I'm not the greatest expert when it comes to Chinese folklore or whether such incidents depicted here ever existed. If so the issues faced are quite convincing and may hold a place in the annals of Chinese history and literature. The history goes back to mid 1850's when the rich kept getting richer and the poor were become more deprived of any financial gain. To me it the story has a Asian equivalent to the greatest English character in ancient folklore, Robin Hood. The time period was different, but the motives between Robin Hood and Iron Monkey are very similar as both rebels try to outsmart a corrupt government by committing criminal acts for a good cause.
In a rather poor slum in China, refugees in the area are being overruled by corrupt governor (James Wong). An incognito hero donning a mask who only goes by the name Iron Monkey (Rongguang Yu) is willing to overthrow this Governor by robbing from him and all the other rich people to give to the impoverished villagers. Governor Cheng lines up possible suspects who may be this mysterious anti-hero. In the middle of this conundrum include a monk Wong Kei-Ying (Donnie Yen) and his young son Wong Fei-Hung (Sze-Man Tsang). Cheng demands Wong to search for Iron Monkey while he holds his young son hostage. Through trials and tribulations, father and son lead themselves to the abode of Dr. Yang (Rongguang Yu) and his assistant Nurse Orchid (Jean Wang). It's quite clear that Dr. Yang is indeed Iron Monkey. This clearly pointed out once the character is introduced.
The story is simple and easy to follow through. However it skips through scenes at times which makes the movie feel a bit awkward at times. One minute there's bickering if or if not Fei-Hung may have a roast duck and segues to Dr. Yang and Kei-Ying joining forces to bring down Shaolin Monk Hiu Hing (Shi Kwan Yen) We're familiar with this character and lengths he went through so there's nothing new to inform us about here.
Sure the story might be thin and there's a lot of fighting, but that's what you expect to see in an action film. Aside from that the plot of the story actually stands out pretty well. The legend of Iron Monkey has been mentioned in many stories and folklore as he fights corruptions from the Governor who's trying to gather enough money to support his nine wives. The corrupt Monk does unorthodox tricks up his sleeves (literally) that can break through anything. You wonder if these individuals are insured. Like in superhero and police dramas, there will be a lot of property damage and it affects innocent bystanders. One provocation and we all suffer. In a rare occurrence one bystander gets some restitution while the antagonists get what's given to them. The refugees won't expect much left after watching stuff getting destroyed.
To me, I felt a little bit of Jackie Chan and Jet Li folded into one package. On the visual format, it's vintage Li. But action wise it has a Jackie Chan flare to it. Sure there's wirework involved and Chan (with the exception of the crappy "The Medallion") refrains from using cheap wirework to his advantage. The set pieces at the end will really set your souls on fire. Knowing that this is a fictional period piece film, that's classic Jet Li. The little girl in the film was adorable, but I'll just stay out of her way when it comes to battle. Let her have her duck.
In a rather poor slum in China, refugees in the area are being overruled by corrupt governor (James Wong). An incognito hero donning a mask who only goes by the name Iron Monkey (Rongguang Yu) is willing to overthrow this Governor by robbing from him and all the other rich people to give to the impoverished villagers. Governor Cheng lines up possible suspects who may be this mysterious anti-hero. In the middle of this conundrum include a monk Wong Kei-Ying (Donnie Yen) and his young son Wong Fei-Hung (Sze-Man Tsang). Cheng demands Wong to search for Iron Monkey while he holds his young son hostage. Through trials and tribulations, father and son lead themselves to the abode of Dr. Yang (Rongguang Yu) and his assistant Nurse Orchid (Jean Wang). It's quite clear that Dr. Yang is indeed Iron Monkey. This clearly pointed out once the character is introduced.
The story is simple and easy to follow through. However it skips through scenes at times which makes the movie feel a bit awkward at times. One minute there's bickering if or if not Fei-Hung may have a roast duck and segues to Dr. Yang and Kei-Ying joining forces to bring down Shaolin Monk Hiu Hing (Shi Kwan Yen) We're familiar with this character and lengths he went through so there's nothing new to inform us about here.
Sure the story might be thin and there's a lot of fighting, but that's what you expect to see in an action film. Aside from that the plot of the story actually stands out pretty well. The legend of Iron Monkey has been mentioned in many stories and folklore as he fights corruptions from the Governor who's trying to gather enough money to support his nine wives. The corrupt Monk does unorthodox tricks up his sleeves (literally) that can break through anything. You wonder if these individuals are insured. Like in superhero and police dramas, there will be a lot of property damage and it affects innocent bystanders. One provocation and we all suffer. In a rare occurrence one bystander gets some restitution while the antagonists get what's given to them. The refugees won't expect much left after watching stuff getting destroyed.
To me, I felt a little bit of Jackie Chan and Jet Li folded into one package. On the visual format, it's vintage Li. But action wise it has a Jackie Chan flare to it. Sure there's wirework involved and Chan (with the exception of the crappy "The Medallion") refrains from using cheap wirework to his advantage. The set pieces at the end will really set your souls on fire. Knowing that this is a fictional period piece film, that's classic Jet Li. The little girl in the film was adorable, but I'll just stay out of her way when it comes to battle. Let her have her duck.