I'm usually quick to criticize wire-fu choreography, but some of the scenes in "Iron Monkey" were amazing. I still think that some parts were a bit excessive, but the choreography from Yuen Wo Ping, Yuen Cheung Yan, and Yuen Shun Yee was, for the most part, incredible! Donnie Yen was tremendous in his role as Wong Kei-Ying and really showed his great fighting abilities. Even Yu Rong Guang was convincing as the Iron Monkey, handling his duties admirably. Tsang Sze man was also impressive as a young Wong Fei-Hung, especially since the character was played by a girl.

It's a shame that "Iron Monkey" was a box office flop because it is certainly one of the best martial arts films of the 1990's. With that said, "Iron Monkey" has thankfully gone on to receive the respect and admiration that it deserves, even becoming well known in the West.

If one wanted to sample a wire-fu film for the first time, there is no better place to start than "Iron Monkey".

Highly recommended!

"The Iron Monkey" is one of the top wire-fu movies of its time. The special effects were great and the plot was top notch. Yu Rong Guang gives an excellent portrayal as the masked hero Iron Monkey, who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. Donnie Yen also gives an excellent performance as Wong Kai Ying, who inexplicably tries to bring the Iron Monkey to justice, but then battles a corrupt government official (traitorous ex-Shaolin monk) by his side.

Last but not least is Tse-Man's portrayal of young Wong Fei Hung. Considering that she is a girl, she gives an outstanding performance. The action is sped up in places, but on the whole this is one of the best wire-fu films for its time period. A must-have for all collectors!

“Iron Monkey” features some serious wire-fu from Yuen Wo-Ping (director) and a portion of the Yuen clan (Sunny and Cheung Yan, choreographers with Wo-Ping). The movie was produced by Tsui Hark, a fact that seems clear from the whole feel and aesthetic of the movie.

Donnie Yen makes his first entrance into the movie at about the 18 minute mark, and almost immediately straightens out some thieves – his speed is amazing (even when the film is not speed up). The abilities of Tsang Tse-Man, who plays the young Fei-Hung, are also very impressive, especially given her age (yes it’s a girl playing this classic character of Chinese lore). Tsang takes on the same gang of young thieves (about 45 minutes into the movie) that Yen earlier dispatched and dispenses of them quite handily with an umbrella as a weapon (as done by Yen).

Yen Shi Kwan, a veteran fu actor who appeared in many Shaw Brothers pics in the 70-80’s, plays the Buddhist monk baddie who comes to replace the provincial governor who has been plagued by the Iron Monkey. Shi Kwan’s first fight is with Donnie, and while relatively short it is extremely impressive (Shi Kwan’s Buddhist Fist technique vs. Donnie’s No-Shadow Kick). In a later fight, Tsang’s Fei-Hung character uses a pole (long and broken two pieces) to battle Shi Kwan’s henchmen – very impressive sequence, but ultimately the kid is beaten, captured and tortured by Shi Kwan’s character to get at Donnie Yen (ahhhh the old fu revenge)!

The long, climactic fight sequence when Donnie and Rong Guang rescue Tsang is awesome – most of fight is Donnie, Rong Guang and Shi Kwan in an everything-goes battle – culminating in a pit of fire. The fight scenes in “Iron Monkey” are plentiful and generally impressive, if a bit too wire-dependent for this reviewer. This is a very enjoyable 4 star movie; quite cinematically impressive, well acted, and fight filled.

I have to give this *****, because it is executed at a level beyond the ****1/2 films I have rated - but it is not really as monumental a film as most others I have placed in this rarified category. It's not "fine art," but an action flick that is just a hell of a lot of fun.

Then enter Wong Fei-Hong and his dad, Wong Kei-Ying, played by Donnie Yen. Mistaken as the Iron Monkey, Kei Ying must capture the real Iron Monkey to save his son. On top of that, he must also fight a corrupt Buddhist monk and his minions.

The end battle on the logs was great; this is the climatic fight you hope for. I really like the fight with Miss Orchid and the 4 Buddhist monks. The way she moves and uses the cart are clever and fun. Mostly, I watched this film for Wong Fei-Hong. Ever since “Once Upon a time in China”, I have tried to watch movies and read as much as I can about his life.

Directed by Yuen Wo Ping, Iron Monkey is a great kung fu movie with wall to wall fighting and a great story too. It is a must watch movie.