The Iron-Fisted Monk Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Iron-Fisted Monk Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 27, 2019

Sammo Hung's "The Iron-Fisted Monk" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage trailer for the film; two archival interviews with the director; and new audio commentary by Frank Djeng. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Folks that are well versed in the history of Hong Kong cinema tend to agree that Sammo Hung’s directorial debut, The Iron-Fisted Monk, is the godfather of the martial arts comedy. Why? Because this film delivered a blueprint that over the years served well other films that are now considered milestones in the genre. Oddly enough, even by decades old standards The Iron-Fisted Monk is quite difficult to profile as a comedy. It is actually a pretty rough revenge thriller.

Rice Pounder Six (Sammo Hung) is the hardest working student in the notorious Shaolin Temple and his master (James Tien) knows exactly why – he cannot wait to become a great fighter so that he can avenge the death of his uncle. A long time ago Rice’s uncle was murdered by the Bannermen, a gang of merciless thugs, who now fully control the small town where the two used to work and live.

Despite his master’s encouragement to be patient with the grueling training, Rice prematurely leaves the Shaolin Temple and returns home. Shortly after, he confronts one of the Bannermen because he sees him beating up a kid, but it is another villager that kills the thug to avenge the recent gang rape of his younger sister. Rice then bumps into Tak (Sing Chen), a martial arts specialist who has started training the employees of a factory that has become a favorite target for the Bannermen, and together they craft a plan to rid the town of its oppressors.

The film follows an extremely familiar path but this isn’t a weakness that hurts its ability to impress. Here’s why:

Sammo Hung and his crew do not attempt to convince their audience that the action is necessary to enhance the story. They do the exact opposite – they place the action at the center of the story and begin enhancing it as best as they can to give the film a proper structure. So, the humor and the rest of the outrageous material actually provide the colorful support that in a conventional martial arts film the action would have delivered to enhance a traditionally dramatic story. Of course, this is hardly a groundbreaking concept now because since the late 1970s Hong Kong has produced hundreds of martial arts films that do the exact same thing, but in the old days the rearrangement was quite significant.

The manner in which the film merges the funny and the dramatic produces quite a few surprises. For example, a completely innocuous sequence can evolve from funny to repulsive in a matter of seconds -- see the unsettling gang rape -- and yet the tone of the film remains very casual. Also, there is plenty of cynicism that flourishes as easily as the funny, and even through most of it is quite mild, it gives the film a mature personality that frequently feels at odds with its official status as a comedy. (By the way, this isn’t a bad thing because it actually makes many of the conflicts throughout the film far more attractive. When it pops up it is unexpected, and in this type of a conventional revenge thriller it is a major bonus).

The camera work is quite nice. (This writer actually thinks that it is better than that from bigger and more technically elaborate films like Eastern Condors where slow-motion highlights tend to look very artificial). It shows good appreciation of movement and positioning which in return helps the viewer gain greater appreciation of the martial arts choreography.

The lively period soundtrack was composed by Frankie Chan, who is probably best known for his contribution to Wong Kar-wai’s visual stunner Chungking Express.

The Iron-Fisted Monk Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Iron-Fisted Monl arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The film was apparently restored in 2K and I think that the overwhelming majority of it looks really nice in high-definition. A few of the darker areas show minor inconsistencies -- mostly in terms of delineation and depth -- plus some wider shots reveal slightly thicker and obstructive blacks (see screencapture #12), but overall the visuals have the type of strong organic qualities that we expect to see when older films are restored/remastered. The color grading job is convincing. All primaries are stable and healthy. The supporting nuances look good as well, though the blacks that are mentioned above could have been balanced a tad better. There are at least two sequences where signs of light fading emerge as well, but they are do not impact the overall balance (see screencapture #20). Image stability is good. Lastly, there are no age-related imperfections to report. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Iron-Fisted Monk Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Cantonese: LPCM 1.0, English: LPCM 1.0, and English: LPCM 2.0 (Stereo). Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the film with the Cantonese track. I turned up the volume quite a bit and was quite impressed with the excellent stability and clarity of the audio. Obviously, it has been remastered. Some dynamic unevenness remains -- usually during the action footage where there are plenty of effects that spike up dynamic activity -- but it is quite easy to tell that it is inherited.

The Iron-Fisted Monk Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for The Iron-Fisted Monk. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

• Two Interviews with Sammo Hung -
  
  Interview One - in this archival interview, Sammo Hung remembers his decision to step behind the camera and shoot The Iron-Fisted Monk and discusses its characters and use of action and comedy. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).
  
  Interview Two - in this archival interview, Sammo Hung discusses the exact moment in his career when he was given the opportunity to direct his first film, The Iron-Fisted Monk, and how it opened new possibilities for him. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Commentary - in this new audio commentary, Frank Djeng, a former marketing manager at Tai Seng, discusses the stylistic identity of The Iron-Fisted Monk, the qualities of its characters, the action choreography, Sammo Hung's career and his interaction with him, etc. Mr. Djeng also discusses his time in the film business. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Eureka Entertainment.

The Iron-Fisted Monk Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The cynicism that permeates Sammo Hung's directorial debut, The Iron-Fisted Monk, makes a huge difference for me because it effectively neutralizes the silliness that is often attached to the humor. It also makes the film look like it was made by grown-ups for grown-ups. I have an old DVD copy of it and was able to do some quick comparisons with the Blu-ray release, which is sourced from a new 2K restoration. The difference in quality between the two isn't worth discussing in detail -- it is enormous. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.