An Ideal Partnership - The films of Director Yuen Woo Ping and Actor Donnie Yen Part 1
Recently I wrote an article that focused on the director/actor partnership of Isaac Florentine and Scott Adkins, with me writing about how some of their work may be overlooked as it is released to the DTV market.
With this article I am going to look at another partnership that like Florentine and Adkins, fits squarely into the action genre. Perhaps not as overlooked as those released straight to DVD, the work of director Yuen Woo Ping and actor Donnie Yen still isn’t widely available, with a good deal of their back catalogue only available through imports. This is surprising considering the international success Donnie Yen has had in recent years.
The director and action choreographer Yuen Woo Ping should be no stranger to Hong Kong film fans, or action film fans in general with his work featuring in a good deal of Hollywood productions, most famously The Matrix (1999) and Kill Bill (2003).
Woo Ping and his brother’s make up the famous Yuen clan, all of which have worked in the Hong Kong film industry in some capacity. The clan includes Yuen Woo Ping, Yuen Cheung-Yan, Yuen Yat-Choh, Yuen Shun Yi, Brandy Yuen, Yuen Lung Kui and Yuen Chun Yeung.
With him and his brothers having a background in martial arts from an early age, it doesn’t come as a surprise that they would find themselves working in films. Woo Ping initially started as an extra and a stuntman before transitioning into a fight choreographer.
In his early career he created fight choreography for the like of The Bastard (1973), Gambling Syndicate (1975) and Brotherhood (1976), all of which he worked on with his brother Yuen Cheung-Yan.
These films had varying degrees of success but gave Woo Ping the chance to hone his craft and it wouldn’t be long until he moved on to direct his own martial arts features.
He made his directorial debut with the now classic Snake in the Eagles Shadow (1978), which went on to become a major success and help establish Jackie Chan as a bona fide martial arts star.
The two went on to even greater success with their next feature, Drunken Master (1978), a smash hit that not only further established the director and stars credentials but helped turn Seasonal films into a major production company.
The director would go on to have further successes, with a number of films in the comedy martial arts genre. The best of these are, The Magnificent Butcher (1979), Dreadnaught (1981) and the more serious Legend of a Fighter (1982).
It would be one of Woo Ping’s lesser films, Shaolin Drunkard (1983) that would bring future superstar Donnie Yen to the director’s attention.
Like Woo Ping, Yen had been studying martial arts from an early age. His interest in martial arts was originally due to his mother, renowned martial artist Bow-sim Mark. Developing a keen interest in wushu, Yen ended up dropping out of school to develop his skills further.
Yen’s parents grew concerned with him leaving school and the amount of time that he was spending in Boston’s “Combat Zone” that they decided to send him to Beijing, with Yen taking part in a two year program to train with the Beijing Wushu Team.
It was upon Yen’s return to America that he decided to make a stop off in Hong Kong, where he would come into contact with Yuen Woo Ping.
His first taste of working on a film was as a stuntman on the previously mentioned Shaolin Drunkard. It wasn’t long until he would land himself a leading role, making his acting debut in Yuen Woo Ping’s Drunken Tai Chi (1984).
The film came late in the martial arts comedy craze which was started by Woo Ping himself with Snake in the Eagles Shadow. The film is very similar in tone to the directors other success, Drunken Master, with Donnie Yen playing a very similar character to what Jackie Chan played previous.
Yuen Woo Ping does his typical good work with the martial arts scenes, but the film is let down by it’s over reliance on goofy comedy scenes. This worked when he was working with a natural comedian like Jackie Chan, but more difficult when he is working with less experienced Yen.
Drunken Tai Chi was the director’s most blatant attempt at cashing in one of his previous films, with him incorporating a lot of the same elements that made Drunken Master a success.
With this being his first acting role it is no surprise that Yen is still rough around the edges, with Drunken Tai Chi not exactly the best example Yen’s acting talent. He does excel in one area though and that is the films various fight scenes.
As well as fighting, Yen partakes in some break dancing, which although impressive on its own merits, doesn’t exactly fit with the rest of the film.
Woo Ping’s brother Yuen Cheung-Yan has quite a substantial role as the Puppeteer, getting a chance to show off his own considerable martial arts skills. In addition their other two brothers, Yuen Yat-Choh and Yuen Shun-Yi are featured in supporting roles. As well as appearing in front of the camera they also all had a hand in the films fight choreography.
Both Woo Ping and Donnie Yen were quick to move onto their next feature, the ill advised Mismatched Couples (1985). Once again Donnie Yen was the lead star, but the film focuses more on break dancing than martial arts.
Perhaps Yen’s break dancing scene in Drunken Tai Chi gave Woo Ping the idea for the film, but fans of their more action orientated offerings may be disappointed. That isn’t to say that Mismatched Couples is a complete loss as there is still some fight scenes included and it can’t be denied that the dancing sequences are well choreographed.
Mismatched Couples is a difficult film to define as it doesn’t fit neatly into any particular genre. There are elements of romantic comedy, dance movie, drama and martial arts all blended together to make a multi genre experience, which isn’t that surprising by Hong Kong movie standards.
Woo Ping directs the on screen action well, with the comedy scenes working better here than they did in Drunken Tai Chi. The look of the film is so 1980’s that it hurts, with bright neon colours and shoulder pads everywhere. This has gone on to date the film but gives it a good retro vibe for fans of that period.
In addition to working behind the camera, Yuen Woo Ping features in a rare co-starring role as a down on his luck Peking Opera member who is befriended by Yen. Woo Ping puts in a very good comedic performance and works well with Yen.
In only his second acting role, Donnie Yen was already looking more comfortable in front of the camera, not easy when you see some of the outfits he wears in the film. The comedy is usual Hong Kong style shtick, but Yen performs it well. There may be a lack of fight scenes but he still gets a chance to show off his athleticism with the many dance sequences.
In regards to fighting, the main standout is his end fight with Dick Wei which combines both comedy and excellent choreography. Dick Wei is a highlight in the film. Whenever Wei shows up in a film the audience at least know that they are in store for a good fight scene.
Mismatched Couples is no different but unlike Wei’s other roles he gets a chance to show his comedy chops, stealing many a scene from his co-stars. His character is truly over the top continually challenging Yen to a fight no matter what the cost.
Woo Ping’s brother Brandy Yuen handled the fight choreography this time round. He has created more memorable action scenes in his career but the limited action included in Mismatched Couples is still of a high quality.
It would be another 3 years before Woo Ping and Yen would work together again. In the interim Woo Ping went on to direct The Close Encounter of a Vampire (1986), a vampire comedy that was a family affair, with it featuring performances from Yuen Cheung-Yan, Yuen Fat-Choh and Yuen Shun-Yi. Like Drunken Tai Chi they also worked behind the scenes and choreographed the action scenes.
The Close Encounter of a Vampire gave Woo Ping the chance to work with his Legend of a Fighter leading man Leung Kar-Yan again and even though Donnie Yen doesn’t make an appearance, a member of the Yen family does, with Donnie’s sister Chris Yen making her acting debut.
Donnie Yen wouldn’t make another film appearance until Tiger Cage (1988), with him taking a co-starring role alongside some of Hong Kong cinema’s best with the likes of Jacky Cheung, Do Do Cheng, Simon Yam, Leung Kar-Yan and Ng Man Tat.
Unlike Woo Ping and Yen’s last two collaboration, there is no time for comedy in Tiger Cage. It is one of the most violent action films Woo Ping directed at this time, with many violent shootouts, bone crunching fights and countless murders taking place.
The film involves Do Do Cheng, an actress better known for comedy, trying to root out corruption in the local Hong Kong police force. She is part of the Anti-Drug Unit of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force.
Her life only gets worse after the death of her policeman boyfriend, who it turns out, was corrupt himself. He isn’t the only one with her station being a hotbed of corruption with the audience not knowing who to trust.
Fellow members of the unit, Jacky Cheung and Donnie Yen additionally find out that their superior officer is a secret drug runner. They could of course speak to their chief, but when he is Simon Yam that isn’t always the best idea.
Fans of Donnie Yen may be disappointed that he is only a supporting character here, with him only appearing until around the half way mark. Even with his limited time on screen he manages to get some memorable action scenes, especially his fight with old friend Michael Woods.
In fact, there are so many characters in the film that it hard to define who the main hero of the film is. At some points it is Do Do Cheng but then she disappears for long stretches. Ultimately it is left to Jacky Cheung to play the hero, as the one honest police man left.
Both Cheng and Cheung do well in their action scenes, even if they are clearly doubled during the more elaborate moves.
Performance wise, Ng Man Tat and Simon Yam take the acting honours as the two morally corrupt police officers. Ng’s character isn’t as black and white as Yam’s, as he is clearly conflicted about his action. Ng’s work here is a far cry from his later comedic roles alongside Chow Sing Chi.
The script was the work of Kim Yip Kwong-Kim and Anthony Wong Wing-Fai, and is no doubt their bleakest work. Tiger Cage may be an enjoyable action movie, but there is no levity involved with each and every character put through the ringer.
The action is where Tiger Cage stands out from the crowd. Unlike other Yuen Woo Ping offerings, the fights involved aren’t stylish or concerned with martial arts forms. They are more rough and ready, with every punch and kick felt.
The quality of the action was the result of expert choreography from members of the Yuen clan, as well as Paul Wong Kwan and even Donnie Yen himself. This would mark one of the first times Yen worked behind the scenes on a film’s fight choreography, something he has continued to do throughout his career.
It wouldn’t be long until Woo Ping and Yen were working together again on yet another action classic, In the Line of Duty 4 (1989). Before this, Yen starred in television movie The Last Conflict (1988).
The Last Conflict is clearly not the actor’s best work but is worth mentioning due to him co-starring with Francis Ng and comedy superstar Chow Sing Chi. The film is let down by cheap production values, as like the majority of Hong Kong television productions, it was shot on video tape.
The Last Conflict is worth watching due to the cast and some decent but not great action scenes. It is probably the only chance you will get to see a cast like this together. The film was directed by Raymond Lee who Yen would later work with on New Dragon Gate Inn (1992).
The In the Line of Duty series started back in 1985 with Yes Madam (1985), a Michelle Yeoh vehicle that also introduced Cynthia Rothrock to Hong Kong audiences. Michelle Yeoh left the series after the sequel Royal Warriors (1986) to be replaced by Cynthia Khan for the next in the series.
In the Line of Duty 3 (1988) helped establish Cynthia Khan as a female action star. The film was a box office success that led on to the fourth, and next to Royal Warriors, the best of the series.
Interestingly In the Line of Duty 3 was co-directed by Yuen Woo Ping’s brother Brandy Yuen along with prolific cinematographer Arthur Wong. In the Line of Duty 3 only slightly pales in comparison to the fourth film as it has some excellent action set pieces and worked as a great introduction to Cynthia Khan.
Khan would return for part 4, but shares lead duties with Donnie Yen. The two of them team up to take down a drug trafficking ring that takes them from Seattle to Hong Kong. They are on the lead of a suspect who managed to escape their grasp.
It turns out this suspect is nothing more than a poor dockworker who witnessed an murder by an American drug dealer, and the job of bringing in this suspect is left to the decidedly shady Michael Wong.
With Yuen Woo Ping at the helm it is no surprise that the action is of the highest quality. Woo Ping may not be the best storyteller, but this can usually be overlooked due to the overall quality of his action scenes, with In the Line of Duty 4 being no different.
Cynthia Khan is somewhat short changed in comparison to the third entry, with her getting less action scenes than before, possibly due to her now sharing the screen with Donnie Yen. Still the action scenes she appears in are terrific, with only an odd bit of obvious stunt doubling being a drawback.
Donnie Yen is the main selling point of the film, with In the Line of Duty 4 being the best showcase for the actor’s martial arts talent at the time. The film is jam packed with exciting fights scenes, with Yen bringing back old friend Michael Woods, who he went up against in Tiger Cage, for another memorable brawl.
In addition to Woods, Yen brought in another of his cohorts from America, John Salvitti. Yen’s fight with Salvitti is equal to his fight with Woods, and really puts the actor through his paces.
Yuen Woo Ping manages to fit his brother Yuen Yat-Choh into the film, giving him quite a substantial part. He takes a lot of punishment in the film, and even though he gets involved in numerous fight scenes, he doesn’t get as much of a chance to show off his martial arts skills in comparison to his co-stars.
The main villain role of the film is taken by Michael Wong. Michael Wong is Michael Wong. There isn’t really much variation to the actor. Be it hero or villain, he always manages to play it much the same with him delivering half his dialogue in English and the other in Cantonese. That isn’t an issue here as, like most Hong Kong films of the period, the dialogue is dubbed.
Wong does end up facing off with our heroes in the finale, where his stunt double truly earns his money.
Writers Anthony Wong Wing-Fai and Kim Yip who had written Tiger Cage returned to co-write In the Line of Duty 4 along with Cheung Chi-Sing. Kim Yip had co-written the script for the previous entry in the series.
The action choreography this time round was handled by Woo Ping himself along with his brother Yuen Shun-Yi, Paul Wong Kwan and Cho Wing. They have all worked on some of the best Hong Kong action films through the years, with In the Line of Duty 4 amongst them.
There wouldn’t be a long wait for another Yuen Woo Ping and Donnie Yen collaboration, with them quickly going on to make Tiger Cage 2 (1990) together. Tiger Cage 2 is only a thematic sequel to the original film, with a new plot and Donnie Yen playing an altogether different character.
The first films lead actress, Do Do Cheng, makes a small appearance in the film but has limited screen time, with her role amounting to no more than a cameo.
Unlike his supporting role in the first film, Yen is front and centre. This time he plays an ex-cop currently going through a divorce. Whilst on his way to visit his lawyer he is witness to a robbery with a number of people being killed.
Through this he ends up handcuffed to a lawyer played by Rosamund Kwan, who is forced to go on the run with him as the police think he is the murderer and the criminals think he has their money. The two are forced to team up with one of the criminals who was double crossed by the gang, with the three forming an uneasy alliance.
Tiger Cage 2 is several shades lighter in tone than the bleak original, with quite a few comedy scenes and a love triangle thrown in for good measure. Tiger Cage 2 still brings the goods where it matters most and that is in the typically excellent action.
For over half the film, the action is reserved for chase sequences with the odd martial arts scene accompanying them, not unlike the films of Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao and the like. It isn’t until the film draws closer to the finale that the fights become more violent, resembling the action from the first Tiger Cage.
Woo Ping’s work behind the camera is off a high quality when it comes to the action but like some of his other films, shows he isn’t the finest storyteller around. The majority of his films as director always sport terrific action scenes with only the most perfunctory plot, clearly there as an excuse to link the action.
Tiger Cage 2 can be guilty of this as well, as whenever the film moves away from the action it can slightly drag, with the romantic subplot of the film only managing to slow the pace. Thankfully he gets decent performances from his lead actors.
Yen has certainly gotten better with age in terms of acting. His role in Tiger Cage 2 required him to do some goofy comedy which he is surprisingly good at, showing how he had developed since Drunken Tai Chi.
He works well with female co-star Rosamund Kwan, who at the time was clearly the better actor of the two. Rounding out the three leads is David Wu, who gets his own fair share of action scenes; although unlike Yen he is clearly doubled.
Interestingly Wu co-starred in the fifth entry of the In the Line of Duty series, released the same year. In the Line of Duty 5: Middleman (1990) was a downturn in quality for the series, with the action choreography from the underrated Chris Lee Kin-Sang being one of the films saving graces.
Tiger Cage 2 is undoubtedly the better of the two films, being a better role for the actors limited talents.
Cynthia Khan, who appeared with Yen previously on In the Line of Duty 4 as well as with Wu in part 5, has a small role as the police woman on the trail of Yen. She essentially plays the same role from the In the Line of Duty series; only that she appears throughout the film intermittingly, not getting as involved in the action as her own series of films allowed her to.
Yen’s regular sparring partners John Salvitti and Michael Woods return, pretty much carrying out the same jobs they had done in Tiger Cage and In the Line of Duty 4. Their fight scenes with Yen this time are their most memorable, with Yen having to fight woods while his hands are chained together. He then goes on to have a samurai sword fight with Salvitti. Yen has stated in interviews that this particular fight sequence was inspired by the Ridley Scott film Black Rain (1989).
As if fighting Woods and Salvitti, Yen has to square off with the films main villain Robin Shou. Shou is probably best known in the West for his role as Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat (1995), based on the popular video game.
Shou is a great on screen fighter and his fight scenes are impressive, with him being a deadly foil for Yen. As well as the more famous Mortal Kombat, Shou has a good deal of Hong Kong films to his credit, the majority of these being supporting roles.
He can be spotted in the likes of City War (1988), where he has a violent fight with the legendary Ti Lung as well as alongside Tiger Cage 2 co-star Cynthia Khan on In the Line of Duty 6: Forbidden Arsenal (1991).
The significant changes in tone throughout the film are quite the norm for a large amount of Hong Kong films. This could also possibly be due to the film being the work of three writers, Kim Yip Kwong-Kim, Fong Chi-Ho and Patrick Yuen Yeuk-Gwong.
I had previously written about Kim Yip Kwong-Kim as he had written previous Yuen Woo Ping film Tiger Cage and In the Line of Duty 4. His work here isn’t quite up to the standards of the first Tiger Cage, but is certainly above In the Line of Duty 4, with the light heartedness of some of the film being more than welcome.
His fellow writers aren’t as prolific. Fong Chi-Ho is only credited as writer on three other films. The only standout of these other than Tiger Cage 2 is Chaos by Design (1988), from director Angela Chan.
Patrick Yuen Yeuk-Gwong is similar to Fong Chi-Ho in that he only has a small amount of credits on his filmography. As a writer he only has four credits, including Tiger Cage 2. He additionally co-wrote In the Line of Duty 5: Middleman as well as the sixth part in that series, In the Line of Duty 6: Forbidden Arsenal.
Yuen Woo Ping once again had the expertise of his family members working on the films action scenes, with both Yuen Cheung-Yan and Yuen Shun-Yi being action choreographers.
In addition to the two of his brothers, Woo Ping brought on the talented Philip Kwok, who has worked on some of the best ever Hong Kong action films around, with his most famous work being on John Woo’s Hard Boiled (1992), where he not only choreographed the action but starred as the memorable Mad Dog.
As if the three of them weren’t enough, Donnie Yen also contributed towards the fight choreography, no doubt creating the fights he has between American fighters Salvitti and Woods.
Yuen Woo Ping would continue the Tiger Cage franchise the following year. Tiger Cage 3 (1991) resorted back to the bleak outlook of the first film, but ends up being the weakest of the three. The first two films had the advantage of a stellar cast, with Donnie Yen headlining.
Yen didn’t return for the third film, with Cheung Kwok-Leung taking lead duties this time. The actor isn’t terrible by any means, but doesn’t match up to the standards of who came before.
At least Tiger Cage 3 has the quality action scenes that the series had become famous for, and still manages to be better than half of the action films coming out of Hong Kong at the time.
After the release of Tiger Cage 2, Yen would go on to headline several inferior productions, with the likes of Holy Virgin VS. The Evil Dead (1991), Crystal Hunt (1991) and Cheetah on Fire (1992). All have considerably low production values and pale in comparison to the work that Yen was only making only a few years prior.
Thankfully the same year as Cheetah on Fire, Yen managed to be cast in two excellent supporting roles. The first of these was as Commander Lan in Once Upon a Time in China 2 (1992), where the actor would play a villain for the first time.
He would play another villainous role in New Dragon Gate Inn , a remake of the King Hu classic which found him sharing the screen with the likes of Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Maggie Cheung and Brigitte Lin.
With director Tsui Hark at the helm, it is no surprise that Once Upon a Time in China 2 was visually stunning and one of the best looking films that Yen had appeared in at this time. The sequel is one of the highlights of the series and improves on the first film in many aspects, with Hark handling all the separate elements of action, comedy and history into a more satisfying whole.
Jet Li returns as Wong Fei-Hung, probably the actors most identifying role. Yen’s Tiger Cage 2 co-star Rosamund Kwan is back as Aunt Yee, Fei-Hung’s love interest. The role doesn’t require much from the actress but she is a welcome presence. Sadly Yuen Biao doesn’t return from the first film, with Max Mok filling in for the absent actor.
New actors to the series include Shaw Brothers legend David Chiang and Yen, who almost steals the film from its lead star, with his villain being given proper character development and depth. His villain even befriends Fei-Hung and tries to win him over to his cause. This leads the two on an excellently choreographed collision course.
Once Upon a Time in China 2 marked the first collaboration between Yuen Woo Ping and Donnie Yen that Woo Ping did not direct, with him being the main action choreographer for the film. As usual his action scenes do not disappoint, with this film featuring some of the director/Choreographer’s finest work.
The finale between Li and Yen is worth special mention, being one of the best one on one fight’s Woo Ping has choreographed, and one of the best Hong Kong movie fight scenes of the 1990’s.
Fans of Yen may be slightly disappointed by the lack of action he appears in, but this is a Jet Li film after all, and Yen still gets to take part in the film’s best action scene.
Woo Ping was awarded for his hard work by going on to win best action choreography at the 12th Hong Kong Film Awards. His brothers Yuen Cheung-Yan and Yuen Shun-yee along with Lau Kar Wing had won the same award the year previously for the first film in the series.
Fans of Jackie Chan should listen out for him signing the famous Wong Fei Hung theme tune “A Man Should Better Himself” over the end credits.
Yen and Woo Ping’s following collaboration is arguably one of the best martial arts films to come from Hong Kong in the 1990’s. Iron Monkey (1993) was a remake of the earlier film that starred Shaw Brother great Chen Kuan-Tai, but manages to surpass the original in almost all respects.
As well as being a remake, the film shares many connections with the Once Upon a Time in China series. Both feature Wong Fei-Hung as a main character, choreography by members of the Yuen Clan and both have the expertise of Tsui Hark and Yuen Woo Ping behind the camera.
This time Hark and Woo Ping’s roles have changed, with Woo Ping now being the director and Hark serving as the film’s producer.
Iron Monkey works as a prequel to the Once Upon a Time in China series, with Wong Fei-Hung being only a teenager. Surprisingly the part is portrayed by a female, actress Tzang Tse-Man.
Unlike Once Upon a Time in China, Fei-Hung isn’t the main focus, with him (her) being relegated to a secondary character. The character does get involved in the action at certain points, with the iconic theme song kicking in to keep fans happy.
The main focus of the film is on Dr Yang (Yu Rong-Guang) who moonlights as the heroic Iron Monkey, a vigilante fighting against the rule of the Ching government. He is assisted in his endeavours by love interest Orchid, played by the beautiful Jean Wang.
Iron Monkey’s life is made more complicated by the arrival of Wong Fei-Hung and his father Wong Kei-Ying (Donnie Yen), a member of the famous Ten Tigers of Canton. After Kei-Ying displays his considerable martial arts skills, he finds himself arrested by the Ching government, with the thought he is the infamous Iron Monkey.
Kei-Ying ends up being found innocent, he is forced by the magistrate to hunt down the mysterious Iron Monkey or his son will be executed. As if this prospect wasn’t bad enough, he also has to contend with high ranking government official Hiu Hing, played by Yen Shi-Kwan.
Hiu Hung is even worse than the magistrate, with him not only being totally corrupt but is himself a Kung Fu expert, having trained as a Shaolin monk. It is no surprise that our heroes have to deal with him before the end of the film.
As ever Yuen Woo Ping’s action doesn’t fail to deliver. He manages to build on the action as the film progresses, with each fight being more elaborate than the last, with the finale having our heroes fight the villain on top of burning wooden posts.
Unlike some of Woo Ping’s other films as director, the plot is actually decent with the typical Hong Kong comedy scenes being kept to a minimum and not being a detriment to the pace of the film. He cast Iron Monkey well with both Yu Rong-Guang and Donnie Yen making for likeable heroes, with the both of them showing off their considerable martial arts skills.
Yu Rong-Guang is impressive as the title character. Yu is a Hong Kong cinema veteran, with over 70 films to his credit. Considering he has a background in martial arts, the actor hasn’t appeared in nearly as many martial arts films as his contemporaries.
That isn’t to say that he hasn’t appeared in his fair share of action movies, but these normally involve gunplay with the odd kick or punch thrown in. Iron Monkey is one of his best roles but he has offered solid support in the likes of Project S (1993), Man Wanted (1995) and Big Bullet (1996).
Yu may get the title role of Iron Monkey but co-star Donnie Yen is given roughly the same amount of screen time, and some of the film’s best fight scenes. It was good to see Yen headlining a worthwhile production after some of the more lacklustre productions he had appeared in the years previously.
Yen Shi-Kwan makes for a formidable villain, posing a real threat to the heroes. Most of the actors work consisted of villainous roles, with this being one of his best.
Iron Monkey was towards the end of the actor’s career, with him starting way back in the 1950’s. He had previously worked with producer Tsui Hark on Once Upon a Time in China 1 & 2, Swordsman 2 (1992) and New Dragon Gate Inn.
Jean Wang plays an under-written role as the token love interest, although her romantic relationship with Yu Rong-Guang is more implied. Wang isn’t asked to do much more than look good and be the damsel in distress when needed.
The actress had already co-starred with Yu Rong-Guang in the same years The East is Red (1993), the third part in the Swordsman trilogy which like Iron Monkey was produced by Tsui Hark. The following year she would co-star in another Tsui Hark production, Once Upon a Time in China 4 (1994), replacing the series’ usual leading lady Rosamund Kwan.
Young Tzang Tse-Man does well as the young rebellious Wong Fei-Hung, especially when she is in fact female. She is better known as winning a silver medal for Wushu at the Asian Games. After Iron Monkey she only made one more appearance in film, with a small role in comedy Combo Cops.
After her brief stint with film making she went on to represent Hong Kong in the woman’s southern staff event of the World Wushu Championships on multiple occasions and winning various medals. Surprisingly she went on to join the Hong Kong Police Force in 2003.
As well as producing Tsui Hark contributed to the script, sharing writing duties with Lau Tai-Muk and Elsa Tang Bik-Yin.
Yet again, Woo Ping brought in family members Yuen Cheung-Yan and Yuen Shun-Yi to work behind the scenes on the action choreography. Along with input from Woo Ping himself, Ku Huen-Chiu also assisted them in creating the films jaw dropping action.
Ku Huen-Chiu had worked with Woo Ping earlier in the year on Tai Chi Master (1993), assisting with that films action scenes. He would later assist him on such films as Fist of Legend (1995), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and Kung Fu Hustle (2004).
