Monkey Kung Fu
Monkey Kung Fu
| 05 May 1979 (USA)
Monkey Kung Fu Trailers

A small-time crook goes in search of the other half of a wooden keepsake which will lead him to the legendary kung fu technique of the Gibbon Clan Fist.

Reviews
Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?
PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
Stephan Hammond It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
wanderingstar Ching is an cocky, under-achieving crook that ends up in prison, where he meets an old man who schools him in a prison kung fu duel. However the old man is sufficiently impressed with Ching as to give him half of a wooden amulet. The other half is possessed by a fellow inmate, and the two go off on a rollicking kung fu adventure to find an ancient scroll.Monkey Kung Fu delivers fast paced action in a variety of backdrops - courtyards, mountain meadows, and tea houses where the furniture is predictably, and satisfyingly, reduced to firewood. And the brothel full of kung fu prostitutes was pretty fun. While most of the comedy is cheesy, there are so good one-liners ("Are you tired yet"? "No, I have a date with your sister tonight!"), and it keeps the movie light and entertaining.The fight choreography starts off not too good in my opinion - moves kind of choppy and slow - but by the 38 minute mark, during the fight in a courtyard, it improves vastly. By the end, with a frenetic fight to the death in the mountains with a skilled bo (staff) master, it is some of the best in the genre. Very much recommended.
Chung Mo Are you ready for endless action with the thinnest of plots? No? OK that's warning enough. You want to see extremely talented martial artists and acrobats fight each other? Yes? This is the right film. Sloppily directed by second tier Shaw Bros. director Lo Mar, this film is carried by the fight choreographer and the actors.The plot? Imprisoned brash young martial artist and fellow prisoner, who is a student of a "Gibbon Fist" master just executed, escape and search for the lost Gibbon Fist Kung Fu manual while being chased by the son of the deceased master's greatest enemy, a pole fighting master. That's it, no dramatic filler, no lengthy explanations, just fighting.The martial arts are truly impressive. The people involved really made an effort for the most part. The story is really a series of set pieces that barely relate to each other. Two big scenes are completely pointless except for the martial art and acrobatic skills on display. This film is one of the few places to see action choreographer Siu-Tung Ching on camera showing what he knows. Not the most photogenic guy but he can move. Director Lo Mar seems to have quit the business soon after this film and it's a good thing. His sense of editing is some of the worst I've seen in HK films. If not for the talents of the actors and to a lesser degree the cameraman, this film would have been trash.Recommended for fight fans. Need a story and some character interaction? Not here.
Pedro-37 Lo Mar's "Monkey Kung Fu" does not have much of a story but the action and performance by martial arts choreographer Tony Ching Siu-Tung ("House of Flying Daggers", "Chinese Ghost Story") is absolutely amazing. His athletic stunts, wireless jumps and kicks are a joy to behold. The new Shaw Brothers DVD is the best deal to watch this incredible action.However, it seems there is a little mix-up in the names and the user comments of the film. The time I'm writing this, the IMDb picture shows "Monkey Kung Fu" aka. "Monkey Fist, Floating Snake", a vastly inferior movie. But the cast refers to the Shaw film, which is also listed as "Stroke of Death" (1980) - its alternative title."Monkey Kung Fu" by Lo Mars starring Ching Siu-Tung tells of a small time crook who gets sentenced to prison. He meets a one-eyed master in the cell who gives him a mysterious object. Ching breaks out of prison with another guy and searches for the answer to the riddle which will lead him to "Gibbon Fist Clan"'s kung-fu technique.
aadams2279 This is a fun movie starring Ching Siu Tung, Hau Chou Sheng, Kuan Feng, Chang Cheng, Wong Mei Mei, Yun Fat, Lin Hui Huang. The fights are great. The fights are choreographed by Ching Siu Tung and Hau Chao Sheng. There is one amazing fight over a chair between Ching and the one eyed prisoner that was great. Hou Chao Sheng( Super Power, 5 Superfighters) is an exciting fighter. He has a certain style which is entertaining. He can really do the Monkey style. This man is very fluid with his moves and is really fast.Chning Siu Tung is an acrobat. He probably came form the opera troupe. His father is directer Cheng Kang( 12 Gold Medallions, Kidnap, Killers 5, Sword of Swords). He has great acrobatics which was shown it the training sequences and last fight with villain Kuan Feng( 5 Superfighters, Boxer From The Temple, Spearman, A Deadly Secret) Kuan Feng is awesome! Especially with that pole. Which he was bruising both of our heroes. There is also a woman who Ching Siu Tung fought before the last fight. Her name is Wong Mei Mei( 5 Superfighters, Boxer From The Temple, Iron Chain Assassin, The Master Strikes) . She is nasty. She uses her legs well. Watch her in 5 Superfighters where she was great. Also watch her in Iron Chain Assassin give Ti Lung a hard time. The beginning of the movie is great with that setting and that music which was in The HEROIC ONES, 4 REAL FRIENDS, HEROES OF SHAOLIN. I love that music. All in all a kung fu movie which I can watch over and over again. It is one of my favorite Shaw flicks. The movie is in 1979 and directed by Lo Mar( 5 Superfighters, Boxer From Temple, Bruce Lee: His Last Days, His last Nights) I really recommend this movie.