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.

Hearing that "Monkey Kung fu" had almost non-existent plot, I did not expect to like this one, but the fact is, this is a highly enjoyable film, thanks mainly to the leads, Ching Siu-tung & Hou Chao-sheng, who together, bring an incredible energy to the screen. Not so much a comedy, but the sheer insanity of the kung fu action is enough to make any viewer laugh and shake their head in amazement. The story is simple; a pair of convicts escape from prison, to discover the mystery of "Gibbon fist," a kung fu technique thought to be lost. They each hold one half of a wooden amulet, and when it it is pieced together, it will lead the pair to a mountain top, where an ancient scroll is hidden. Of course there is a rival clan bent on destroying them and claiming the scroll for themselves. Along the way we join this crazy pair for some off the wall situations; like when Wei Chun (Ching) must battle his way out of a whorehouse after short changing the prostitute, (who kicks his ass with some truly eye-popping kung fu of her own.) In fact, you will see some of the absolute finest kung fu ever captured on film. Also known as "Stroke of Death," this one is a bit reminiscent of "Hellz Windstaff" in how the two friends seem to become one when fighting, working off each other to bring down their opponent. The more involved story and character development of Windstaff makes that one superior, but "Monkey Kung Fu" is a very worthy entry in the history of 1970's kung fu classics; Recommended.

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.

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.