Iron Monkey

"Unmask the legend."

1993 1h 30m CN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 340

ActionCrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In this Hong Kong variation of Robin Hood, corrupt officials of a Chinese village are robbed by a masked bandit known as "Iron Monkey", named after a benevolent deity. When all else fails, the Governor forces a traveling physician into finding the bandit.

“Unmask the legend.”

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Cast

Yu Rongguang
Dr. Yang / Iron Monkey
Donnie Yen
Wong Kei-ying
Jean Wang Ching-Ying
Miss Orchid / Miss Ho
Angie Tsang Sze-Man
Wong Fei-Hung
Yen Shi-Kwan
Wonder Palm Monk Hin Hung
James Wong Jim
Governor Cheng Pak Fong
Yuen Shun-Yi
Master Fox
Hsiao Ho
Monk Hin Hung's Disciple

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Yuen Woo-ping
Writers: Tsui Hark, Elsa Tang Bik-Yin, Lau Tai-Muk
Languages: Cantonese
Countries: Hong Kong, Taiwan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

33 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Hong Kong, Taiwan.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Iron Monkey Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Directed by Yuen Woo-ping, shot by Arthur Wong Ngok-Tai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by William Wu Wai-Lap. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Marco Mak Chi-Sin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Yu Rongguang and Donnie Yen and Jean Wang Ching-Ying carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Yuen Woo-ping directs. Arthur Wong Ngok-Tai behind the camera. William Wu Wai-Lap scores. Marco Mak Chi-Sin cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Hong Kong, Taiwan. Dialogue in Cantonese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
233 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: Hong Kong, Taiwan.
4Part of the "Iron Monkey Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Yuen Woo-ping, shot by Arthur Wong Ngok-Tai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by William Wu Wai-Lap. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Marco Mak Chi-Sin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Yu Rongguang and Donnie Yen and Jean Wang Ching-Ying carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Unmask the legend.".
10IMDB entry: tt0108148 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Arthur Wong Ngok-Tai
Original score: William Wu Wai-Lap
Editing: Marco Mak Chi-Sin
Production design: Ringo Cheung
Costume design: Bo-Ling Ng
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Status: Released
Budget: $11,000,000
Box office: $14,694,904
Return: 134% of budget
Original language: CN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Iron Monkey (1993)

Part of

Iron Monkey Collection

Also by

Yuen Woo-ping

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Paco Hope2016-06-02
★ 7.5/10
This is a great kung-fu action film set in historical China. The fight choreography is done by Yuen Wo Ping, who has choreographed fighting in a number of great films, and later choreographed the fighting in The Matrix. His style is stamped all over the fights in the movie. As Kung Fu films go Iron Monkey has an interesting story woven in among familiar tropes. You see plenty of thugs get their comeuppance and there are a few light comedy scenes as well. The story centres around the "Iron Monkey", a Robin Hood-like character who robs from the rich and gives to the poor, who has a Batman-like secret identity. It is much more than "your kung-fu is no good, mine is better!" and the main characters are genuinely likeable and well acted. I think the English voice actors do a pretty good job. The villains are cartoonish in their badness, and the heroes always win, which is typical of the genre. If you like the genre, this is definitely one worth watching. Because it has an interesting story, it's also fairly accessible to folks who are not big kung fu fans.

Production companies