Ip Man 2 Movie Review

26.07.10

By Victor Chan

Ip Man 2 was by far the most anticipated film of 2010 for me as the first Ip Man movie had significantly raised my expectation for a sequel. Although I must admit that the sequel lacked strength in the plot, the fight choreography is still of a high caliber.

I will review the three main fights in the film starting with the brawl in the fish market. In my opinion, this fight could have been so much more in terms of showcasing the weapons of the Wing Chun arsenal. Instead of fighting with a palate for nearly half the fight, more of the butterfly knife techniques or even the long pole could have been the centre piece. There is however a sequence that is nicely shot with the palate blocking the attackers' knives and Ip Man (played amazingly by Donnie Yen) uses three consecutive low kicks. These scenes do some justice to the Butterfly Knives form, with ample use of the “Tan Dao” and “Chuan Dao” techniques.

The legendary Sammo Hung as Hung Jan Nam

The second main fight scene between Ip Man and Hung Jan Nam (played by the legendary Sammo Hung), who represents the Hung Gar style, is for me what should have been the final fight in this movie. The initial sequence with Hung leaping onto the table exchanging a few techniques before busting out the signature pose is one of the coolest scenes shot in this movie. I thoroughly enjoyed the choreography of this fight considerably more; the eye jabs and elbow strikes were utilized from the Second and Third Wing Chun forms. There are even quite a few impressive applications of the techniques of Wooden Dummy forms used, namely the sequence where Ip Man uses the Double Palm as a block. I would have preferred to see less wire-stunts and a more realistic fight, nevertheless it is still nice to think that one could attain such a level of elegance in this movie.

The final fight scene against the heavyweight boxing champion, Twister, in my opinion is an oddly scripted fight as Ip Man ends up taking his own advice to overcome the boxer. In the beginning of the first sequence, Ip Man uses a lot of defensive eye jabs as well as “Pak Sau” but soon becomes overwhelmed by the aggressive punches from Twister (played by British martial artist Darren Shahlavi).

In my personal experience, it is never a good idea to fight in your opponent's comfort zone. By making contact and allowing a boxer to escape contact is a very dangerous thing as you must now rely on your sight to predict the next attack. The following sequence shows Ip Man being lifted and thrown side to side, before eventually being knocked down. This situation often happens in Wing Chun training where there is a sizeable difference in weight/strength, and an attempt is made by one side to resist the brute strength of his/her partner by rigid force. In my opinion, it seems that the techniques used in the final sequence are also relatively risky, as during the time it takes for Ip Man character to strike Twister's biceps is a period of vulneralibility when Twister could have delivered a punch/elbow strike to his face. What I do agree is that by taking the initiative or being assertive in your style, you control the fight as you have the advantage of being at least half a second ahead of your opponent.

Lastly, the Hung Gar techniques used by Ip Man in the last couple of fight sequences are obviously a nod to Sammo Hung's now deceased character, Hung Jan Nam. We can consider this as a narrative device to wrap the plot nicely.

Editor's Note: Ip Man 2 opened in New Zealand in April 2010; its midnight premiere was more popular than Iron Man 2. It is an engaging sequel, worthy for the fighting sequences between Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung alone. There are also two unique scenes depicting Animal Fist and Baguazhang styles used against Wing Chun. Hong Kong cinema fans would be delighted to see these two masters being played by Lo Meng and Fung Hak-on, two actors from old school era. The final scene that depicts a pre-pubescent Bruce Lee was also a nice finishing touch that may serve as a prologue for a possible third chapter in the series, but right now all the fuss surrounds the equally anticipated prequel, "Ip Man - A Legend is Born".