This “Limited Edition” Blu-ray release from Arrow Video is now available for purchase from retailers.
As mentioned in many previous reviews of martial arts pictures from Hong Kong, actor/director Sammo Hung is a legendary figure. Arrow Video has recently secured the rights to many of his titles, including Knockabout (1979) and Millionaires’ Express (1986). This week, the distributor is putting out Hung’s directorial debut, The Iron-Fisted Monk aka Iron Fisted Monk (this early effort also featured the filmmaker as co-lead). The story is familiar, but the action scenes show great skill and the movie clearly asserts its filmmaker’s desire to deliver bigger and better fight scenes for audiences to enjoy. As with all of the other Blu-ray releases, the 2K picture restoration delivers a vastly improved widescreen image so that audiences can see all of the precise choreography with greater clarity.
In this period effort, a group of thugs called the Manchu Bannermen are terrorizing the residents of a town. Rice Miller Luk (Sammo Hung) becomes one victim of their villainy when they target and murder his uncle. When he witnesses a Shaolin monk named San De (Chen Sing) stop them easily, the lead asks the figure to train him. The two come to an agreement, but Luk soon tires of training and runs off to face the killers. Unfortunately, in the time that has passed the Manchu Bannerman has become even more powerful with the help of a corrupt official (Fung Hark-On). In fact, Luk crosses paths with another man (Lo Hoi-Pang) out for revenge after his sister is raped. Luk again finds himself in over his head, eventually seeking the assistance of San De in taking down the organization.
Although this title was a success and led to more features from Hung, it is notable for having issues with its rating. It received a Category III rating in Hong Kong, meaning that only adults would be permitted to see it. The reason likely has more to do with some of the acts committed by the antagonists. They are shown to be absolutely horrific people and the movie contains more than one rape scene (featuring nudity) that likely led to the classification. As expected, the uncensored version is the one present on this release.
So, how is the movie itself? Well, the story isn’t anything remarkable. The bad guys couldn’t be worse in any respect and the mix of humor with melodrama and violent attacks on females doesn’t blend together well. However, most viewers will be watching this picture for the fight scenes, and they are all impressively staged and captured with long takes using unusual angles. We see the camera down low shooting between legs as they move around in battle, as well as other tricks that were completely unique at the time. The action is impressive, particularly during the final battle when Luk and San De decide to take on all of the central villains themselves.
Clearly, Hung would go on to even more elaborate and fun kung-fu films with a more consistent and effective tone, but this early title shows a lot of skill and promise.
As mentioned, the image quality is excellent. The film has never looked this good before and appears clean and sharp. There are multiple English language dubs, as well as the original Cantonese and Mandarin audio with English subtitles (which really is the best way to watch the film). The best bonus feature is an informative commentary from martial arts cinema expert Frank Djeng, who has an impressive resume working in the industry. He delivers a great deal of interesting information about his own experiences with Hung and background information on the production.
Djeng explains how Hung, who had been working primarily as a fight scene director, managed to convince a director he worked with previously to help him embark on his own directing career. Huang Feng (The Shaolin Plot) assisted in co-writing the film with Hung. Apparently, Feng asked Hung what type of stories he enjoyed watching. After being told that classic tales involving classic characters like San De and Miller Luk were personal favorites, the co-conspirator fashioned a screenplay that would inspire Hung and assert his storytelling skills. These and other tidbits are fun to hear. The critic does go on to critique some aspects of the final product (including the rape scene) but clearly points out the unique and revolutionary techniques used in fight scenes that helped establish Hung as an important filmmaker and how this film influenced all of the titles that followed.
There are also two archival interviews with Hung present on the disc. They are fine, although Hung doesn’t go into much detail about the film, stating that he was simply going on instinct when shooting the picture. Additionally, the disc contains an archival interview with co-star Casanova Wong aka Ho Wang, who plays a Shaolin disciple in the film. He offers insight and an overview of his career in cinema.
Naturally, the disc also comes with publicity materials like a lengthy trailer, as well as an illustrated collector’s booklet with writing on the movie and stills. The “Limited Edition” also includes a reversible sleeve and a double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned art for the film.
If you’re a fan of Sammo Hung, enjoy Hong Kong cinema or martial arts pictures, then Arrow Video’s Blu-ray of The Iron-Fisted Monk will make a great addition to your collection. It is the movie that first drew attention to the legendary performer and filmmaker and this Blu-ray delivers the best presentation of the title that has ever been released.