Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- energetic
- irreverent
- comic
- martial arts movie night
- cult cinema screening
What critics said
Critics generally find the film brisk, entertaining, and anchored by solid, relentless hand-to-hand fights, despite a slow or lackadaisical opening.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Rice Pounder Six seeks vengeance against the Manchurian thugs who kill his restaurant boss.
Six joins a Shaolin temple after being rescued and receives instruction toward confronting the thugs.
The film combines relentless hand-to-hand spectacle with zaniness and Sammo Hung’s physical-comedy performance style.
The antagonists are identified as Manchurian thugs, placing the revenge conflict within a period martial arts tradition of anti-Manchu resistance.
Films like The Iron-Fisted Monk, and why
The Magnificent Butcher
Shared hong kong martial arts action, comic physicality, revenge narrative, and elaborate hand-to-hand choreography.
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
Shared shaolin training, historical kung fu setting, revenge motivation, and energetic action-comedy tone.
Drunken Master
Shared old-school martial arts spectacle, revenge-driven drama, and irreverent comic fight staging.
Movie Details
- Director
- Sammo Hung
- Release Date
- 1977-08-25
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (34)
Cast
- Sammo Hung
- Chan Sing
- James Tien Chun
- Lo Hoi-Pang
- Wang Hsieh
- Fung Hak-On
- Wu Ma
- Lam Ching-Ying
- Casanova Wong
- Yeung Wai
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- ARROW
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Iron-Fisted Monk about?
- A wronged restaurant worker enters Shaolin training and turns comic kung fu discipline into a furious campaign of revenge.
- What is The Iron-Fisted Monk like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Iron-Fisted Monk as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Iron-Fisted Monk violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Iron-Fisted Monk as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Iron-Fisted Monk?
- Critics generally find the film brisk, entertaining, and anchored by solid, relentless hand-to-hand fights, despite a slow or lackadaisical opening.
- Which films are like The Iron-Fisted Monk?
- Films with a similar feel include The Magnificent Butcher, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, and Drunken Master.
- How long is The Iron-Fisted Monk?
- The Iron-Fisted Monk runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Iron-Fisted Monk?
- In United States, The Iron-Fisted Monk streams on ARROW.
