This review is spoiler free!
Where to Watch: DVD, Netflix
Runtime: 1 Hour, 46 Minutes
Language: Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese
Starring: Donnie Yen
Director: Wilson Yip
Writer: Edmond Wong (screenplay) & Tai Lee Chan
Rating: R
Release Date: 2008
Style: Action, Biography, Drama, Sport
More information can be found on the imdb page.
For information on the actual martial artist Ip Man, Jaredd Wilson of Martial Thoughts Podcast has an episode dealing with that. You can listen to it HERE.
Intro
Ip Man takes place in 1930s China, right around the time of the Japanese occupation. It’s against this occupation that the movie is set. Ip Man (Donnie Yen) is a wealthy and established martial arts teacher but not currently teaching anyone. Because of the occupation, Ip Man loses his wealth and is forced to take a warehouse job to support his family. It’s at this factory where he first starts teaching Wing Chun publicly in response to a street gang attacking the Chinese workers.
His Wing Chun attracts the attention of General Miura, commanding officer of the Japanese force in Fushon. Miura sets up martial arts matches between members of his force and the locals, with the winner receiving extra rice. When a friend of Ip Man is killed by Miura’s attache, Ip Man challenges Miura’s men, setting up the final fight scene of the movie.
Movie Review: 8/10
The Good
Overall, I found the movie enjoyable. The story was, for the most part, fresh and original although the portrayal of the Japanese in China follows a pretty common formula. But make no mistake, this may well be Yen’s finest acting (in a martial arts film) to date. His portrayal of Bruce Lee’s teacher was sharp and on point and Yen often managed to balance a sense of tranquility with a sense of the warrior’s focus.
I really liked the stark cinematography that the movie was shot in. This was not a positive time in China’s history and the movie does an excellent job of taking us from the easier times that we see at the start of the film with the bleaker times after the occupation. The visual aesthetics were a definite draw for me.
The Bad
The members of the gang are sterotypical in that they acted in a way that we’ve seen countless times in so may martial arts films. The actors (not including the extras) who were playing the gang leaders did so in a way that was both stereotypical and formulaic. It was probably the most disappointing aspect of the movie.
As much as I liked how Yen played the role of Ip Man, the role was written to have Ip Man more of a champion of the Chinese people than a great martial arts instructor. The patriotic feel of the movie was a bit over the top and is the primary reason I couldn’t score the movie review portion higher than 8/10… even though the movie was really enjoyable.
Martial Arts Review: 9/10
The Good
It’s no secret that I am a big fan of traditional martial arts and epic battle scenes. The fight scenes, many of which were appreciatively long, were well-choreographed and fun. Donnie Yen is an accomplished martial artist and his mastery is obvious in this film. There are rumors that he received more than a couple of injuries on set. The force and intensity with which he fought in the film makes those rumors quite believable.
The Bad
There’s very little that I would call “bad” with the martial arts in this film. In fact, I only have two specific things I thought could have been done better: The fight scenes with the gang (that I’ve already mentioned) and the scene where Ip Man fights 10 of Miura’s men. The fights against the gang are but over the top and fighting ten accomplished martial artists should have resulted in a different outcome.
Overall Rating 8.5/10
Can’t lie – I really enjoyed this film (along with the second and third sequels – and eagerly awaiting the fourth). From the very well-choreographed fight scenes, the visual aesthetics, and the writing, this is a solid modern take on martial arts films. Devoid of the cheesiness found in so many martial arts movies of the 1990s and earlier, this movie tells a great story alongside the martial arts.
Do you have memories or impressions about Ip Man? Share them below.
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I believe Donnie Yen had no prior training in Wing Chun, nothing substantial at least. He trained with Ip Man’s son in preparation for the movie. Yip Chun was astonished by Donnie Yen for embodying the spirit of Wing Chun in such a short time.
I could be wrong and this could be rumors but it is pretty cool if true.
Tristan, I believe you are correct. My understanding is that Donnie Yen continued training in Wing Chun after training for the first movie though. Also, I could be incorrect. I thought I had read that somewhere but it was a while ago.