Rating: PG13
Genre:
Action
Theatrical Release: 10/12/2001(USA)
Release Date: 03/26/2002
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: English
Sound: DDS
Run Time: 85 Minutes
Flags: Violence
Distributor/Studio: Miramax
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