7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In a desperate and unjust land, where government corruption rules the day, only one man has the courage to challenge the system and fight back. They call him Iron Monkey. Under the shadow of night, in the silence before dawn, he fights to give hope to the poor and the oppressed. Although no one knows his name and no one knows where he comes from, his heroism has made him a living legend to the people and a wanted man to the powers that be. Unable to capture this elusive Robin Hood through normal avenues, the ruthless government devises a plan: force a nationally renowned master fighter into service by taking his beloved and only son hostage. The mandate is simple, track down the Iron Monkey if he ever wants to see his boy again. But when the Iron Monkey's identity and true intentions are revealed to him, the tables turn, and these two great men, one known and one masked, join forces to take down the evil empire and reclaim the rights of the common people.
Starring: Donnie Yen, Rongguang Yu, Jean Wang, Sze-Man Tsang, Shun-Yee YuenForeign | 100% |
Martial arts | 77% |
Action | 26% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Cantonese: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
Mandarin (Traditional), English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Produced by Tsui Hark and directed by Yuen Woo-ping, "Siu nin Wong Fei Hung ji: Tit Ma Lau" a.k.a. "Iron Monkey" (1993) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises. The only supplemental features on the disc are two theatrical trailers. In Cantonese, with optional English, Traditional Chinese, and Thai subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Your father will find you
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Yuen Woo-ping's Iron Monkey arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises.
This high-definition transfer has been struck from a dated source, but it is actually quite a bit better than the one Disney used for their Blu-ray release of Iron Monkey in the United States. Generally speaking, fine object detail and clarity are adequate, but there are various fluctuations, which is why some scenes look slightly better than others. Contrast is also relatively good, though, again, there are fluctuations. Now, the Disney transfer is plagued by a very thick layer of machine noise, which creates the impression that it actually has a stronger grain structure; here, the noise is nowhere to be seen. Naturally, this transfer has a much more pleasing, though dated, organic look. Still, there are various limitations, and obviously there is plenty of room for improvement, but all things considered Iron Monkey looks much more like a film on the Kam & Ronson Enterprises release. For the record, there are small scratches and debris popping up here and there, but I did not find them to be overly distracting. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and Thai Dolby Digital 5.1 EX. For the record, Kam & Ronson Enterprises have provided optional English, Thai and Traditional Chinese subtitles for the main feature.
This release also has an advantage in the audio department, because it has the original Cantonese track as a lossless option. On the Disney release, the Cantonese track is lossy. This being said, the Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track is somewhat uneven. During the numerous action scenes some of the enhanced kicks, for instance, are quite loud. The dialog, however, is clean and stable. (There is quite a bit of overdubbing done, so if you occasionally notice small lyp-sync issues do not be upset; this is not a transfer flaw; many of the actors simply did their lines in Mandarin). The English translation is fairly good, though from time to time the subtitles switch rather quickly.
If you like Yuen Woo-ping's Iron Monkey and are looking to add it to your collections, I suggest you grab this Blu-ray release, courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises. Though not perfect, it looks better than the one Disney produced quite some time ago, and it also has the original Cantonese track as a lossless option. If you reside in a Region-B territory, please keep in mind that the disc is Region-A "locked". RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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