[Taste of Asia] Ip Man (2008)

In an environment where movie goers are bored with excessive wire work and tired of seeing martial arts favourites Jackie Chan and Jet Li explode - albeit brilliantly - again onto the screen, Ip Man presents as a refreshing and exciting change of course in Hong Kong film.

Ip Man has won a score of various awards, including the Golden Horse Award (the Chinese equivalent of the Oscars) for best action choreography. It is a semi - biographical film loosely based around Bruce Lees Master and his early years. The intention of the producers was to break the story into three segments, exploring social influences and the development of the character and legend; this being the first in the series.


 The film is set in the 1930s in the town of Foshan - a hub of Chinese Martial Arts competition and schools. Viewers are introduced to an unassuming Ip Man, who is both independently wealthy and masterful in the Wing Chun style, preferring to spend his days training and socialising with friends. After the brutalisation of the Japanese, Ip Man's family’s wealth is torn from them and he witnesses racial hatred, nationalistic strife, and warfare. The Martial Arts have been dishonoured, with masters forced to fight for food or for the release of their family members. The Chinese people are portrayed as downtrodden and taken advantage of while the film showcases some of the horrors Japanese occupation had upon the culture.

Although previously restrained when faced with these realities, when Ip Man is forced to fight he is enraged, battling with a fury which piques the interests of the Japanese General. Obviously more fights ensue resulting in a the addition of firearms and Ip Man being shot in the final scenes. (Its quietly revealed that he escapes to Hong Kong and introduces the setting for the next film in the series.)

  Ip Man is an entertaining explosive classic martial arts movie, complete with all the favourite movements such as flying drop kicks and finger jabs (which are missing from modern marital arts movies.) Donnie Yen plays Ip Man brilliantly, going to the extremes of modelling the eating patterns ( one meal a day) and harsh training regime in order to portray the legend as closely as he could muster. The magnificent action sequences are choreographed by the legendary Sammo Hung; utilising Ip Man's descendants and film footage as pure sources in order to gain authenticity.

 The solid character development of Ip Man is matched with ( as far as this reviewers knowledge) empathetic historical background research; making the film of interest to both purist martial artists and those who are seeking a different perspective on the impact of Japanese Occupation in the late 30's.

 Theatrical Poster via Wiki

Ip Man 2 : Legend of a Grandmaster. (2010)

Ip Man 2 continues the legendary story of one of the most venerated masters of Wing Chun. It is the highly anticipated sequel to Wilson Yip's 2008 Yip Man biopic. Although known in the West as Bruce Lees Master, Ip Man is one of Chinese Martial Arts most highly regarded practitioners. The film focuses on the time of the second Sino-Japanese War, where Ip Man struggled as a young man to find his place amongst the Martial Arts Schools and founding his own students.

With the devastation for the Japanese occupation of China, Ip Man's family have lost all their wealth. After relocating to Hong Kong, Ip Man opens a Wing Chung School and is immediately challenged by local Hung Fist master named Hung Jan-nam. On top of this aggression, the occupying British aren’t too happy about the presence of his school and hire a handful of toughened fighters to try and expel or frighten him out of the country. The film broadly comments on chauvinism as well as imperialism, portraying the realities of Chinese suffering by the British, as well as Western perceptions towards Asian Martial Arts.

The movie explores the movements and tenets behind the martial arts technique mastered by Ip Man. Many tiny moments expound the gentleness and beauty of spirit Ip Man possessed. From his gentle manner, kindness towards those less fortunate and his refusal to beg or chase money, Ip Man is portrayed reverently.

Its difficult to choose a favourite scene. Donnie Yen is a martial arts action star of impeccable pedigree, an actor of considerable power and focus with a calm, ferociousness which chills even the most disengaged viewer. The multiple actions scenes are orchestrated with precision, perfection and breathtaking timing. Its gratifying to notice too that most of the fight scenes rely more on skill than wirework.

If you are expecting Bruce Lee to appear in the film, then don’t get your hopes up too high. Although originally the script was intended to focus on the relationship between Ip and his most famed discipline, permissions and film rights had not reached a stage of negotiations before filming began, so it was decided to portray Bruce as a child at the end of the film ( and leave it open for yet another sequel) The film is all about Ip Man settling down into Hong Kong (the first hour) and defending the honour of the Chinese - again - (the second hour).

Ip Man 2 is an engrossing drama commenting on the society norms of the 40s and 50s as well as being a dynamic martial-arts flick.

Theatrical Poster Via Wiki