Wong Fei-Hung and Iron Monkey.

I had the pleasure of watching Iron Monkey for the first time last night. I have once again been reminded why I love everything the amazing Yeun Woo-ping touches (i.e. Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Kingdom, etc). The thing I respect most of the genre, is the un-abated display of the many actors’ and actresses’ Kung-fu. A great Kung-fu movie reminds me that I want to learn at least one style before I die. That style may most probably be Krav-Maga, for its readily accessible training facility where I live and for its relevance to today’s society and usefulness.

Of the Chinese culture, besides the highly respected discipline of Martial Arts and the complexity of its heritage, one of the most amazing things is its history. One of the greatest cultures and societies in the world, China also has some of the greatest folk-lore in both imaginary legends and real heroes of the times. Iron Monkey is a Hong Kong cinematic adaption of Wong Fei-Hung, one of the most recent and greatly loved folk heroes. There have been quite a few movies on the different aspects (and ages) of Fei-Hung’s life. Some of the most notable are the Once Upon a Time in China series, the Drunken Master series, the Eight Bandits (earliest) and many others; including Iron Monkey as the early years of his life. The total count of films that include Fei-Hung number into the hundreds!

Iron Monkey is included in the particular sub-genre of Kung-fu films being designated as “wire-fu” or “CG-fu”, but the momentum of the film and storyline kept me enthralled so that it was not as noticeable to me as some movies can be. I feel that the story is very well written, the acting is perfect and the fight scenes are impeccable. The following is a brief mash-up of the movie’s story and the history of Wong Fei-Hung:

Wong Fei-Hung was raised by his widower father, Wong Kai-Ying, who trained him both in the arts of physician and Hung Gar. He lived in the troubled times of the 1840s to the 1920s. A true-to-life Robin Hood, the Iron Monkey fought against the tyrannical Qing(Chi’ing) Dynasty and sought to aid the people when the Manchu over-taxed and threatened the very existence of the Southern Chinese people (Canton). The Iron Monkey (Dr. Yang) was a direct influence on Fei-Hung, for some of his training. Fei-Hung may have even assumed the title and role for a brief time, but this is unproven.

As the movie shows, Fei-Hung’s father helps the the Iron Monkey by assuming the imposing identity when the real hero becomes temporarily incapacitated. This is one of the interesting twists of fate in life that is captured in this movie, because Kai-Ying was originally sent by the Manchu Emperor to arrest the Iron Monkey! These true events made Fei-Hung the man that continued this fight throughout some of his own lifetime.

If you like Kung-fu movies, this one’s a no-brainer. If you have yet to see one, this one’s a great place to start. If you want one to watch with your kids, this one is the one to see as there is no sex, very brief “language” and of course some gratuitous violence ;). For a full movie synopsis and review, go here:The Christian Spotlight.