Iron Monkey

Iron Monkey (1993)

  • 90% of critics liked it
    (91 reviews)

  • 83% of users liked it
    (18,060 ratings)

This kung fu classic weaving fact and myth earned a theatrical release in the U.S. from Miramax eight years after it was produced, following a successful retrospective screening at the 2001 Los Angeles Film Festival. Wong Kei Ying (Donnie Yen) is a master of the Hung Gar style of boxing in mid-19th… More

PG-13, 1 hr. 29 min.
Directed By
Woo-ping Yuen
Written By
Hark Tsui, Tang Pik-Yin, Cheung Tan, Lau Tai-Muk
Genres
Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International
In Theaters
Oct 12, 2001 Limited
On DVD
Mar 26, 2002
Dimension Films

Critic Reviews

  • Rita Kempley, Washington Post

    A crackling Cantonese action caper in the tradition of Robin Hood, Zorro, Batman et al.

  • Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

    Yuen tosses off nimble, elegantly witty solutions to life's most vexing problems regarding rooms full of bad guys who won't take thwak for an answer.

  • James Berardinelli, ReelViews

    [Yuen's] fights are innovative and intense, whether they're a whirlwind one-on-one duel or one of many struggles featuring multiple combatants.

  • Peter Howell, Toronto Star

    Think of Iron Monkey as the potboiling cousin of Crouching Tiger, rather than its most honoured forefather, and you'll be on the right wavelength.

  • David Edelstein, Slate

    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.

Read all 16 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Tsubaki S


    Super fun times, just avoid Miramax hack version. They ruined the cantonese track with the overblown sound effects they added.

  • Lee ?


    Hong Kong kung-fu madness with a Robin Hood themed story. Highly regarded by martial-arts fans, and yeah, the fight scenes are spectacular, as you'd expect from legendary action director Yuen Woo-Ping who has worked in both Asia and Hollywood orchestrating some of the most… More

  • danny d


    yuen woo-ping is the man. another masterfully choreographed film - the kung fu in this film is just mind blowing. i love watching donnie yen on screen and the scenes featuring a young wong fei-hung were incredibly believable. i loved this kung fu robin hood/superhero story. one of… More

  • Justin Y


    Yuen Woo-ping shows that he is not only an action choreographer, but also a director as well.<p>At just over 80 minutes, <i>Iron Monkey</i> is non stop fun from beginning to end. The characters and story elements have a quirky feel to them, while also the right… More

  • Khris N


    Fun and enjoyable - despite the high wire kung fu - a good movie!!

Read all 8 featured audience ratings

Cast

See full cast