IP man review

 Number 215 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 2008 Hong-Kong biographical martial-arts film "IP Man."

Based on the true story of Ip Man, a former wing-chun master, this film follows his many exploits. Considered the number-one authority of his martial art, he is well-respected and has his own school in the city of Fushon. However, when the Japanese invade and occupy Hong Kong as part of the Sino-Japanese war, Ip Man (Donnie Yen) soon becomes a leader of a resistance movement.

I enjoyed this film a lot more than I thought I would. I thought it might be like Kung-Fu Hustle and be all style over substance. Sure it would be full of well-choregraphed martial art sequences, but there would be little in the way of story. I couldn't have been more wrong. There was a great storyline behind all of the spectacular kung fu sequences. And they were spectacular. Martial artist Sammo Hung and stunt coordinator Tony Leung Siu-hung worked together to create slick and entertaining fight scenes. But Donnie Yen is also to be applauded. In preparation for the role, he spent months training in Wing Chun and it really showed on screen. 

But like  Lust, Caution, I really enjoyed how Ip Man showed a part of the Second World War that people don't talk about as much in the Western world and that's the Sino-Japanese theatre. True, it did start separately from the war in Europe before eventually bleeding into WW2. Obviously, I'm not too clear on the history of it all, but it was so interesting seeing this other aspect of the war. The production element from the costume to the set design was brilliant. And this all was a perfect backdrop to the martial arts. Instead of over-shadowing or under-mining, the two elements came together very well. 

After the Japanese invade and occupy Hong Kong, Ip Man is forced to work in the coal mines to support his family. There he trains the other workers in Wing-Chun to protect against roving bandits. He also comes to the attention of the Japanese General Miura (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi) who is a karate master and has the Chinese martial artists fight against his Japanese cadets in a show of dominance. General Mirua wishes to break Chinese spirit by proving that Japanese martial arts are better than their Chinese equivalents. Ip Man eventually accepts his challenge and the two fight each other in a thrilling conclusion.

I also have to briefly mention Tenma Shibuya who played Colonel Sato, Miura's second-in-command. Despite looking no more threatening than a bank manager, he was a sadistic and psychotic maniac. Shibuya was great in the role.

Beyond this film, I don't really know anything about Ip Man and his exploits, but I think this film did him justice. However, most importantly, what I know now about Ip Man is that he went onto have many famous students: none more famous than Bruce Lee himself.