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Iron Monkey
黃飛鴻之鐵馬騮
1993 90 min Hong Kong, Taiwan PG-13 18+
★7.6
Action, Crime, Drama
Director: Yuen Woo-Ping
Trailers
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EN
Description
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.
Budget:
$11M
US Gross:
$14.69M
Worldwide:
$14.69M
Starring
Rongguang Yu
Actor
Donnie Yen
Actor
Jean Wang
Actor
Awards
2 nominations total
Key opinion
Iron Monkey is widely celebrated as a pinnacle of Hong Kong martial arts cinema, anchored by Yuen Woo-ping's exceptional and inventive fight choreography. While the plot follows a familiar, straightforward Robin Hood-style narrative, its high-energy execution and technical polish make it an accessible and enduring entry for both genre enthusiasts and newcomers.
| Direction | Yuen Woo-ping’s complex and fast-paced fight choreography represents the absolute high point of the film. | |
| Acting | Donnie Yen and Yu Rong Guang deliver standout, peak-form performances that ground the film's character-driven moments. | |
| Screenplay | The narrative successfully adapts the classic Robin Hood archetype with a compelling vigilante-doctor duality. | |
| Production | The visual presentation is bolstered by high-quality cinematography and authentic-feeling period production design. | |
| Humor | The film's integration of broad, cartoonish humor is polarizing; some find it a jarring distraction, while others view it as a staple of the genre. |