Say what you will about Quentin Tarantino, but when he recommends a martial arts film, you just have to watch it. Like plenty from the genre that Tarantino’s inspired by, Iron Monkey has the same stylish, badass action that Hong Kong cinema is known for, with spectacular wire-work choreography, excellently shot fight sequences, as well as the goofy slapstick comedy that punches in some quips between hits. But what makes the film work is the folkloric story– it’s not quite as astounding as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and it’s all packaged in a familiar Robin Hood-esque plotline, but with a fantastic Donnie Yen and a script that rightly makes fun of the incompetent, corrupt cronies that rules over this small village, Iron Monkey does justice to the genre and to the actual folk hero the story was inspired by.
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Actor: Angie Tsang Sze-Man, Cheung Fung-Lei, Dion Lam Dik-On, Donnie Yen, Hsiao Ho, Jack Wong Wai-Leung, James Wong Jim, Jean Wang, Jean Wang Ching-Ying, Lam Chi-Tai, Lee Fai, Mandy Chan Chi-Man, William Duen Wai-Lun, Yen Shi-Kwan, Yu Rongguang, Yuen Shun-Yi
Director: Yuen Wo-Ping
Rating: PG-13
