Iron Monkey, The (1977)

A reckless young man joins Shaolin Temple after his family is murdered by Ching officials and trains in the rare art of Monkey Fist kung fu which he uses to exact revenge.

The Iron Monkey (which bares no relation to Yuen Wo Ping’s 1993 classic) features a strong cast of talented performers, a dramatic plot, and more authentic kung fu choreography that keeps getting better as the film progresses.

When a family of Ming loyalists is arrested and ordered to be executed by a ruthless Ching general (Kam Kong), the eldest son (Chen Kuan Tai) foolishly races to the rescue only to be bested by their troops. He’s saved by his girlfriend’s father who knocks him unconscious and declares him insane. The family is finally executed, but the general isn’t pleased with his three leading officers who have let the eldest son slip through their fingers. That son goes into hiding near Shaolin Temple and steals the temple’s food offerings to survive until he’s caught. Luckily, the senior student, Fung Kong (Chi Kuan Chun) takes a liking to the thief and helps him to become a student at the temple where he’s renamed Iron Monkey. Iron Monkey excels in his kung fu training, being driven by his hatred for the Ching officers and is offered the opportunity to learn Monkey Fist. The teacher of this style who is called The Bitter Monk declares this form to be superior to all others and his words appear to be true after Iron Monkey masters the technique and leaves Shaolin to seek revenge several years later. He joins the Ching army and quickly rises through the ranks, hoping to see the general for himself. Iron Monkey’s desire for revenge is so strong that he willingly hunts down his fellow Ming to impress his superiors in order to gain their confidence. But, when ordered to destroy Shaolin he draws the line and begins taking out each of the three captains leading up to the general himself.

The film begins with the typical demonstration of prowess by the lead stars and cuts in footage of a real monkey dueling with a large bird of prey as a narrator explains the significance of Monkey Fist vs. Eagle’s Claw. These two styles are usually paired up on opposite sides in just about every film featuring monkey style kung fu. This intro is important as it alludes to the final clash between Iron Monkey and the general who uses Eagle’s Claw.

The story itself is your typical anti-Ching tale complete with initial defeat, death of friends and family, subsequent training, and eventual revenge. As lead, Chen Kuan Tai is probably at the peak of his physical and professional state. He came from the same school of gritty, southern boxing style pics that Chang Sing, his co-star in Bloody Fists (1972) did. His raw intensity shines through and amplifies the drama. The even more popular Chi Kuan Chun, who starred in Lee Tso Nam’s Eagle’s Claw (1977) has a smaller role as Kuan Tai’s friend, but we get to see the two spar which is a treat. These two perform well, but its the villains who nearly steal the show. Leung Kar Yan, Shut Chung Tin, and Wilson Tong play Kam Kong’s three captains and each of them are outstanding performers in their own right. Early on the action is a bit slower or more sporadic, but once Kuan Tai leaves the temple the film begins to heat up and we get to see these actors go at each other. The best is saved for last as Kuan Tai faces off against Kam Kong and each uses their respective kung fu styles. More so than the rest of the film’s fights, this finale emphasizes both Monkey Fist and Eagle’s Claw to great effect and without using wires, corny dialogue, or other gimmicks. The spear vs. three-section-staff portion of the fight is also a highlight.

For fans of realistic kung fu with little embellishment, The Iron Monkey delivers a good show. The story does gloss over Kuan Tai’s killing of innocent people to get his revenge. In my book, he should have had to pay a price for his single-mindedness by dying or being permanently expelled from Shaolin. Also, Suen Ga Lam is wasted in her role as Kuan Tai’s love interest. She proved herself to be a formidable fighter in The Hot, The Cool and the Vicious (1976), but we see nothing of that here. Otherwise, this film provides one of the more respectful and enjoyable portrayals of monkey kung fu (without the monkey noises as seen in Knockabout), thus living up to its title which is all too rare in kung fu films.