Ip Man

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Movie: Ip Man
Chinese: 葉問 (Ip Man)
Director: Wilson Yip
Writer: Edmond Wong
Producer: Bak-Ming Wong
Cinematography: O Sing-Pui
Release Date: December 18, 2008
Runtime: 105 min.
Language: Cantonese
Country: Hong Kong

Plot

Set in 1930’s Foshan, China, an area known for its martial arts prowess, Ip Man lives the regal life of a prosperous martial arts master. Ip Man devotes the majority of his time honing his skills in the art of Wing Chung, while living blissfully with wife and child in a mansion like home. On a regular basis, masters of the many martial art clubs comes to Ip’s home to challenge him to a duel. These duels are all done in the secrecy of Ip’s home, as Ip Man is a modest man and never wants to embarrass his peers – because they will inevitably get their ass handed to them by Master Ip.

Then, Ip Man’s world gets turned upside down by the outbreak of the second Sino-Japanese War and the sub-sequent invasion of China by the Japanese Imperial Army. The quality of life in Foshan sinks to sub-poverty levels as the Japanese military drains Foshan of its natural resources. During this time, Ip Man works humbly in a coal mining factory to support his wife and child. Things turn for the worse when his long time friend Lin is killed by the Japanese army after competing in a martial arts exhibition against the Japanese. Although Ip Man is an inherently peaceful man, this last act of aggression by the Japanese army causes Ip Man to stand up against his oppressors once and for all. In the next martial arts exhibition, Ip Man takes on 10 of the Japanese fighters and defeats them handily. The reigning leader of the region, General Miura, takes an interest in Ip Man and attempts to enlist him to train his Japanese soldiers. Ip Man refuses and eventually, a dual between Ip Man and General Miura takes place in the town center.

Notes

Related titles:
1. Ip Man (2008)
2. Ip Man 2 (2010)
Related titles (other films based on the life of Yip Man):
1. The Legend is Born - Ip Man (2010)
2. The Grandmaster | Yut Doi Jung Si (2010)

Cast



Donnie Yen	Lynn Hung	Simon Yam	Louis Fan Siu-Wong
Master Ip	Zhang Yong Cheng	Zhou Qing Quan	Jin Shan Zhao



Gordon Lam	Wong You-Nam	Hiroyuki Ikeuchi	Sammo Hung Kam-Bo
Li Zhao	Shao Dan Yuan	General Miura	cameo

Additional Cast Members:

Yu Xing - Lin
Chen Zhi Hui - Master Liu

Trailer (U.S.)

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Trailer (Japan)

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Film Festivals

2009 (11th) Udine Far East Film - April 24th-May 2nd *International Premiere
2009 (8th) New York Asian Film Festival - June 19th-July 5th *North American Premiere
2009 (13th) Fantasia Film Festival - July 9th-29th *Canadian Premiere
2009 (42nd) Sitges Film Festival - October 1st-12th - Orient Express - Casa Asia
2009 (29th) Hawaii International Film Festival - October 15th-25th - Hong Kong Cinema
2010 (9th) New York Asian Film Festival - June 25 - July 8
2010 (23rd) Tokyo International Film Festival - October 23-31 - Bruce Lee to the Future
2011 (40th) International Film Festival Rotterdam - January 26-Feb. 6 - Signals: Water Tiger Inn

Awards

Technical prize - 2009 (13th) Fantasia Film Festival
Best Asian Film (Silver) - 2009 (13th) Fantasia Film Festival
Guru Prize for Most Energetic Film of the Festival (Silver) - 2009 (13th) Fantasia Film Festival
Best Motion Picture - Orient Express - Casa Asia - 2009 (42nd) Sitges Film Festival - October 1st-12th

Comments

inge Jan 20 2010 7:29 am BEST MOVIE EVER

mike tyson Mar 14 2009 11:47 am Pretty good review.

I also felt that the movie was pretty shallow but it was a good kung fu movie overall. I think thats as much as Donnie as an actor can do.

Ki Feb 15 2009 8:29 pm Wilson Yip’s “Ip Man” is an entertaining (albeit somewhat shallow) biopic, liberally using fictional elements to tell its story of martial arts master Ip Man. For those unfamiliar with Ip Man, Master Ip taught a style of martial arts known as “Wing Chun” and he was thought to be the first to have taught the style openly. One of his most famous students became noted martial arts actor Bruce Lee. “Ip Man” won’t be remembered for its take on Chinese-Japanese relations (the Japanese are represented in a one-dimensional cartoonish manner), nor will it be remembered for its depiction of the times. Rather, “Ip Man” as a martial arts action-film, will be remembered for its well choreographed fight scenes and the likable portrayal of Ip Man by Donnie Yen. In other words don’t expect anything more than superficial fun with “Ip Man” and you’ll likely have a good time.

Set in 1930’s Foshan, China, an area known for its martial arts prowess, Ip Man lives the regal life of a prosperous martial arts master. Ip Man devotes the majority of his time honing his skills in the art of Wing Chung, while living blissfully with wife and child in a mansion like home. On a regular basis, masters of the many martial art clubs comes to Ip’s home to challenge him to a duel. These duels are all done in the secrecy of Ip’s home, as Ip Man is a modest man and never wants to embarrass his peers - because they will inevitably get their ass handed to them by Master Ip.

Then, Ip Man’s world gets turned upside down by the outbreak of the second Sino-Japanese War and the sub-sequent invasion of China by the Japanese Imperial Army. The quality of life in Foshan sinks to sub-poverty levels as the Japanese military drains Foshan of its natural resources. During this time, Ip Man works humbly in a coal mining factory to support his wife and child. Things turn for the worse when his long time friend Lin is killed by the Japanese army after competing in a martial arts exhibition against the Japanese. Although Ip Man is an inherently peaceful man, this last act of aggression by the Japanese army causes Ip Man to stand up against his oppressors once and for all. In the next martial arts exhibition, Ip Man takes on 10 of the Japanese fighters and defeats them handily. The reigning leader of the region, General Miura, takes an interest in Ip Man and attempts to enlist him to train his Japanese soldiers. Ip Man refuses and eventually, a dual between Ip Man and General Miura takes place in the town center.

The screenplay for “Ip Man” is geared strictly for action scenes and then more action scenes. The childhood of Ip Man is never broached, while the screen writers also leaves out Ip Man’s real job at the time - a police officer. The portrayal of the Japanese army is cartoonish at best, with General Miura’s second-in-command coming across as particularly over-the-top. Supporting characters are also never fleshed out, with Ka Tung Kam as the police-officer-turned-Japanese-translator having the only other character (besides Ip Man) of note. This means what you have left is Donnie Yen and his many fight scenes. Donnie Yen does come across as an engaging figure. At first his perfectly groomed appearance & passive demeanor leads you to wonder about his sexual orientation, but once the ass kicking begins you soon forget about such notions. The fight scenes are done well, without much of the wired wizardry you’ll find in other films.

If you’re an action fan, and in particular a martial arts fan, you really should treat yourself to “Ip Man.” A simple to follow story exists, interspersed with regular intervals of ass kicking done by Sir Donnie Yen, while the film builds up with sufficient melodrama to peak at just the right time (the climatic showdown between Ip Man and General Miura of the Japanese Imperial Army). On the flip-side, the movie isn’t particularly deep. For an action film this isn’t a requirement, but the film also passes itself off as a historical biopic, and in this regard, Ip Man comes up short. For interested readers, “Ip Man 2″ is also coming sooner rather than later and Kar Wai Wong’s long rumored “Ip Man” biopic (known as “The Grand Master”) will also start filming this June.

External Links

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Ip Man

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Plot

Notes

Cast

Trailer (U.S.)

Trailer (Japan)

Film Festivals

Awards

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