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Grandmaster Ip Man is the biographical account of the grandmaster of Wing Chun Ip
Man, teacher of Bruce Lee and the man responsible for the now very popular Martial
Art Wing Chun Kung Fu. The film shows a very brief period of Ip Man’s life and the
word is that sequels are in the works to Grandmaster Ip Man as there is much more of
his fascinating life to cover.
The film directed by Wilson Yip Wai-Shun (Bio-Zombie, Yip Man 2: Legend of the
Grandmaster) and starring legendary Martial Artist and Hong Kong star Donnie Yen
(Blade 2, Hero) as Ip Man, is filled with a powerful assortment of excellent actors from
the Martial Arts genre collected in one film. In addition to Donnie Yen, this film stars
Simon Yam (PTU, Dr. Lamb) as Zhou Qing Quan, Siu-Wong Fan (Riki-Oh: The Story of
Ricky, Righting Wrongs a.k.a. Above the Law), Ka Tung Lam (Kung Fu Hustle) as Li
Zhou, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi (Charisma) as Miura, and Chen Zhi Hui (Fearless) as Master Liao,
and Lynn Hung (Yip Man 2) as Zhang Yong Cheng. Now that is an all-star line-up for
some Martial Arts mayhem!
I used to watch nothing but horror films and kung-fu hong-kong action films and after
watching Grandmaster Ip Man, I have reawakened my urges and love for Asian Martial
Arts films. This film not only has an incredible amount of talented actors in the action
genre of kung-fu flicks, but it also has some of the best talent in charge of stunts.
Sammo Hung Kam-Bo (Winners and Sinners: Five Lucky Stars, Heart of Dragon) is the
director of action (has also been in some of the greatest HK flicks that were ever to
grace the screen) and Tony Liu Siu Hung (Red Trousers: The Life of the Hong Kong
Stuntmen) was the Martial Arts Coordinator.Tony Liu Siu Hung has also directed, acted,
and done stunt work in many Hong Kong genre pictures.
While watching Ip Man, I was reminded of the energy and excitement that I have felt
while watching epic Martial Arts films such as Bruce Lee in Enter The Dragon and Jet Li
in Fist of Legend, the remake of Bruce Lee’s The Chinese Connection. In my mind,
those are two of the greatest Martial Arts flicks ever made and that had impacted me
the most while growing up. Now I have to add Ip Man to that prestigious category of
“most epic Martial Arts flicks to ever grace the screen”.
The fight scenes were filmed beautifully and have a very realistic and simple flair to
them- no chop-socky wires and flying acrobatics with wires and strings attached. This
is kung fu in its purest form-simple yet technically complex. My eyes were glued to the
screen as I watched the many scenes of choreographed kung fu filmed to perfection. I
was filled with so much adrenaline and emotion during many of the scenes that I had to
have been holding the same shit-eating grin on my face during the whole film.
The scenes of the film that did not have straightforward, action-packed Martial Arts
and dramatic fight-choreography were neither boring nor slow, but instead added to
the plot and build-up of Ip Man’s character showing the viewer just what type of man
he really was. Donnie Yen even had to go through some physical changes to prepare
for the character and portrayal of Ip Man who had a smaller build than Yen originally
had.
Ip Man is just not non-stop Martial Arts mayhem. There is a message and a social
commentary in this film as well, even if it portrays the Japanese as cruel and heartless
bastards. The first half-hour of the film shows the prosperity of the dubbed Kung Fu
town of Foshan dubbed the legendary hub of Kung Fu Martial Arts. The films’ direction
shows the modesty of one of the greatest Wing Chun Kung Fu Martial Artists and how in
the 1930’s he lived in a lavish home with his family, but after the Japanese invaded
China, all that went away. Everyone in the town was scraping by each day on little to
no food and lived in a once prosperous, now poverty-stricken village full of racist
Japanese soldiers that harbored hatred towards the country that they were now
invading. During this point in the film, Ip Man is now faced with keeping a low profile
or using his Wing Chun for an even higher and lofty cause: that of helping to save his
own countrymen. General Miura, played by Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, is now Ip Man’s latest
challenge and may prove to be his final one.
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The Grandmaster IP Man is presented in a 2.25:1 anamorphic widescreen format, the
picture quality is superb and flawless. Bright vibrant colours and no ghosting images
during fight scenes, overall a very nicely done visual transfer.
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The surround sound is presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital format, with a Cantonese audio
and English subtitles. The audio is very crisp and clear.
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The dvd is loaded with extras. The audio commentary, given by Wing Chun instructor
David Peterson, complements the film marvelously and is filled with massive amounts
of information on Asian Martial Arts films and history. In addition to that there is the
feature Wing Chun: The Legacy of Ip Man-An exclusive look into the life of Ip Man and
the history and techniques of his Martial Art, as well as the making of Ip Man, Donnie
Yen’s preparation for the role, deleted scenes, Gala Premiere, a walk-through of
certain scenes from the film, and cast and crew interviews. Along with some original
trailers, this dvd is well worth adding to one’s collection, Martial Arts films or
otherwise.
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If you are a fan of Martial Arts or just plain old action films in genre, you must run to
the store or hop online and purchase this film immediately! This is one of the finest
films that I have ever seen in the Martial Arts/Action genre in my life. If you are even
slightly into films that have action, this film has some of the best-choreographed fight
scenes I have ever seen. It is not mindless violence, either. The film has a social
relevance to it all, as well as historical significance slipped in. It is a beautifully filmed
picture with top-notch acting and well-worth a viewing, at the very least.
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