Reviewed by: Sydneyguy Date: 08/28/2006 Summary: Hmmm.... This is a entertaining movie and it shows Sammo's great potential as a all round movie maker. My main issue with this movie what occurs in the movie. I feel the comedy doesnt mix with the serious themes that are presented (rape, all out gang killing) and the blood that squirts out and the bare breasts, was this really all that necessary? I did enjoy sammo's performance, but also the monk that lead him to shaolin temple (sorry dont know the name) outshined Sammo This is a good movie to watch, but it could of been done better blending the different apsects of the movie Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: ewaffle Date: 05/06/2006 The opening scenes of “Iron Fisted Monk” show not only the evil Manchus but also the oppressed and discouraged Han Chinese who, with the necessary exception of Sammo Hung, simply stand around and look scared while Manchu tough guys smash up market stalls and kill an old man. It is well done if standard Hong Kong filmmaking—we see that the Manchus are bad, the Han are dispirited, the titular monk has finely honed kung fu skills but also takes the long view of things and Hawker (Sammo) is fearless but foolhardy. When Sammo winds up at the Shaolin Temple it isn’t surprising that he is so eager to go back home to slaughter Manchus that he leaves long before he has completed the arduous course. A fast learner, he has learned more than enough kung fu to deal with anyone who crosses him. His ability to retreat to Shaolin illustrates one of the constant themes of Hong Kong martial arts movies; when things are at their very worst—your family slaughtered, beaten within and inch of your life, the countryside alive with spies willing to turn you in to your enemies and the enemies are well armed and seemingly invincible—there is always a place of refuge. And it isn’t only a sanctuary where you will be safe—there is always someone there who will take thing in hand and change your life, someone from whom you will learn kung fu, patriotism and the real meaning of life and who will set you on the path to avenge your family and rescue China from foreign overlords. It is never easy but it always works. Among the Manchu villains the toughest and most expert in kung fu is the local overlord another evergreen device in martial arts movies. After Sammo and Chan Sing kill all the guards, officers, hired killers and low level Manchu officials, avenging the murders, rapes and humiliations suffered by the Han, they are faced with Wang Hsieh. He is the highest ranking bureaucrat, a guy who struts about in brocade robes and who is in charge of keeping order in the district. Wang is almost their match—it takes both of them to defeat him. There are two rape scenes in “Iron Fisted Monk”, both of which result in the death of the victim, the first by her own hand in the aftermath of her ravaging. The rapist is Fung Hark On—his name in the credits almost guarantees some vicious evildoing. The following have were among the roles he had before this movie: Fung’s thug, Gan’s thug, Yu Chow Kai’s thug, Chief’s casino thug, ruffian, robber, thug, killer with glasses, main thug and villain. The initial scene, the assault on Ah Niu’s sister, is especially violent and graphic—Sammo’s camera lingers over it for far too long. There is an almost obligatory scene of Hawker teaching kung fu to the workers at the dye plant—the Iron Fisted Monk has been too busy—but this one has a very odd twist. The dye workers are enthusiastic and seem to be learning quickly and Hawker looks and acts like a real sifu. But the training is completely ineffective—when the Manchu despots realize that mere commercial fraud won’t be enough to break the spirit of the Han and they move to mass slaughter, they kill all of the workers while (it seems) suffering almost no causalities themselves. This may be the least useful set of kung fu lessons ever. This was the first of 26 movies that Sammo Hung directed—and the first of only five that he wrote. It would be nice to say that one could see the potential here for all the artistry that characterized much of his later work but that would be “reading in” the later 25 works into this one. It is a decent revenge/kung fu movie of its time, terribly melodramatic with a choppy script and static direction. It is most useful in showing how far Sammo Hung has come since 1976. Reviewer Score: 5

Reviewed by: Frank Lakatos Date: 10/14/2005 Summary: the frenetic editing and pace of what Sammo Hung movies are known for........ Where Shaolin Plot(1976) was the turning point of the basher ear, from bashing fists to kung fu styles and shapes, this movie doesn't make any changes to the new wave. It took one more movie after this, Warriors Two(1978), for Sammo Hung create his style and to completely change the face of kung fu movies. Although there are shapes and styles in this movie, the frenetic editing and pace of what Sammo Hung movies are known for have not made it into this movie yet. Without the fast action and editing, Chen Sing's scenes are long winded, but it's Hung who gets things moving. ***/*****

Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 02/03/2002 Summary: STSH puts it better, but here's my views :) He he... Sammo kicks ass dude. He's like, fat, but he kicks ass... he he. *ahem* Sammo's first movie as director is a fairly standard old school plot... evil manchus go round being very naughty, much to the distress of Sammo and the other oppressed Hans. After his family is killed, Sammo goes to the Shaolin Temple and learns a bit of kung fu, then it's off for revenge. It's got a pleasant mixture of melodrama and comedy, and about the right number of action scenes. An unusually high number of exposed female breasts for the period too... Nothing too remarkable, but a well made movie with good fight scenes. Primarily of interest for being the starting point of a truly remarkable career I think. Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: STSH Date: 10/17/2000 Summary: Great stuntwork in a standard pointless revenger They just keep churning 'em out. Silly tales which set up vicious cycles of pointless revenge. If not for some ripper fight scenes and nudity (yes, nudity, in a Samo Hung film !), this fu flick would be unwatchable. Looking at the cast list is somewhat misleading. It stars, in cast order, Chan Sing, Samo Hung and James Tien. However, Chan Sing plays very much the second banana to then-first-time director and co-writer Samo, and James Tien appears only in the opening ten minutes. So, who's left ? Paul Chun does his usual good work as the tortured Miu and Fung Hak On does his regular turn as a rapist. There are two sex/rape scenes, both featuring topless women and even some discreet full frontal. Now, I may stand corrected on this, but I can't recall any other film where Samo Hung had creative control where nudity is featured. I had always assumed he shared Jackie Chan's prudishness about exposes breasts and such. Hmmmm. Most of the fu is confined to the second half, and it's well worth sticking around for. Chen Sing and Samo make a terrific fighting pair. Fung Hak On squares off against Samo and holds his own pretty well. And the finale will leave you breathless, though I don't advise pondering on the underlying motivation too much after "The End" flashes on the screen. A few things to watch out for. Lam Ching Ying makes an appearance, but it is for less than a second. You'll have to be quick, but it's definitely him, as one of the silk factory workers. Wu Ma puts in an amusing cameo as a fussy brothel client. And the courtyard featured prominently in Erotic Ghost Story even gets a look in. God, it must have been around the HK backlot for decades ! Overall, star-studded brilliant fighters killing each other over a very lame and cliche-ridden script. Reviewer Score: 6