Well, given the fact that this was a 1977 Hong Kong martial arts movie and that it had Sammo Hung in it, I assumed that the movie would prove to be an entertaining one. Especially so, since other movies from that same time turned out to be rather enjoyable.
But "The Iron-Fisted Monk" (aka "San De huo shang yu Chong Mi Liu") didn't turn out to be as interesting or entertaining as I had hoped for. Sure, it was still a watchable movie, but the storyline was just way too mundane, almost bordering on being boring actually.
The action and martial arts sequences were good enough, though the fighting definitely felt staged and you could sense the choreography throughout the fights, as the performers took odd breaks in between moves. It made for a less than natural feel to the fighting sequences.
As for this being a director debut for Sammo Hung, well it wasn't really all that great. I am sure, though, that back in 1977 then this was a fantastic movie. But having sat down to watch it for the first time ever now in 2021, it wasn't a movie that had withstood the test of time particularly well or gracefully.
Sure, "The Iron-Fisted Monk" is a movie that has an appeal to hardcore fans of the martial arts genre. But if you look at the movie objectively in terms of entertainment value, then it just didn't stand out.
My rating of "The Iron-Fisted Monk" is a less than mediocre four out of ten stars. While it was watchable, it is hardly a movie that will ever find its way back to my screen.
