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Film: Iron Monkey
Release date: 1st March 2004
Certificate: 12
Running time: 86 mins
Director: Yuen Woo-ping
Starring: Rongguang Yu, Donnie Yen, Jean Wang, Yen Shi-Kwan, James Wong
Genre: Action/Comedy/Crime/Martial Arts
Studio: E1
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong
Tales of folk heroes and legends saturate the fabric of Chinese history and culture. Re-released and discovered by a wider audience after Yuen Woo-ping’s astonishing success choreographing Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Iron Monkey is a notable addition to the extensive list of historical legends committed to film. Directed by The Matrix choreographer and action master, and featuring Hong Kong and China’s most vaunted action star of the moment, Donnie Yen, Iron Monkey proves to be a short but well-crafted story.
Rong Kwong plays Dr. Yang, a good man who tends to the needs of the ill and hungry in his community for free but charges the well-off. Seeing refugees and the poorest people of the town trodden on by rich and corrupt Governor Cheng (Wong), Dr. Yang transforms himself at night into Iron Monkey to steal Cheng’s ill-gained wealth and fight for good.
Wong Kei Ying (Donnie Yen) arrives in town with his young son Wong Fei Hung (Tsang Sze-Man). Kei-Ying is a prominent master of the Hung-Gar style. Initially believed to be the title hero by Cheng, Kei-Ying fights to prove he is not the wanted outlaw, and goes after Iron Monkey himself to save his son being held as insurance by Cheng. Eventually he teams with Iron Monkey after realising they have similar principles. They battle against not only the corrupt town officials, but also Imperial minister Hin Hung – a traitor to his own Shaolin Temple, and a man with his own mission to stop the notorious and troublesome Iron Monkey…
Of course, it’s a Robin-Hood variation, yet this time we’ve two Robins willing to stand up and fight corruption and redistribute the wealth to the community’s neediest souls. Even though the title of the film boasts one hero, this is essentially a buddy movie, two righteous warriors who are willing to fight the evil disease denigrating their town.
Female support is solid from Jean Wang who plays Dr. Yang’s clinic assistant Orchid with a gentle air and subtlety. But more notable is the son of Kei-Ying, played by young actress Tsang Sze-Man. It’s an interesting cross-gender casting for the role of one of China’s most celebrated legends in Wong Fei-Hung. Sze-Man brings gravitas and subtle expression of emotion to the part that perhaps couldn’t be entrusted to a teenage boy.
Splashes of humour come from Dr. Yang’s cheeky teasing of the governor’s guards while tending the injuries his alter-ego has inflicted, although Rong Kwong is more at home taking the responsibility for the emotional core of the movie. His strength and kindness shine through when tending his patients and fighting for justice with honour against guards and officials.
Donnie Yen’s acting, especially in the aftermath of his son’s kidnap, proves to be lacklustre. His sadness just doesn’t convey or convince, and it’s noticeable he has worked on this aspect of his screen repertoire in recent years. The more emotionally-loaded scenes featuring Yen do stick and slow down the brisk pace built up from Woo-ping’s action segments.
It’s a very short film in which to explore corruption, the awful treatment of displaced refugees, and the relationships between Dr. Yang and Orchid, as well as Kei-Ying and his son. It leaves the viewer feeling short-changed about these points, and if it is vying for a more gentle exploration then more comedy and light-heartedness would’ve evened the tone.
Woo-ping offers us some quite impressive slices of wire-work - seeing Iron Monkey jump up and through a hole in the roof to land deftly on the tiles being one highlight. We’re also treated to Yen’s undeniable speed and agility when it comes to his hand-work. His quick moves solidly display practiced form, and help distract from the lack of depth in his acting.
The final reel sees our heroes go up against the traitorous Shaolin monk Hin Hung. Stilted speech about righteousness aside; it’s a riotous two-on-one affair which sees the monk crash through a brick wall and our heroes thrown into wooden struts. They indulge in pole-top balancing kung-fu, too, with the aid of wire-pulls. Woo-ping knows how to deliver an exceptional closing fight scene, and the flaming stick scene is pulsating. In lesser hands it may have appeared overblown, but Woo-ping once again shows that he is a master of standard physical interplay as well as wire-work choreography – even if belief is shattered by a flaming pole to the monk’s head (clearly a rubber dummy!).
Iron Monkey may not be amongst the best of Yuen Woo-ping’s enviable filmography, nor of the ever-growing list of historical hero endeavours, but it is a short and fun exponent of the historical hero genre. JM
Film: True Legend
Release date: 25th October 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 115 mins
Director: Yuen Woo-ping
Starring: Chiu Man-cheuk, Zhou Xun, Michelle Yeoh, Feng Xiaogang, Andy On
Genre: Action/Drama/History/Martial Arts
Studio: Optimum
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: China
Considering some of the classic films Yuen Woo-ping has made over the years, and the sudden and bizarre death of David Carradine following his role in the film, the box office failure of martial arts film True Legend would have come as something of a surprise. Now that the film seems to have signalled something of a resurrection in the career of Vincent Zhao, Woo-ping will be hoping that the film can prove more successful on its DVD release.
True Legend tells the story of Su Can (Zhao), a general of the Qing Dynasty who leads a military group to save their prince from death at the hands of his enemies. To show his gratitude, the prince offers to make Su Can Governor of Hu Bei. Su, however, refuses, saying that he would prefer to live peacefully with his wife and start a family, suggesting instead that his brother in law Yuan Lie (Andy On) be made governor.
Years later, Yuan returns to their home, kills Su Can’s father who has raised him as his own, and kidnaps his sister, Su’s wife Ying (Zhou Xun) and their son, Feng. Su battles with Yuan, but is not strong enough to compete with his new Five Venom Fist technique, and is thrown into a river and left for dead.
When he eventually recovers, he and Ying, who leapt into the river after him, realise that if they ever want to see their son again, Su must train harder than ever and become strong enough to defeat his former friend…
There is a lot to like about the premise of True Legend, featuring as it does many of the ingredients of a classic martial arts film. Yuan’s increased skill upon his homecoming has suggestions of the student out-learning the master; Su Can’s thirst for revenge fits well with the genre’s recent penchant for vengeance films; and the idea of a friend and brother turned bitter enemy seems to never grow old. However, with its Freudian overtones and questions of morality, True Legend seems to bring more ingredients to the recipe than many other similar films. Unfortunately, while these elements are brought up, they are rarely elaborated on, and fade away in favour of a new fight scene, which can prove irritating, at times - just when the story is beginning to become interesting, it veers off in another direction.
The most glaring example of the film’s poor structure is that it reaches its logical and highly effective conclusion while there is still half an hour left, meaning almost a third of it seems as though it has been stuck on to make up screen time. If more time had been taken in looking at the emotional and physical journey undergone by Su Can, in order to reach the climactic battle with Yuan, then the film could have been far more powerful.
Visually, True Legend could best be described as inconsistent. While Woo-ping does make good use of some glorious scenery, the film’s CGI looks cheap and laughably unrealistic. During fight scenes, the editing is jerky and annoying, which is surprising as the rest of the film is fairly polished visually. The fight scenes are difficult to assess, as they do provide some exciting, fast-paced action, yet are not as artistically innovative as the director clearly intends. Woo-ping has clearly been influenced by the gravity defying action of recent successful martial arts films, but while he aims for Crouching Tiger, it comes out looking more Mortal Kombat. This needn’t necessarily have been a bad thing - as the fight sequences are intense and violent - if Woo-ping had kept the action rooted in a more realistic format.
The standard of the fight scenes, and indeed much of the film, is raised considerably by the performances of the two male leads. As Su Can, Vincent Zhao brings emotion, heartache and a real sense of physical prowess to the role. He does an excellent job of displaying the conflicted nature of Su Can’s character, making him believable both as the decorated military leader he begins as, and the pathetic drunk he eventually becomes. Andy On, too, deserves high praise for his portrayal of Yuan Lie, providing a genuinely threatening and disturbing villain, even if he does look a bit like the grim reaper from Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. Indeed, at times, the performances of both men are so good that they seem out of place amongst all the silliness that is going on around them - this surely is an indication that, with a little more careful plotting and less extravagant ideas, True Legend could have been a far better film.
A frustrating film that never quite becomes as ridiculous as it sometimes threatens, but fails to deliver the promise that its strong cast and interesting premise provide. True Legend is an enjoyable enough watch, but fails to join the ranks of the genre’s recent classics. PK
Wong Fei Hung (Jet Li) is a legendary kung fu master, waging a one man war against criminals and corruption in the Boxer Society of turn-of-the-century China.
Wong unknowingly opens a martial arts school right next to a notorious brothel, only to come across a kidnapping plot. Much fighting ensues.
Film: The Last Hero In China
Release date: 25th October 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 90 mins
Director: Wong Jing & Yuen Woo-ping
Starring: Jet Li, Sharla Cheung, Dicky Cheung, Chan Pak-cheung, Leung Ka-yan
Genre: Action/Comedy/Martial Arts
Studio: Cornerstone
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong
True Legend is the extraordinary journey of a man, a martial arts hero, whose greatest dream is to create a unique school of martial arts.
All his life, Su Can has been pursuing the summit of martial arts. There are two things he holds dearest to his heart: the dream of creating a unique kind of martial art that will pass on to generations; and his beloved wife. Su has a happy family and his wife is the joy of his life. But owing to a twist of fate and his own stubbornness, Su’s perfect life begins to fall desperately apart.
On the surface, Su now appears as a crazy beggar getting drunk every day. He wanders from town to town, becoming a man without any purpose in the eyes of others. But all through his spiritual exile, his dream for the highest peak in martial arts is still alive. The harsh conditions of life have not dampened his determination to perfect his skills. He conjures up scenes where he combats the legendary God of Wushu, with whom he refines his skills and achieves a peace of mind.
Meanwhile, the Heilongjiang Province, where Su resides, falls under foreigners’ rule. One day a crisis happens that threatens the life of his young son – the only person Su still cares about, and his last remnant of human hope. At the critical moment, the flame of life is re-ignited in Su. He lets out the utmost strength that has lay dormant in him during his devastated time, and it becomes the strongest school of fists that the martial arts world has ever known.
Film: True Legend
Release date: 24th September 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 115 mins
Director: Yuen Woo-ping
Starring: Chiu Man-cheuk, Zhou Xun, Michelle Yeoh, Feng Xiaogang, Andy On
Genre: Action/Drama/History/Martial Arts
Studio: Optimum
Format: Cinema
Country: China
Film: Tai-Chi Master
Release date: 26th April 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 91 mins
Director: Yuen Woo-ping
Starring: Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Chin Siu-hou, Fennie Yuen, Yuen Cheung-Yan
Genre: Martial Arts/Comedy
Studio: Cine Asia
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong
Two of Asia’s more impressive acting let alone martial arts exports teaming up with a director whose credits include Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master and The Matrix surely couldn’t fail.
The orphaned Junbao (Jet Li) and Tianbao (Chin Siu-hou), who he befriended as a child, have grown up together as monks, getting themselves in many comical high jinks along the way. Whilst both are exceptionally talented martial artists, Junbao is far more carefree than the determined Tianbao who enters a competition for promotion within the Shaolin’s ranks.
Winning his final bout with ease, Tianbao grows enraged when his opponent cheats and tries to attack him with a concealed weapon. Despite being the innocent party, his subsequent actions are frowned upon, and when Junbao stands by his friend they are both expelled from the temple that has been their home for so many years.
Now on their own, the duo enter a poor village which is being terrorised by a corrupt governor and his army. The kind-hearted Junbao of course sides with the rebels who want to steal from the wrong doers and give back to the poor, whilst the ambitious Tianbao opts to join the military ranks, bringing the duo into direct conflict. You know the rest…
If there’s a familiarity to the synopsis, it’s understandable - the story has been recycled and adapted on countless occasions within this medium. Li’s character following his old master’s philosophies and training to do good, his close friend turning against those ideals out of greed to do bad - although the swift switch from competitive to cold-blooded and merciless tyrant is hardly given plausibility here. Still a familiar romp with unrealistic character shifts is not the be-all and end-all with a classic martial arts movie – it’s how well they deliver in the action stakes.
Unfortunately, that’s the film’s biggest failing. The fighting, no doubt impressive feats of physical endeavour, are overly excited; the speed and busyness rendering well executed moves unimpressive as you barely take in lightning speed feats amongst a plethora of bodies (Li taking on a whole army with a bamboo stick sounds a lot better on paper). It doesn’t help that the more impressive and better executed martial arts scenes are delivered early on, with Li and Chin turning their everyday chores into sparring bouts, and their expulsion from the Shaolin is not without first witnessing some fantastic pole assisted ass kicking, as the duo take on countless pupils (whose development has, of course, been dramatically impinged in comparison) within the temple’s confined space. However, whilst the film can never match yet surpass these early highlights, the lack of any bone-crunching impact coupled with the excessive and unrealistic use of wires (people are flown around the screen with minimal grace) does it no favours – even if augmenting the film’s intentional comedic aspect.
It’s not uncommon for Asian martial arts flicks to balance out the violence and forcefully delivered philosophical messages (Li also develops ridiculous ‘super powers’ through his understanding of Tai-Chi that eventually rebalances his mental state) with a deep running current of humour, but roping Jet Li in on the fun was a bad move. Massively miscast, the jokes fall flat, he looks visibly uneasy on screen, and it all adds to the mess. It doesn’t help that the filmmakers seem keen to make comment on some fairly serious subject matter – alcoholism, for one, mocked throughout.
Li is not only unable to display the intensity that’s made him a household name with both eastern and western audiences, he’s embarrassed. When the filmmakers decide to mock mental health problems (he goes insane after his old chum gives him a proper hiding), we have him stumbling around pretending to be a duck - it hits a real low point. This is not funny; it’s a dark subject matter that is made all the more depressing when delivered in such an unsubtle and dim-witted manner.
As mentioned, there is more than one actor here who has made their impression internationally, but Michelle Yeoh is woefully underused – and you have to question the merits for her inclusion in this story, given that her kidnap is swiftly remedied and is not used to crank up the tension or intensity as the film draws to a close. Thankfully, there is restraint, and no ill conceived romantic developments put the brakes on a film whose single credit is that it runs at a brisk enough pace to enjoy as mindless throwaway fodder – as you’ve just been privy, it’s not a good thing to think too hard about what you’ve witnessed.
Despite the pedigree of those involved, this is a disappointedly amateur offering, whose production was already dated by the time of its original release. You really will have to switch the lights off to enjoy the mayhem. DH
