The Iron Hammer

The Iron Hammer

2020 · 99 min · ★ 4.0 · Documentary

In this personal and rousing documentary, Joan Chen charts the inspiring life and career of “Jenny” Lang Ping, a fearless and independent Olympic athlete who propels China to international prominence in volleyball. On the court, her most effective weapon is her lethal spike, hence her titular nickname, while her leadership skills and calm demeanor solidify her unique status as the first player and coach to win multiple World Championships and Olympic gold. Chen, in her documentary feature debut, skillfully combines thrilling excerpts from championship games, intimate conversations with Lang Ping, her colleagues, and players to craft an entertaining and multi-dimensional portrait of this groundbreaking athlete who transformed women’s volleyball.

Directed by Joan Chen · Written by Jan Lee

Your Rating

Cast

Lang Ping Self

Make it a double feature

3h 33m together

The Iron Hammer

Remarkably Bright Creatures

Both from Joan Chen.

More from Joan ChenSee all →

Slow Conversation

Slow Conversation · 2025

Slow Conversation

Journey to the West

Journey to the West · 2010

Journey to the West

A Chinese television series adapted from the classical novel of the same title.

Thirteen Talks

Thirteen Talks · 2016

SeriesTalkReality

Nature Is Speaking

Nature Is Speaking · 2015

Nature Is Speaking

SeriesDocumentary

Nature is given a voice to raise awareness that people need nature in order to survive.

Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks · 1989

MovieMysteryDrama

An idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks. (This standalone version of the series pilot was produced for the European VHS market and has an alternate, closed ending.)

Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties

Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties · 2012

Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties

SeriesDramaWar & Politics

Heroes emerged in large numbers during the tumultuous and short-lived Sui to early Tang dynasty period. Most famous among them are Qin Qiong, Luo Cheng, Cheng Yao Jin, Shan Xiong Xin and Wei Chi Gong, known as the "Five Tigers of Sui and Tang", who would help Li Shi Min defeat rebels and rivals and pacify the land. The drama will start with the establishment of the Sui dynasty and end with Li Shi Min's ascension to the throne.

Remarkably Bright Creatures

Remarkably Bright Creatures · 2026

Remarkably Bright Creatures

MovieDramaMystery

Through unlikely bonds formed during night shifts at a local aquarium, Tova, an elderly widow, learns of a life-changing discovery that may bring her joy and wonder once again.

Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks · 1990

SeriesDramaMystery

The body of Laura Palmer is washed up on a beach near the small Washington state town of Twin Peaks. FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is called in to investigate her strange demise only to uncover a web of mystery that ultimately leads him deep into the heart of the surrounding woodland and his very own soul.

Fringe

SeriesSci-Fi & FantasyDrama

FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham, brilliant but formerly institutionalized scientist Walter Bishop and his scheming, reluctant son Peter uncover a deadly mystery involving a series of unbelievable events and realize they may be a part of a larger, more disturbing pattern that blurs the line between science fiction and technology.

Homicide: Life on the Street

Homicide: Life on the Street · 1993

Homicide: Life on the Street

SeriesMysteryDrama

An American police procedural chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit.

Hachiko

Hachiko · 2023

MovieDramaFamily

This is the story of a puppy that touched hundreds of millions of people around the world. Hachiko is a cute Chinese pastoral dog. He met his destined owner Chen Jingxiu in the vast crowd and became a member of the Chen family. With the passage of time, the once beautiful home is no longer there, but Batong is still waiting where it is, and its fate is closely tied to its family.

Tales from the Crypt

Tales from the Crypt · 1989

Tales from the Crypt

SeriesComedyMystery

Cadaverous scream legend the Crypt Keeper is your macabre host for these forays of fright and fun based on the classic E.C. Comics tales from back in the day. So shamble up to the bar and pick your poison. Will it be an insane Santa on a personal slay ride? Honeymooners out to fulfill the "til death do we part" vow ASAP?

MacGyver

MacGyver · 1985

SeriesDramaAction & Adventure

He's everyone's favorite action hero... but he's a hero with a difference. Angus MacGyver is a secret agent whose wits are his deadliest weapon. Armed with only a knapsack filled with everyday items he picks up along the way, he improvises his way out of every peril the bad guys throw at him. Making a bomb out of chewing gum? Fixing a speeding car's breaks... while he's riding in it? Using soda pop to cook up tear gas? That's all in a day's adventures for MacGyver. He's part Boy Scout, part genius. And all hero.

The Outer Limits

The Outer Limits · 1995

The Outer Limits

SeriesDramaSci-Fi & Fantasy

Anthology series composed of distinct story episodes, sometimes with a plot twist at the end, with occasional recurring story elements that were often tied together during season-finale clip shows.

The Last Emperor

The Last Emperor · 1987

The Last Emperor

MovieDramaHistory

A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.

Knight Rider

Knight Rider · 1982

SeriesAction & AdventureSci-Fi & Fantasy

Michael Long, an undercover police officer, is shot while investigating a case and left for dead by his assailants. He is rescued by Wilton Knight, a wealthy, dying millionaire and inventor who arranges life-saving surgery, including a new face and a new identity--that of Michael Knight. Michael is then given a special computerized and indestructible car called the Knight Industries Two Thousand (nicknamed KITT), and a mission: apprehend criminals who are beyond the reach of the law. The series depicts Michael's exploits as he and KITT battle the forces of evil on behalf of the Foundation for Law and Government.

More Like This

Meet the Parents

Meet the Parents · 2000

Meet the Parents

MovieComedyRomance

Greg Focker is ready to marry his girlfriend, Pam, but before he pops the question, he must win over her formidable father, humorless former CIA agent Jack Byrnes, at the wedding of Pam's sister. As Greg bends over backward to make a good impression, his visit to the Byrnes home turns into a hilarious series of disasters, and everything that can go wrong does, all under Jack's critical, hawklike gaze.

HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle

HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle · 2024

HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle

MovieAnimationComedy

Shoyo Hinata joins Karasuno High's volleyball club to be like his idol, a former Karasuno player known as the 'Little Giant'. But Hinata soon learns that he must team up with his middle school nemesis, Tobio Kageyama. Their clashing styles form a surprising weapon, but can their newfound teamwork defeat their rival Nekoma High in the highly anticipated 'Dumpster Battle', the long awaited ultimate showdown between two opposing underdog teams?

Girls with Balls

Girls with Balls · 2019

Girls with Balls

MovieHorrorComedy

All girls volley ball team The Falcons end up stranded in the middle of nowhere after their mini-van breaks down. Little do they know they landed in degenerate hunters' territory and the hunt is on. Thus begins a very long night where they must run for their lives and test their team spirit. But the girls are more resourceful than it appears. In the heart of the forest, the tables are about to turn between hunter and hunted...

Cast Away

Cast Away · 2000

MovieAdventureDrama

Chuck Noland, a top international manager for FedEx, and Kelly, a Ph.D. student, are in love and heading towards marriage. Then Chuck's plane to Malaysia crashes at sea during a terrible storm. He's the only survivor, and finds himself marooned on a desolate island. With no way to escape, Chuck must find ways to survive in his new home.

Girls on Top

Girls on Top · 2001

The adventures of three teenage girls - Inken, Vicky and Lena - and their quest to have their first orgasm.

Air Bud: Spikes Back

Air Bud: Spikes Back · 2003

Air Bud: Spikes Back

MovieComedyFamily

Air Bud finds that he has the uncanny ability to play volleyball.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter