Iron Monkey 2 (1996) User Reviews (18)

Incomprehensible but fun

[drngor · 6/10 · 12 September 2000]

Donnie Yen returns in this "sequel" to the 1993 classic that was considered by many to be one of the best kung fu movies ever. This one however, is a far cry from that status. The storyline takes place probably 40-50 years after the first one did. Donnie Yen replaces Yu Rong Gwong as the Iron Monkey and does battle w/ some corrupt warlords and arms dealers.

There are a lot of characters in this movie, many of which don't seem to have a real place within the structure of the story. Billy Chow is made out to be a major character but doesn't appear until the end of the movie. The Iron Monkey character is not defined and really doesn't have a huge part in the movie. A lot of the story concentrates on a pair of con artists and a man looking for his father.

Now let's discuss the fight scenes. The fight scenes are really fast and high-energy. Donnie Yen uses a lot of wing chun and his usual tae kwon do/wushu kicking. He's impressive, as is his co-star. Billy Chow's kickboxing is impressive as well. The wires aren't overdone (a complaint made against the original Iron Monkey film). The main problem is constant speeding up of the camera.

In conclusion, this movie fails as a sequel to Iron Monkey, but as just a kung fu movie, it's pretty good. 7/10

Low budget B-movie that has it's moments.

[vonvegas · 4/10 · 13 February 2000]

Inspector Cool Head (not my translation), an honest cop who suspects a frame on someone accused of murder. It's the kind of movie you keep telling yourself, I'm just going to watch it for another 5 minutes.....next thing you know the movie is over. At times the DVD picture was clean, but more often than not it seemed I was watching a tape in extended play. I would recommend a rental instead of a purchase.

Iron Monkey 2

[ebiros2 · 8 November 2011]

There was the first Iron Monkey that featured Chen Kuan Tai in the lead role. Chen was very good as the Iron Mokey. In this, Donny Yuen plays the role of Iron Monkey. The two movies are not connected in any ways.

This movie is made by a little known Hong Kong company called the Gold Rush. It's a period piece taking place just before the second world war. The production is very derivative with little bit of Jackie Chan's Project A, and other movies of this genre. The movie is shot very low quality, and other details are equally of lower quality. It's like the '70s movie made in the '90s, and looks dated. I've never seen the actors that starred in this movie before or since except Donny Yuen.

Story is mostly about nothing - not much happens except for lot of dialogs between the actors. Japanese are portrayed as the bad guys, and so are the Russians.

So unfortunately, this one doesn't measure up to the original Iron Monkey in any ways, nor does it measure up to other Hong Kong movies of the same era.

Garbage

[TheEtherWalk · 2/10 · 14 January 2003]

Iron Monkey would not have been so bad if it had been subtitled instead of dubbed over, but it would still have been awful.

The fight scenes are crappy and everything else is unintentionally funny. The direction is...well... bad. Many things about this movie are BAD. The cinematography, if you can call it that, is choppy, crappy, uneven and fake. Most parts when they are trying to make it look like something is falling into place, it looks like they shot it falling (or CGI'd it) then shot a seperate cut with it in place. Really REALLY crappy movie.

This is one of the worst martial arts movies I have ever seen. It's not even funny, just painfully bad. I'll give it 2/10 just because some of the fight scenes were mediocre, not terrible.

Yugh...

[daan_de_geus · 3/10 · 21 April 2007]

Well compared to the brilliant Iron Monkey 1... This sucks! Compared to most other martial arts movies... it still sucks! The movie is totally weird. They said on the cover Donnie Yen starred in it and Yuen Woo Ping directed it, but apparently Yuen Woo Ping had nothing to do with the entire project and Donnie is only there for a minute or 20. So basically we're dealing with some unknowns whose fights scenes are silly, are acting badly, portraying a story that is totally ridiculous and filled with plot holes so big you can run Eddie Murphy's repertoire of yo-mama jokes through it.

The only thing from keeping this movie from a 1 are the fight scenes where Donnie and Billy are in. Donnie fights a bunch of baddies hand to hand and with a rope dart, beating them all up in a fairly nice manner. The fight is cool, although sped up to an incredible extent. Donnie's fast, but not that fast. It's strange how he (or they) speed up all his fights that much. Then Billy and Donnie duke it out, the piéce de la résistance of the finale. Cool, but still so super fast and therefor less cool then it could have been.

Er... not much of a sequel... and not much good either

[carlos_b84 · 3/10 · 17 August 2005]

I was zapping through, looking for something to watch in a post-lunch Sunday afternoon when I stopped at this TV show which usually airs martial arts films. I stood in rapt amazement when I saw that this week film would be "Iron Monkey II". I had rented the first film (from 1993, remastered by Tarantino in 2002, I think) and had really enjoyed it. So I thought: "Ok, Donnie Yen kicking asses throughout the film"... how wrong I was! The plot is somewhat hard to explain: a brother and a sister cheat a just-arrived-in-town guy to help them rob some weapons. Then they get in trouble with the "mafia-like-bad-guy" of the film. Meanwhile, the cheated guy is looking for his dad and bumps into Iron Monkey.

The first film depicted the Iron Monkey as a sort of ninja, concealing his identity. Donnie Yen played a support role there. Here, he's the Monkey, but he wears no mask (except in one scene but you can't even get if it's him or someone else), and wanders around trying to save the day with his face revealed. Furthermore, the action, if any, is focused on the two brothers and the other guy, and the Monkey does not appear much. The rest is the usual fighting scenes Asian films have accustomed us to. It managed to keep me watching, but merely to see something spectacular happen (and I'm still waiting) A BIG problem here is that the movie does not fit much with the first one: the 1993 film was set in the 19th century. This one goes in the 20th, and the Monkey is probably the only link to the other. I'm inclined to believe this was a script (how rare it sounds here) for something else, and they turned it into this sequel. If so, they should not have stained the previous movie with such a mediocre result.

Conclussion: if you like Donnie Yen, try and watch "Heroes among Heroes", his cameos in "Shanghai Knights", "Highlander:Endgame", "Blade II", or the original Monkey (All but Blade are recommended) rather than this. If you like martial arts, watch it without expectation and you might end up not THAT disappointed, like me.

I give it a 3.

Le Terrible

[offeral · 1/10 · 7 June 2010]

This is perhaps (The Shadow is still #1 I think) the worst movie I've ever seen. There are about 15 minutes of fight sequences that are respectable, however, I could not believe this movie came out in the 1990s. "Enter the Dragon's" cinematography was better and shot 20 years previous to it. The special effects were worse than the intentionally bad classic Big Trouble in Little China. I had no empathy for any of the characters because none of them had any development. Perhaps I'm missing something in translation, but it's an awful lot. Or maybe the production company thought the star power of Donnie Yen and Billy Chow was enough to carry this movie. Based on their relatively small roles, that would have to be a LOT of star power.

As discovered on the THIS channel!

[keith_xyz · 3/10 · 10 June 2012]

Just how does the THIS channel find such cinematic crap? I'm wondering if the films in Universal Studios that got destroyed in the fire were any better, & if not, it could be a blessing. But back to "Iron Monkey II." Normally I see substandard kung fu or marital arts films on Spanish-language stations like Telefutura or Telemundo. Somehow I discovered "Iron Monkey 2" on THIS, & unfortunately had to hear the ridiculous English dubbing. The action scenes were decent in comparison to better or worse martial arts movies. Certainly the foley artist has quick ears & quick hands on the buttons. & not a single actor could be recognized, not even the white actors. But this lackluster film was meant to be stumbled upon while channel-surfing, not to be rented or downloaded and seen on a big screen or computer.

Don't judge too harshly

[megadoomer · 7/10 · 27 November 2002]

It is possible to enjoy this movie. The first and most important thing to do is to forget that it has anything to do with the movie Iron Monkey. In fact, looking at it I'm not entirely convinced that it was intended to. There is no reason to believe that Donnie Yen's character is supposed to be Wong Kei-Ying. Donnie Yen's character (supposedly the Iron Monkey) isn't even the central character in the movie. I suspect that this may be a case much like American releases entitled Rumble in Hong Kong or Return of the Dragon, trying to cash in on the fame of better, unrelated movies. That's speculation on my part, though.

Still, there is some very good classic-style action in this movie, and if you can't see past the attempt to cash in on another, admittedly better movie, you're missing out. There are some very good action sequences in this movie, comparable to those in the masterpiece Once Upon a Time in China. Yes, the production value is kind of low, but if that upsets you that much you can't be much of a fan of Hong Kong cinema.

There is a lot of talent in this movie and it is definitely worth watching. Sadly, the American DVD release is only available in pan and scan with an English dub. It's always terrible to have the sides of the frame hacked off an action movie, but at least the dub isn't that bad (as they go). If you're a fan of more "old-school" Hong Kong action I'd recommend this movie, especially if you can get a widescreen and subtitled version.

it's sooo bad!!!!

[francks1 · 1/10 · 25 January 2001]

this could be the worst kung fu movie ever...which is sad to say! Donnie Yen was great in Iron Monkey, but this is nothing like that GREAT movie.

So be prepared to be severely let down. but i must say that Donnie Yen still rocks!!!

Donnie Yei back in this incredible series!!!! DON'T MISS THIS!!!

[dc-18 · 10/10 · 9 April 1999]

Simply amazing. I didn't think they could do better than the original. I am happy to report, they have! Action that reminds me of... Once Upon A Time In China part 1 and 2. I won't give away too much of the story but you won't be disappointed. If you have to see one period kung-fu movie this year, see this.

DC

AMAZING!

Not a True Sequel In my Opinion

[AlbertsTaylor · 7/10 · 10 April 2022]

Because of the poor dubbing and its comparison to iron monkey, I think it gets bad reviews. I'm just speculating, but I believe this film was probably done before Donnie Yen was a star. They just released it with a title as Iron Monkey 2 for the video/dvd to bank in on Donnie Yen and Woo-Ping Yuen's Action choreography. I enjoyed the fights and tried my best to understand what was going on but not as bad as everybody here is saying. Or maybe I just watch a lot of movies.

Absolute CR**

[axolotls · 1/10 · 7 July 2000]

How dare they call this IM2! Horrible movie. What was Ping thinking? As far as the confusing plot goes.. whatever!

Only thing good about this move is that it has Donnie Yen (who was fantastic in OUATIC 2, Wing Chun and Iron Monkey [in fact all three of these I consider some of the best of the best], shows off some impressive Wing Chun skills).

So, if you want to see some good Wing Chun and don't care about the horrible setting. Go for it.

Terrible

[rvrose · 27 February 2003]

Iron Monkey was great. Zoro, Robin Hood, meets the Matrix and Crouching Tiger. This one is stupid monkey meets Plan Nine from Outer Space.

A huge let down after Iron Monkey. This film is just plain bad. Don't even waste the cost of a rental and your time to see the first few minutes, when you will be certain you've made a mistake.

We tried to give this film a chance, on the strength of Iron Monkey, but in the end it is just awful. The direction is terrible, the fight scenes are dull--trying to be exciting--the acting is either flat or over the top, the film editing makes it impossible to follow the story, and the film quality is miserable.

Enough said? In other words, rent something else tonight.

Cheesy

[medic1990 · 1/10 · 21 February 2022]

A reminder of how the early Chinese films were back in the 60's and 70's. I wasn't expecting to come from a movie made in 1996 though.... I guess every actor has their fair share of BAD movies..

donnie yen dress good to kick butts!!!

[cutzie_angel · 10/10 · 20 March 2001]

in this movie, donnie is doing better each movie he makes and this one is incredible. i love the way there's little comedy mixing in with the couples and that guy ching. donnie's style of fighting looks really good when he fights along side with ching at the end. recommended for anybody to see this!

A silly movie that bears little connection to the original Iron Monkey, but it has its bright spots.

[bijin_chick · 25 June 2003]

*Some Minor Spoilers*

I rented "Iron Monkey 2" with a fair bit of skepticism. I'd heard it was a poor follow-up to the amazing "Iron Monkey," and unfortunately, those rumours turned out to be correct. IM2 is a seriously flawed movie, especially with the terrible dubbing.

Other than the intermittent presence of Donnie Yen, "Iron Monkey 2" doesn't even seem connected to the original. I'm sure the backstory is established somewhere, but the movie as a whole is so disjointed and unfocused that it's hard to tell what's going on.

In fact, it's this lack of focus which is precisely the movie's worst flaw. There are way too many subplots going on. Wu Ma is searching for his long-lost father (the identity of whom I guessed within about 5 seconds), a pair of orphans are swindling the bad guys, and Donnie Yen is kind of wandering in and out of the movie, alternately going to church and raiding arms shipments. I have to wonder about Yen's commitment to the movie, given that his Iron Monkey only seems to sporadically appear when needed (in many other cases, Wu Ma takes on the burden of fighting evil).

None of these plots tie together very well at all. At times, I found myself asking if I was still watching the same movie. The orphans' story, while charming in its own way, seriously distracted from the rest of the story. The villains' aims were never particularly well-defined (the guy wanted guns, that's about all I could tell), and as a result, the Iron Monkey himself didn't have a very well-defined enemy to fight against. In some ways I found myself questioning the relevance of the Iron Monkey, and wondering why this was even considered a sequel to the original.

The fights are definitely quite good and have their moments, although again, I don't think they compare to the original "Iron Monkey." I'd rather watch the Donnie Yen/Yu Rongguang fight from the original than the tepid fight between Yen and Wu Ma in the second. On the other hand, I got a real thrill when Donnie pulled out the "cloth stick" -- the same weapon he famously wielded against Jet Li in "Once Upon a Time in China II." He certainly didn't disappoint -- when he was on screen, anyway.

Overall, "Iron Monkey 2" is a disjointed mess of a movie, with a few bright fight scenes scattered throughout. Those fights are definitely interesting, but they lack the same heart of the original. Taken on its own terms, IM2 isn't awful; when compared to the original, it's a big disappointment. Overall, I'd give this movie a 4 out of 10.

Oh mi god. What a farce

[3sectioncudgel · 11 November 2002]

If you want an example of what happens in Hong Kong when an Original movie succeeds watch this one. Iron Monkey 1 did fabulously well. Which leads me to believe that the Hong Kong tradition of spurting out another sequel (or in this case a seeming knockoff) is painfully obvious here.

This piece of garbage looks like it was shot in 1964. I honestly jumped on the net and looked up when this film was shot. There is no way in hell that this can even be compared to Iron Monkey 1. I think a better name for it would be Masked Monkey.

Fight scenes almost made it worth it. Almost.

Rent it if you must. Don't Buy it. Not even for $1.99 . In fact don't rent it. :)