Iron Fisted Monk

Here is yet another excellent kung fu movie done by Sammo Hung. The fighting is outstanding consisting of multiple kung fu styles facing off against each other, all done with superior speed and precision. Also sword and other weapons battles round out the action. There are still a ton of fight scenes but not quite as many as some of his other films, probably short by just a couple. The story is good and has decent acting. Briefly it is about Sammo leaving the Shaolin temple and settling in a town run by gangs and other power hungry men who always do what they please. Sammo gets indirectly involved and is forced to restore some authority. It is done well enough to keep your interest throughout and contains some scenes not normally seen in these type of films(nude, rape, a whore house). I was quite surprised with the amount of nudity shown(female). This movie is definitely not for children.

The sound is very good, Dolby 5.1, and can be in chinese with or without english subtitles or english dubbed. The dubbing is done fairly well, I was pleased with it. The picture is extremely well restored and is very clear and sharp. It is also in an anamorphic widescreen format as most Fox/Fortune Star DVD's are. Some other Fox/Fortune Star films I reccommend are The Magnificent Butcher starring Sammo Hung, Knockabout starring both Yuen Biao and Sammo, The Prodigal Son starring Yuen Biao and Lam Ching Ying, The Young Master starring Jackie Chan, In The Line Of Duty 4 starring Donnie Yen and Cynthia Khan, and Duel To The Death starring Damian Lau and Tsui Siu Keung.

The Iron Fisted Monk is definitely a good addition to any kung fu collection.

Sammo stars as a man who is learning kung fu so that he can fight the Manchus. The directing from Sammo is good, the camerawork is brilliant, the story is decent, and the fights are very good for 1977. Fung Hak-on plays the main villain, and Yen Shi Kwan and Chien Yuet San play his top 2 henchmen. Always nice to see those 3 in action. Chen Sing has a small role and unfortunately he doesn't get to show off his handwork as much as he usually does. If you have seen most of Sammo's movies and are looking for something else to feed your Sammo craving, then give this a look.

3.5/5

Picture and sound quality on the 20th century Fox DVD are good.

Sammo does an excellent job in this film (once again). He is probably one of the only 70's gong fu stars who could actually act, and it adds to the film. The reason for the 4 star rating - a lackluster ending. The film startled me at first (very graphic rape scene) but then fell into the all to familar formulaic ending.... while there's nothing wrong with a formulaic ending in the kung fu genre, the better films have a strange or demented twist (see "Thundering Mantis" ). Worth the money, but not a classic.