Ip Man

Director:

Stars: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Lam Ka-Tung, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi

Year: 2008 Running Time: 107 mins Rating:

Kung fu movie star Donnie Yen gives one of his best performances as the eponymous Ip Man, the man who taught Bruce Lee. Focussing on his life during the Sino-Japanese war this is a handsomely mounted, attractively shot period epic in the Once Upon A Time in China mould. And with fellow martial arts legend Sammo Hung arranging the fights, spectacular close range fisticuffs are guaranteed. A huge hit in Asia, at the Hong Kong film awards it picked up Best Film and Best Action Choreography from a total of 12 nominations.

Review

Chances are you haven't heard of Ip Man, or even Wing Chun, the martial art he practiced and taught.

Wilson Yip's film is a respectful biopic designed to pay cinematic homage to one of the great kung-fu masters and spread the word about the man.

With input from Ip Man's eldest son Chun, this is nothing less than reverential, even if it does play fast and loose with the facts in the telling of a cracking yarn.

Following standard eastern action movie plotting, Ip defends the population of Fo Shan, including inferior martial arts teachers, from the bandits and scoundrels who pass through looking to make names for themselves.

Polite and erudite but aloof and private, the great master discovers his life shattered when the Japanese roll into the city and confiscate his house. Living rough with his wife and son, a newly discovered sense of nationalism sees him battling Japanese martial artists under the watch of Japanese general Miura (Ikeuchi) and teaching city factory workers how to defend themselves against their oppressors.

Based on the same template as Jet Li's Once Upon A Time in China movies (depicting the life of similarly legendary kung fu master Wong Fei-hung), Ip Man takes a wise, resourceful character, thrust reluctantly into situations of violence, and gathering about him a band of memorable characters looking for leadership.

But, the bouncy tone of Li's movies is replaced with a sombre depiction of Japanese oppression, the action scenes are kept (reasonably) close to the ground and bloody. Fight fans will thrill at the way Sammo Hung and Donnie Yen have designed spectacular clashes based around different disciplines, while everyone else will gawp at the speed, dexterity, and skill on display.

Yen, finally realising he is well ensconced in middle age, delivers a fine, studied performance, supported by Hong Kong stalwart Simon Yam and Japanese Judo expert Ikeuchi.

Hounded out of China when the Communist Party came to power in 1949, Ip Man seems to have been rehabilitated as a national icon. Following on from the success of this movie, a sequel is in the works focussing on his time with Bruce Lee. Expect more knockout action.