|
IRON
MONKEY
AKA:
The Childhood Years Of Wong Fei Hung
|| Young Master Wong
Year:
1993 Reviewer: Tony
Ryan
This
is essentially a prequel to the 'Once
Upon A Time In China' Series predominantly directed by
Tsui Hark chronicling the legendary exploits of Wong Fei Hung.
In Iron Monkey it is Hung’s father Wong Kei Ying who gets
more of the focus with Chang Si Man (a young, talented girl!)
playing the youthful Wong Fei Hung.
Essentially
a revamped version of the British Robin Hood legend as we see
a local doctor (Yu Rong Guang) become the Iron Monkey at night
in order to steal from the rich and give to the poor. That is
until Wong Kei Ying comes into the village and is immediately
rounded up with anyone else who looks, moves or sounds like a
monkey or who has good fighting skills in order for the law
enforcement to force a confession from anyone. As a result of
Kei Ying's awesome kung-fu ability, the authorities hold Fei
Hung, forcing Wong to find and arrest the Iron Monkey so his
son can be released. What follows is a series of classic kung
fu fighting sequences similar in style to Jet Li's 'Tai
Chi Master', only better and more of them.
Chang
Si Man is a revelation, displaying some fantastic ability and
martial arts techniques as Wong Fei Hung, made even more
remarkable when you know it is a girl no older than 12! It is
a shame that she has not been used in a movie before or since,
and very little information is known about her. Donnie Yen can
also be seen in his best fighting performances of the
nineties, far superior to his own directorial efforts 'Legend
of the Wolf' and 'Ballistic
Kiss'.
Anyone
who appreciates quality choreography, well executed fight
sequences and a well told story will love this and will
definitely want to own it! If you live in Europe then the
newly released Hong Kong Legends DVD is a must have featuring
an amazing anamorphic widescreen picture along with interviews
with Donnie Yen and Yuen Woo Ping. If not then the Hong
Kong Mega Star release is almost as good and definitely worth
purchasing.
|
