The Iron-Fisted Monk (1977)

"Patience is all" but might not be enough to help you enjoy this movie

The Iron Fisted Monk was Sammo Hung's first directorial endeavor. He also wrote the script with the help of Wong Fung and served as the martial arts director. I'll chalk this shaky movie up to a first-time effort.

Sammo played Hawker/Husker/Luk (depending on the version you watch), a man studying at the Shaolin temple to become skilled enough to enact his revenge. His uncle, the ever-present Hao Li Jen, was killed by a bunch of Manchus looking for trouble at his food stand. Chen Sing as San Te/Tak, the Iron Fisted Monk, sent Hawker to be trained so that he could help the common Han folk. James Tien made a brief appearance as Hawker's instructor before Hawker left on his revenge quest.

Hawker met up with Lo Hoi Pang as Ah Niu/Liang after the dye worker's sister had been raped by Fung Hak On, the Big Bad Manchu. Hawker trains the dye workers in kung fu so that they can defend themselves. Wang Hsieh later shows up as a baddie wearing what looks like a hermit's wig and beard and wielding a kung fu metal yo-yo. When Wang Hsieh and Fung Hak On make a bid to take over the dye factory it becomes apparent just how ineffectual Sammo's training was. At that point Sammo and Chen Sing decide it's time to do some tag team action on the baddies.

Truthfully, the story wasn't any more convoluted than most kung fu movie plots. What I had a problem with was the gratuitous nudity and not one, but two rape scenes. The first was one was appallingly long and graphic. Sammo wasn't known for nudity in the films he directed, maybe he needed to get it out of his system, but the scenes were not warranted in a movie that also had quite a bit of slapstick comedy.

What worked for me in this film were the fights. Sammo and Chen Sing were fun to watch fight together. Chen Sing rarely played the good guy. I almost didn't recognize him at the start of the film without his mustache. Plus, as a monk, he had his shirt on, Chen always found an opportune moment to take it off during his movies. Spoiler alert—by the final credits the shirt had come off! He also smiled and not with the "I just burned down an orphanage" smile he usually had as a baddie.

Chen Sing was still quick and performed a nice splits stunt in the final fight. Sammo showed off his acrobatic skills in an early fight, flipping and somersaulting. The fights were fairly quick and creative, Sammo is always entertaining in a throw down. Several kung fu styles were used including, mantis, snake, and tiger. There were a couple of gory scenes in the fights for those who are sensitive. The movie was populated with stuntmen and actors who would go on to star in their own movies later. Hsiao Ho played at least three different roles---in a beard or sans beard he could be seen in the background often even after one of his characters had previously been killed.

The Iron Fisted Monk was an uncomfortably uneven film. The comedy felt out of place with the numerous deaths and sexual assaults dominating the screen. The character whose sister was brutally raped and committed suicide afterwards was frolicking about with Sammo in a brothel not long after as if nothing had happened. A character would be ready for a revenge rampage and then like a dog when someone yells "Squirrel!" would become distracted and then it was all fun and games. There was little continuity of mood and action. It's too bad because the combination of Sammo and Chen was entertaining. Unless you are just really in the mood for a Sammo Hung movie you haven't watched you might be better off watching one of the others in his long list of credits.

6/3/23

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