinese title. The subtitles were tailored to diminish the political context of the story. Some scenes were trimmed to tone down the violence. Originally, some fight scenes had been sped up in places through undercranking. The United States release slowed these scenes down to more normal pace. Several comedic scenes, particularly ones interspersed in the fight scenes, were removed to give the fights a more serious feel. Although such comedic devices are common in Hong Kong cinema, the editors felt that they might appear odd to American audiences. A new soundtrack was composed that emulated the classical score to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but in doing so, the Wong Fei-hung theme song was eliminated. New sound effects were dubbed for the fighting to make them more realistic (as opposed to the more traditional exaggerated Hong Kong sounds)."I ordered a Chinese produced version of the film and it is TOTALLY different. I did have to allow for the less than stellar subtitle translations, but I could still see how much of the message of this story had been removed.I don't know why the political themes of the movie would need to be butchered as they were. This is a historical telling of how the young boy became a great Chinese hero, but a lot of that element and the real sentiments of the movie maker was watered down for us Americans. Its a shame.I like the Miramax version for the clear coherent properly spelled subtitles and great screen quality, but that could have been done while keeping the full spirit of the film.Do your research as many of the Chinese language films have versions that are changed and sanitized for our consumption.

This particular title has EXTREMELY poor video quality. I couldn't even finish watching, even on the lowest streaming speed and I have very high quality internet. Some titles on Amazon are just crappy quality and this is one of the worst.You would get better quality from a black market pirated DVD

Very good story line of famous non-fiction sort of. Perhaps the events are not exactly as in the movie but as far as what the story about the heroes have done is true to some degree. The movie itself is very enjoyable even after all these years. It's just one of those you can watch over and over again. Great fight scenes, it's great that practically all the stars really know the art.

After seeing (and absolutely loving) Donnie Yen in Hero and Shanghai Knights, I had to have more. Iron Monkey seemed like a good bet, so I bought it.WOW. I hit the jackpot! Rough and comic unlike the serious and elegant Hero. Chinese, Chinese, Chinese unlike the Hollywood Jackie Chan Knights. Plenty of martial arts and good natured humor. From the corrupt Governor and his many giggling wives to the evil monk who -- opps there go the many giggling wives -- to Master Fox, the heart of gold police chief, all the bad guys are comics. When the Governor orders that Iron Monkey must be arrested, the police round up an acrobat who jumps like a monkey, a man who sneezes like a monkey, a man selling...someone leans over and whispers, "Don't even say the word Monkey," but he gets nabbed, too. Even the serious Donnie Yen and Rongguang Yu have a playful chopstick fight over a piece of roasted duck.For those who love flying, there are many scenes with the beautiful antigravity choreography of Woo-Ping Yuen. Probably the most lovely is the first, when the Doctor (Iron Monkey) and Miss Orchid (the nurse) go flying around the room to retrieve a stack of papers which has blown out of their hands at the end of a busy day at the clinic.Although Iron Monkey's father had been killed unjustly and Miss Orchid's son, born of her work as a prostitute slave, dies at birth, in the present tense no one dies which is as it should be with a good old fashioned folk story. Five stars!

With spectacular fight scenes and a simple (yet effective) story line, Tsui Hark dishes up a masterpiece martial arts film with "Iron Monkey". The film takes place during the latter part of the Manchu Dynasty where Dr. Yang is a local physician who runs a clinic with his wife by day but fights and steals from corrupt government officials by night as the Robin Hoodesque folk hero "Iron Monkey". The fight scenes in this film are constant and incredible. I particularly liked the pace that they were conducted in and in some ways this movie reminded me of the 1970s Kung-Fu films I used to watch during Saturday afternoons as a kid, respectfully. My main complaint with this film is that the subtitles do not stay on the television screen long enough to read them making it difficult to follow the dialogue. The fight scene at the end with Iron Monkey and Wong fighting the Chinese overlord on flaming wooden poles was incredible. I ended up following the advice of one reviewer and bought the Hong Kong version of this film which can also be bought at Amazon. If the U.S. release of this film (which I have not seen) is a watered-down, edited version then the Hong Kong version is certainly worth the wait.

[Mervyn Catley 27-02-2012]Amasing stunts (aswell as a sceen that was copied in Charlies angles) and a great storyline go together to make this movie. At first it seems corny and a bit OTT but soon you see past that and see the true beauty of this story. It show the corruption that exsists everywhere. Even within the disciplined Shaolin. A great movie that is better than Crouching Tiger on many levels as soon as you get past the music and dubbed voices.It is worth watching it with the subtitle on aswell as the dubbing because some of the script was changed for the dubbed version so it had more impact on a western audience.Experience one of the greatest action-adventures of all time on this amazing 2 Dis Ultimate Edition featuring over 5 hous of exclusive DVD bonus material!!!This movie film is very good, For this breathtaking epc adventure set in the late Ching dynasty, acclaimed action director Yuen Woo-ping combines dynamic, high-flying-action and stunning cinimatography with a classic story of courage, honour and sacrifice.Worth getting? I think so if you like Kung-Fu film's. "A Legendary Action Movie... Prepare To Drop Your Jaw!" It the bast film of all thim's. Get the Film it very good with DONNIE YEN.

The mysterious masked man Iron Monkey robs from the rich to give to the poor in 1800's China. Based on a Chinese legend, this is a spectacular martial arts epic. Very funny in places too with superb martial arts action and Donnie Yen giving one of his best performances as a kind of Chinese version of Robin Hood. One of the best martial arts films ever made.

Acclaimed director and action choreographer Yuen Woo Ping brings us his most grandiose effort yet. Exhibiting his mastery of the wire movie, as displayed in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, he brings us this highly entertaining period piece revolving around the father of legendary folk hero Wong Fei Hung (played incredibly convincingly by a young girl!) joining forces with a Robin Hood-esque outlaw who robs from the corrupt and gives to the poor by night, and by day runs a clinic. Phenomenal Martial Arts player Donnie Yen, who can be seen in Shanghai Knights and Blade II, stars alongside Mainland Chinese Peking Opera Player Yu Rong Kwong in what is a highly ammusing action comedy. Iron Monkey provides all the slapstick you would expect from a Hong Kong movie, as Yuen Woo Ping takes us through the corrupt Manchu governments quest to capture the title character, which culminates in a showdown above a flaming pit that really has to be seen to be believed. True Martial Arts fans should note that this DVD also provides two documentaries on Wu Shu Forms, along with interviews with leading cast members, Iron Monkey promotional trailers, and some glimpses of hot forthcoming titles. This title is an absolutely integral addition to the DVD collection of even the most casual admirer of Hong Kong Cinema. Miss it at your peril.

This director helped bring the Matrix to the screen, but this is true raw power, Iron Monkey a true classic of Kung fu cinema redone in Blu-ray you lucky people grab this you won’t be disappointed !

Watched this when it was released back in the days. Yuen Woo Ping and Donnie Yen at their best in my opinion. Some scenes could have done without the under cranking (speed ups) but other than that, this movie is a kung fu classic! Great performances alround! Amazing version on bluray and some awesome extras and features!! Well worth the money! Can we get the Jet Li's Once Upon A Time in China series now please? :)

What an outstanding release of a true cult classic. Iron Monkey looks absolutely stunning on Blu-ray. Thank you Eureka! Keep em coming!

I really enjoyed this film, the fight scenes are amazing, the story line was easy to follow. Had to laugh at the dubbing in English, I turned that off and went onto the Cantonese version with English subs which made it much more enjoyable. My son will love this film , and I'm looking forward to watching it again . Well packaged and fast shipment thanks

This is a must have for any martial arts movie fan, also if you're a donnie yen fan then this is a must see. They don't make them like this anymore.

Iron Monkey. Eureka special edition with fully restored print. What else is there to say?

This movie has a very classic story, but the fighting scenes are where it really shines.Directed and choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping, fighters defy gravity in intense, over the top, rapid and thrilling sequences.Audio is decent (nothing spectacular) and picture is quite crisp even though there are some noise during scenes at night. Overall the quality is better than the DVD version and I don't regret buying it.

One of the best martial art movie of all time.

Good classic, a little speeded up fight scenes.

I saw this movie (SKYHAWK) when I was a young lad and for years had tried to find it on DVD which is extremely rare. I knew it would be a speculative purchase since it came bundled with Iron Monkey and the subtitles are in French with the language in Cantonese hence on 3 stars!! Other than that the item was well packaged.

excellent film another talent of Donnie yen

The non-shadow kicks (Donnie Yen) were awesome and some really nice and entertaining crazy wire work. It could of been better but for what it is, it was fun to watch and still is at this present time.