• IRON MONKEY BLU-RAY (BLU-RAY DISC)

With sensational, nonstop martial arts excitement supplied by the acclaimed choreographer of THE MATRIX and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, IRON MONKEY is the spirited tale of a mysterious and mythical Chinese legend — now with pristine picture and theater-quality sound on Blu-ray Disc. In a desperate and unjust land, where government corruption rules the day, only one man — known as the Iron Monkey — has the courage to challenge the system and fight back. 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 or where he comes from, his heroism makes him a living legend to the people — and a wanted man to the powers that be. Presented by Quentin Tarantino — it’s the exhilarating action adventure critics everywhere have called one of the greatest martial arts films of all timeSince the late 1800s, the real-life Cantonese patriot Wong Fei-hung has evolved into an icon of Chinese pop culture, a sort of Asian Davy Crockett. He’s been a central figure in Hong Kong cinema since the 1950s, most recently in Tsui Hark ‘s Once Upon a Time in China series. In this thrilling 1993 adventure directed by Yuen Woo-ping, we meet Wong as an earnest boy traveling with his upright pugilist father (Donnie Yen) and drawing inspiration from the activities of the benevolent masked bandit known as the Iron Monkey (Yu Rong-guang). The sheer physical prowess of the stars is often flabbergasting, and the action set pieces (especially an interlude atop a set of “Chinese poles”) are staged for maximum dynamism. In effect, this is a powerful combination of the older, Baltic style of kung fu action and the newer body-slamming style pioneered by Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. This is a perfect martial arts picture to screen for any genre skeptics in your midst. –David Chute

Buy “Iron Monkey “ For Only $15.49