Ip Man Movie Review

19.05.09

By Ronin

Ip Man (The Movie) was a tour-de-force of cinematic experience for martial art enthusiasts. It thrills and entertains the audience with energetic and rapid action sequences. The movie is another creative collaboration between director Wilson Yip (葉偉信) and actor Donnie Yen (甄子丹). These are the same people who had brought us the high-octane cop drama Kill Zone (Saat Po Long, 殺破狼, 2005), the comics-inspired Dragon Tiger Gate (Long Fu Moon, 龍虎門, 2006) and the frenetic Flash Point (Dou Fo Sin, 導火線, 2007).

Kill Zone, Dragon Tiger Gate and Flash Point

With Ip Man, Donnie Yen and Wilson Yip had wisely recruited Sammo Hung (洪金寶) to direct the action choreography. Sammo Hung as you may know is an action film legend by his own right and not a newcomer to Wing Chun films (for a sample of Hung's tribute to Wing Chun watch the classic The Prodigal Son, 敗家仔, 1982).

The movie doesn't dwell on historical accuracy (after all it is not a documentary), but rather it uses the time period settings to set the mood, deliver its message and simply tells you a part of Grandmaster Ip Man's life in the 1930's up till World War II in Foshan, China.

On a different narrative layer, the style of Wing Chun can be said to be a tool of expression for the director. In this respect the action scenes represent more than just comparative fights between different martial art styles, but also battles of mental characters. The movie shows how each type of character deals with dire situations, and it promotes the ideal character-traits, such as perseverance and integrity, as embodied by Ip Man's character.

This is Donnie Yen's best acting piece for awhile now, and at 44 years of age he still delivers the action sequences brilliantly. Yen’s portrayal of Ip Man was energetic, confident and humble. Personally, I’d rather see the movie conclude with a Confucian introspective monologue and think that the movie doesn’t need its bravura showdown.

I do realise that it is an action movie so the fighting sequences are obviously the highlights. My favourite amongst these is actually the first fight scene, near the beginning of the film. Simply said, it was a delight to see Wing Chun Kuen vs. Phoenix Eye Fist, as this latter style is very popular and well known in the South East of Asia.

Ip Man’s narration is gritty, with plot devices not dissimilar to other movies like: Fists of Fury, Fearless, Kill Bill, etc. But as a straight actioner, Ip Man easily bests the rest as it turns the action genre up to a higher sound-beating level.

In closing, I feel that Ip Man showcases Wing Chun in an engaging and passionate way unlike any Hong Kong movies (about the style) in the past. The movie was also an intimate look at an early chapter of Grandmaster Ip Man's life in China. The cinematography and intricate production design heightens the drama. In particular, I must say that the sound editing was so good that every punch and kick felt devastating.

All in all Ip Man was a thoroughly fun and exciting piece of entertainment. Visit Ip Man Official Site where you can read more about the movie and download free wallpapers »