FFWD Weekly
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Video Vulture by John Tebbutt Iron Monkey (1993): One of the cool things to come out of the success of The Matrix was the video release of this wonderfully oddball chopsocky extravaganza, directed by Yuen Wo Ping (The Matrix’s kung fu instructor and wirework designer; also the genius behind Shaolin Drunkard). A few years ago you’d have had a devil of a time tracking down obscure Asian gems like this; now you can find it in mainstream video stores. Hallelujah! There may be tons of copies of Romeo Must Die weighing down the video shelves right now, but trust me and opt for this surreal wonder instead. It’s the real thing. Sure, it’s fun to see Jet Li dangling from an invisible wire while taking down six baddies with a 360-degree windmill kick in Romeo, but how come none of the other characters can do this shit? No fair! With Iron Monkey, everybody’s on wires. The floor? What’s that? I’ll beat you up 30 feet in the air, while ricocheting off a balcony! Hiiyaaaa!! Meanwhile, the surrounding buildings take a pounding, as berserk kung fu guys come crashing through walls and ceilings (sometimes on purpose, sometimes not). Longtime kung fu fans who have always wondered why the superhuman gymnastics only seem to come into play during combat will delight in a scene in which two characters leap around the room like Mighty Mouse while precision-kicking furniture into strategic positions... just to gather up some spilled paperwork before it hits the floor! The story revolves around the antics of the Iron Monkey, a Robin Hood-like do-gooder who battles the corrupt government by stealing tons of tax money and distributing it to the poor. A mild-mannered doctor by day, the Iron Monkey conceals his identity with a black scarf, and uses only non-lethal means to defeat his opponents. Along comes one of the legendary "Ten Tigers of Canton," Wong Kei-ying (Donnie Yen), accompanied by his young son, future folk hero Wong Fei-hong (Fei-hong, the Jet Li character from the Once Upon a Time in China series, is played here by Jean Wang, a young girl with incredible martial arts skills.) When his son is falsely arrested by the evil local militia, the noble Wong Kei-ying is forced to use his remarkable fighting prowess to capture the Iron Monkey (who, in his doctor persona, has befriended Kei-ying, and intends to rescue the boy). Don’t miss the final battle, in which Iron Monkey and Kei-ying face the main villain together, while a raging fire blazes beneath their feet. Balancing on the tips of burning wooden poles, our heroes quickly run out of places to put their feet, and wind up with one balancing on the other’s shoulders. Oh man!

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