Iron Monkey

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Iron Monkey

PG-13

2001

1h 25m

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

95 Reviews

86%

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10,000+ Ratings

In a desperate and unjust land, where government corruption rules the day, only one man has the courage to challenge the system and fight back. They call him "Iron Monkey." Under the shadow of night, in the silence before dawn, he fights to give hope to the poor and the oppressed. Although no one knows his name and no one knows where he comes from, his heroism has made him a living legend to the people and a wanted man to the powers that be.

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Critics Consensus

Iron Monkey may not have the poetic lyricism of Crouching Tiger, it makes up for it in fun and energy.

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Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

05/08/2002

B+

The joy of watching this kind of stuff lies in the choreographical invention and creativity [and] the speed and dexterity of the combatants.

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Rita Kempley

Washington Post

01/06/2002

3.5/5

A crackling Cantonese action caper in the tradition of Robin Hood, Zorro, Batman et al.

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Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

10/18/2001

B+

Yuen tosses off nimble, elegantly witty solutions to life's most vexing problems regarding rooms full of bad guys who won't take thwak for an answer.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

09/30/2020

7/10

As a perfect complement to the adventure, a generous portion of comedy is blended in - sometimes just with witty bits of dialogue and frequently with physical slapstick.

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Panos Kotzathanasis

Asian Movie Pulse

10/27/2019

"Iron Monkey" is a masterpiece of the genre (to say the least) and a film all fans of wuxia and martial arts in general should have in their collection.

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Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

10/31/2018

Some of the fighting is on par with, or better than, anything you're likely to see in a Hong Kong action film.

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revolver.0 8

@Revolver08 Feb 8

gravity and logic defying cheesy fun

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Robert M

@Texflex Dec 21

If you are a fan of the 70s/ 80s genre.... you'll LOVE this. Fun action movie.

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Fernando D

@Maqroll Dec 16

Excellent cast need to watch it

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Dani G

@RT81139271 01/21/2025

Pretends to be comedy, pretends to be drama... The only thing it is? A means to start kung fu fights anytime, with FX very vintage, to say it nicely

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Flixster F

@RT77094268 07/03/2024

A typical action film from the 90s. Not outstanding but passes the time.

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Leaburn O

@RT35452347 06/13/2023

This is just playful king fu. Not a serious plot at all but so much creativity in the fight scenes. I'm not a huge fan of martial arts films but the short run time made this one just about palatable.

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Synopsis

In a desperate and unjust land, where government corruption rules the day, only one man has the courage to challenge the system and fight back. They call him "Iron Monkey." Under the shadow of night, in the silence before dawn, he fights to give hope to the poor and the oppressed. Although no one knows his name and no one knows where he comes from, his heroism has made him a living legend to the people and a wanted man to the powers that be.

Director: Woo-Ping Yuen
Producer: Hark Tsui
Screenwriter: Hark Tsui, Elsa Tang, Lau Tai Mok
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Golden Harvest, Film Workshop Ltd.
Rating: PG-13 (Martial Arts Action/Violence)
Genre: Action
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 12, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $14.7M
Runtime: 1h 25m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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