IP Man
What?
Wilson Yip’s film is a semi-autobiographical account of the life of Ip Man - the celebrated master and teacher of Wing Chun. The film opens in Fo Shan 1935, a very wealthy society, and we are introduced to Ip Man and his noble ways of teaching. Wilson Yip uses this time to set up Ip’s family and friends and Fo Shen’s many martial arts schools and gives us a quick glimpse of the action that will follow later on. Move forward two years later and we now witnessing the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War. All of Fo Shan’s residents are now homeless, living in shanty towns and are struggling to scrape a living through a Japanese occupied regime. When the students of Fo Shen’s martial arts classes are called up to test their skills in a match against skilled Japanese soldiers, Ip Man rises to the challenge.
There was quite a lot of hype surrounding the release of Ip Man and it’s not hard to know why. With actions scenes directed by legendary Sammo Hung and the fact that this was the first feature film to be made about the master that taught Bruce Lee every thing he knew, Ip Man is a return to form for Eastern Kung Fu movies and has personally renewed my interests in Kung Fu flicks. Donnie Yen incredible agility and skill to perform the amazing fight scenes with a cool and calm manner makes it look like he’s not even trying. This is the first film in a planned trilogy following the life and struggles of Ip Man.
Optics:
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, the image is clean and detailed prompting no complaints. Interiors and exteriors during the first half of the movie are greatly detailed and define some of the production design that features in the movie. You’ll find yourself marveling at 1930’s Chinese decor whilst legs and fists are flying around the screen. When the film moves onto the Sino-Japanese War, the change in location is reflected with muted, dull colours and a somewhat flat type of transfer. It must have been the DoP’s intention to show the depressing times of this era and it does hold up very well. Subtitles (somewhat a bit dumbed down and simplified for English viewers) are displayed correctly throughout the movie.
Sonics:
Whilst having to slightly tweak my system to hear the dialogue better (even though it’s subtitled), Ip Man’s audio mix comes across a bit low and soft during the many exchanges of dialogue throughout the movie. When the action starts, the mix comes to life with every bone shattering crunch and kick heard in great detail. Even the LFE gets a nice workout thanks to Donnie Yen’s fists! The only other grumble with this would be the orchestrated score throughout the movie. Whilst it does sound good in Dolby 5.1, it tends to sound more like a video game during the film and can detracted from an otherwise great film.
Extras:
Disc one only features a trailer reel for current and upcoming Cine-Asia releases, the bulk of material can be found on Disc Two. First up is an interview gallery with the cast and crew, the making of documentary is next and is split up into smaller featurettes covering most of the major aspects of filmmaking. It is worth noting that there is an UK exclusive featurette that looks at the legacy of IP Man and his influence on martial arts over the years. There is a small section on location and set design that is also worth checking out and there is a small amount of footage from the Chinese Gala Premiere. Disc two is finished off with deleted scenes, presented in timecoded, unfinished form. Whilst not the most comprehensive of special features, there is quite a lot to explore after watching the film.
Well?
Highly recommended and guaranteed to have you fishing out all your old Kung Fu movies. A great film with an outstanding performance from Donnie Yen and some of the best action sequences this year!
Rob Beardsley
Wilson Yip’s film is a semi-autobiographical account of the life of Ip Man - the celebrated master and teacher of Wing Chun. The film opens in Fo Shan 1935, a very wealthy society, and we are introduced to Ip Man and his noble ways of teaching. Wilson Yip uses this time to set up Ip’s family and friends and Fo Shen’s many martial arts schools and gives us a quick glimpse of the action that will follow later on. Move forward two years later and we now witnessing the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War. All of Fo Shan’s residents are now homeless, living in shanty towns and are struggling to scrape a living through a Japanese occupied regime. When the students of Fo Shen’s martial arts classes are called up to test their skills in a match against skilled Japanese soldiers, Ip Man rises to the challenge.
There was quite a lot of hype surrounding the release of Ip Man and it’s not hard to know why. With actions scenes directed by legendary Sammo Hung and the fact that this was the first feature film to be made about the master that taught Bruce Lee every thing he knew, Ip Man is a return to form for Eastern Kung Fu movies and has personally renewed my interests in Kung Fu flicks. Donnie Yen incredible agility and skill to perform the amazing fight scenes with a cool and calm manner makes it look like he’s not even trying. This is the first film in a planned trilogy following the life and struggles of Ip Man.
Optics:
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, the image is clean and detailed prompting no complaints. Interiors and exteriors during the first half of the movie are greatly detailed and define some of the production design that features in the movie. You’ll find yourself marveling at 1930’s Chinese decor whilst legs and fists are flying around the screen. When the film moves onto the Sino-Japanese War, the change in location is reflected with muted, dull colours and a somewhat flat type of transfer. It must have been the DoP’s intention to show the depressing times of this era and it does hold up very well. Subtitles (somewhat a bit dumbed down and simplified for English viewers) are displayed correctly throughout the movie.
Sonics:
Whilst having to slightly tweak my system to hear the dialogue better (even though it’s subtitled), Ip Man’s audio mix comes across a bit low and soft during the many exchanges of dialogue throughout the movie. When the action starts, the mix comes to life with every bone shattering crunch and kick heard in great detail. Even the LFE gets a nice workout thanks to Donnie Yen’s fists! The only other grumble with this would be the orchestrated score throughout the movie. Whilst it does sound good in Dolby 5.1, it tends to sound more like a video game during the film and can detracted from an otherwise great film.
Extras:
Disc one only features a trailer reel for current and upcoming Cine-Asia releases, the bulk of material can be found on Disc Two. First up is an interview gallery with the cast and crew, the making of documentary is next and is split up into smaller featurettes covering most of the major aspects of filmmaking. It is worth noting that there is an UK exclusive featurette that looks at the legacy of IP Man and his influence on martial arts over the years. There is a small section on location and set design that is also worth checking out and there is a small amount of footage from the Chinese Gala Premiere. Disc two is finished off with deleted scenes, presented in timecoded, unfinished form. Whilst not the most comprehensive of special features, there is quite a lot to explore after watching the film.
Well?
Highly recommended and guaranteed to have you fishing out all your old Kung Fu movies. A great film with an outstanding performance from Donnie Yen and some of the best action sequences this year!
Rob Beardsley
Director:
Wilson Yip
Starring:
Donnie Yen
Simon Yam
Siu-Wong Fan
Ka Tung Lam
Yu Xing
Best line:
Tagline:
"The Celebrated Kung Fu Master of Bruce Lee."
Description:
Cine-Asia
Region 2
Rated 15
1Hr 46 Mins
2.35:1
(Anamorphic)
Dolby Digital 5.1
(Cantonese)
Trailer gallery
Interview gallery
Making of featurettes
Gala Premiere footage
Deleted scenes
Ratings: (Out of 5)
Film 4.0
Optics 4.0
Sonics 3.5
Extras 3.5
Overall 4.0
