Search - Iron Monkey on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Violence Movie Release: 1993 Format: DVD Audio Tracks: Cantonese, English, Mandarin Subtitles: English, Japanese, Malay, Thai, Vietnamese SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 26 mins Studio: Media Asia Members Wishing: 0 Genres: Action, Adventure, Action Thriller, Martial Arts See Also: Iron Monkey [Widescreen], Iron Monkey [Blu-ray]

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 century China. His son, Wong Fei Hung (Sze-Man Tsang), though still just a boy, will grow up to become a martial arts legend, a nearly mythical figure in Chinese history. When Wong Fei Hung is kidnapped, his father is forced to use his daunting skills in the service of the abductor, a dishonest politician plagued by the Robin Hood-style thief known as Iron Monkey, a mysterious masked avenger stealing from the rich, delivering the spoils to the poor. Wong Fei Hung's only allies are the kindly Dr. Yang (Yu Rong Guang) and Yang's assistant, Orchid (Jean Wang), who are protecting an important secret. Iron Monkey (1993) director Yuen Wo Ping is also the masterful martial arts choreographer behind The Matrix (1999) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000); his father served as action choreographer on a series of popular, long-running films centered around the Wong Fei Hung character in the 1950s. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Yu Rongguang - Dr. Yang/Iron Monkey
Donnie Yen - Wong Kei-Ying
Jean Wang - Miss Orchid
Tsang Sze Man - Wong Fei Hong
Yuen Shun-Yi - Chief Fox

Iron Monkey originally came to DVD in this edition from Media Asia, one of Hong Kong's premier video studios. The quality of Media Asia discs is pretty universal, as are the special features, and this disc is certainly no exception. The video transfer is sporadic at best, with certain reels appearing spotty and dirty while others are almost grain-free. The darker areas of the film suffer the most and are quite light and grainy. The colors throughout the disc have a desaturated quality, but some might argue that this preserves the film's authenticity. One of the key differences between successful crossover martial arts films like the contemporary Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and older films such as this is the budget, and therefore the production values; many people believe that films such as Crouching Tiger actually suffer from over-production, appearing "too glossy." Iron Monkey certainly fits into the traditional mold, and if you're a purist who believes in maintaining the simplicity of kung-fu films, you won't be disappointed. Like most Media Asia discs, =Iron Monkey's audio tracks (which include the original Cantonese, Mandarin, and a hysterical English dub) are presented in digital 5.1 format, but don't let that fool you -- it's basically a slightly louder Pro-logic mix that makes no differentiation between the five main speakers. The bass track is almost non-existent. There is a wide range of subtitles available including several Asian dialects, English, and Spanish. An interesting aspect of Media Asia productions is that almost all of them contain the same "other attractions" feature in place of a "theatrical trailers" section. It's a brief montage of scenes from other Hong Kong films put out by Media Asia, including Jackie Chan's Police Story series, Tsui Hark's A Chinese Ghost Story films, and John Woo's A Better Tomorrow parts one and two. There's also a cast and crew filmography section which is fairly comprehensive. Overall, this is a mid-quality presentation of a classic genre film which will undoubtedly be re-released by Miramax with an all-new set of features. However, there's still a certain aesthetic satisfaction to be had from owning the original Chinese version of the film before its Americanization. ~ Andrew Hercock, All Movie Guide