In the years following the passing of Bruce Lee, the flame of Hong Kong action cinema was being kept alive via the masterful choreography of Sammo Hung in a multitude of films, typically under the direction of Huang Feng (Hapkido, The Shaolin Plot). However, in 1977, Hung would finally get his chance to fully take the directing reins, with his former director by his side as co-writer, paving the way for The Iron-Fisted Monk! Rice Miller Luk (Hung) is just a simple man trying to live a quiet life, until one day the Manchu Bannermen bully their way through town, killing his uncle in the process. When a nearby Shaolin monk, San De (Chan Sing, The Shaolin Plot), easily defeats them and sees the fallen Luk, he offers him a chance to learn martial arts at the Shaolin Temple. However, Luk’s impatience with his training sees him return to his town to witness an even more ruthless organization of Manchus, led by a depraved official (Fung Hak-An, Warriors Two) who has a nasty and violent habit of taking whatever (and whoever) he wants. Will Luk’s incomplete Shaolin teachings, combined with the skill set of San De, be enough to put an end to the Manchu stronghold plaguing their people? Predating The 36th Chamber of Shaolin’s variation of the story of San De and Miller Luk by a year, and notorious for its uncensored version receiving a retroactive Category III rating in Hong Kong (the equivalent of the American NC-17), The Iron-Fisted Monk pulls no punches, literally or figuratively, explosively marking the beginning for one of the greatest martial arts film directors of all time!

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[youtube https://youtu.be/DfA60BshMLU?si=B2QJaJkVEUDiw8t8&t=1011]

Video Quality

The Iron-Fisted Monk comes to Blu-Ray with a 1080p master in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio restored in 2K from its original film elements by Fortune Star who supplied it to Arrow Video. Furthermore, additional color correction was undertaken on behalf of Arrow Video. While we cover a lot of Shaw Brothers on the site, it is nice to switch things up a bit and remember what Golden Harvest has to offer. We often wish the powers that be behind these Hong Kong cinema favorites would allow the labels to have a bit more power in the restoration process, but the image is pretty great throughout. The color correction aids this one quite a bit as the hues saturate the screen favorably with vibrant hues in the clothing, production design, and natural environment.

While there are elements that could likely be improved upon and imperfections visible intermittently, the level of damage and wear and tear registers as minimal. The film does not showcase any chunky compression artifacts or weird issues with the framing. Some of the moments in shadow struggle with a small amount of crush. You will find a great amount of fine detail in close-up shots that allow you to see intricate facial details and facets of the production design and costumes. Things get slightly less defined in the medium and long shots with some shots looking sharper than others. Even with some slight imperfections, Arrow Video has delivered an impressive release for fans.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray presents the film with a DTS-HD 1.0 Master Audio Mono track in the original Cantonese, Mandarin, and classic English dub, along with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in Cantonese and an English dub for the 2004 DVD release that differs from the other classic English dub. There are limitations to the source, but the listening experience stands out as well as it possibly can with a multitude of options for fans to choose from. Dialogue can occasionally struggle to be crisp and clear in chaotic environments, but things come together more when the number of characters is minimal. The exaggerated sounds of punching and kicking are one of the most forward elements of the soundscape. The score mostly maintains a pleasing fidelity, but you cannot discard some instances of age-related wear and tear at the highest amplitudes. This release has optional English subtitles provided. Arrow Video has done what is possible with the track.Special Features

The first pressing of the Arrow Video Blu-Ray of The Iron-Fisted Monk includes a 23-page booklet featuring the essay “From Feng To Hung: The Cantonese Crossroads of The Iron-Fisted Monk” by author Brandon Bentley. This provides a great analysis of the landscape of Hong Kong cinema of the time, the film, the performers, behind-the-scenes details, and the genre at large in a thoughtfully written style. This initial pressing also comes with a double-sided poster. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Audio Commentary: Frank Djeng from the NY Asian Film Festival delivers a deeply informative commentary track in which he discusses the place this film occupies in a world dominated by the Shaw Brothers, the directorial debut of Sammo Hung, the careers of some of the performers involved, the tone of the film, the styles of martial arts implemented in this picture and more. Djeng is obviously very passionate and knowledgeable about the subject matter, and it is a lot of fun listening to him discuss things in depth.

Interview with Sammo Hung: A pair of interviews from the early 2000s are provided with the director/star who discusses his feelings about this film as his directorial debut, the development of the script, working on both sides of the camera, the tone of the narrative, the film’s legacy, and more.

- Interview #1 (9:37)

- Interview #2 (6:00)

Interview with Casanova Wong: A 17-minute archival interview with the star conducted in the early 2000s in which he talks about his background, memories of his early career, the influence of Bruce Lee, experiences he had with his costars, the directors that shaped his career, filming different fight scenes, and more.

Theatrical Trailer: The nearly four-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided.

Image Gallery: A collection of stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and marketing material is provided here.

Final Thoughts

The Iron-Fisted Monk is a pretty strong directorial debut from Sammo Hung, but it is one that comes with an unexpected trigger warning. The multiple rapes featured throughout, one of which is shown in extended detail, are a detriment to the otherwise pretty fun revenge narrative. The tonal inconsistency keeps this one from being a standout in the genre, but it still mostly nails what it is attempting to accomplish. Arrow Video has released a Blu-Ray featuring a good A/V presentation and a decent offering of special features. If you are a Sammo Hung film, you are going to love this release. Recommended

The Iron-Fisted Monk is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.