Iron Mask

2019 2h 1m RU

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 575

ActionAdventureFamilyFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Commissioned to map the Far East territories of the Russian Empire, cartographer Jonathan Green sets off on a long journey of unbelievable adventures—making breath-taking discoveries and meeting mysterious creatures, Chinese princesses, deadly masters of oriental martial arts, and even the King of Dragons.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Jason Flemyng
Jonathan Green
Yao Xingtong
Chen Lan
Anna Churina
Miss Dudley
Ma Li
Witch
Jackie Chan
Master
Arnold Schwarzenegger
James Hook
Yuri Kolokolnikov
Peter The Great
Martin Klebba
Captain

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Oleg Stepchenko
Writers: Dmitriy Paltsev, Oleg Stepchenko, Alexey A. Petrukhin
Languages: Russian, English, Mandarin
Countries: China, Russia, Cyprus, Czech Republic

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

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 18% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Russian, English, Mandarin.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: China, Russia, Cyprus, Czech Republic.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Oleg Stepchenko, shot by Ivan Gudkov. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alexandra Magakyan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Petr Zelenov shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Oleg Stepchenko directs. Ivan Gudkov behind the camera. Alexandra Magakyan scores. Petr Zelenov cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in China, Russia, Cyprus, Czech Republic. Dialogue in Russian, English, Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 18% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 7 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Russian, English, Mandarin.
4International production across 4 countries: China, Russia, Cyprus, Czech Republic.
5Part of the "Viy Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by Oleg Stepchenko, shot by Ivan Gudkov. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Alexandra Magakyan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Petr Zelenov shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Jason Flemyng and Yao Xingtong and Anna Churina carry the top of the cast.
10IMDB entry: tt6218010 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 20 themes, including "affectation", "sequel", "taunting", "zealous".
12Released under 25 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ivan Gudkov
Original score: Alexandra Magakyan
Editing: Petr Zelenov
Production design: Arthur Mirzoyan
Costume design: Gulya Beyshenova
Stunt coordinator: Jiří Kuba
Runtime: 121 min · 2h 1m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $49,000,000
Box office: $8,685,794
Return: 18% of budget
Original language: RU
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Iron Mask (2019)

Part of

Viy Collection

Viy (known internationally as Forbidden Empire and in the UK as Forbidden Kingdom), is a 2014 dark fantasy film produced by Russian and Ukraine Film Group and Marins Group Entertainment. This was followed in 2019 by a sequel entitled Journey to China: The Mystery of Iron Mask. Both films star Jason Flemyng and Charles Dance. The sequel also features Rutger Hauer (in one of his final films before his death), Jackie Chan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Helen Yao. The film series is loosely based on the Nikolai Gogol story of the same name, which tells of the exploits of Cartographer Jonathan Green.

Also by

Oleg Stepchenko

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Community reviews

What people are saying

JPV8522020-12-28
★ 5/10
Honestly as much as there were some cringy moments, mainly bad dubbing, and poor acting from the likes of Schwarzenegger and to an extent Chan, I can't say I was bored mainly for how bizarre the movie was at times. I think if you cut this down by 20-30 minutes, would be okay for the family given the humor involved. IDK, it was inoffensive as a whole. 2.5/5
CinemaSerf2022-08-15
★ 4/10
I usually love these historical romps, and ordinarily Jason Flemyng can be relied upon to turn in a reasonable performance - but sadly, not so here. This is pretty terrible. Excessive reliance on computer effects, and some shockingly hammy efforts from Jackie Chan and Arnold Schwarzenegger bemuse more than entertain. What on Earth are they doing in this dross? Indeed, though to a lesser extent, could that question be posed at rent-a-stars Charles Dance and Rutger Hauer. The story, not that it remotely matters, centres around Flemyng's "Jonathan Green" - a map maker charged with charting the Russian Far East. After a few rather limply devised and overly choreographed adventures, he ends up in China facing the almost comically un-menacing "Dragon Master" (Chan) whilst the deposed Czar of all the Russias (complete with the eponymous mask) escapes imprisonment in London and a battle royal looms... It's trying, to be fair. It mixes the mystic with the scientific; it even has a go at being witty now and again, but the sum of the parts is nowhere near good enough at the end. It lumbers along for almost two hours with a largely pedestrian dialogue and a sort of portmanteau style of delivery that smacks of a student assemble-edit. I am afraid that this film is really nothing at all to write home about; a very disappointing effort from some stars who might have known better and from some writers who might have done us all a favour by leaving the tops on their pens.