Movie Poster

What's your name?

I'm just a Chinese man.

# Review

Ip Man tells the story of the titular character (played by Donnie Yen) who was the grandmaster of the Wing Chun martial art style and later was the teacher of Bruce Lee. This film focuses on the events of Ip Man’s life in Foshan during the Sino-Japanese War.

The supporting cast, which includes Lynn Xiong as a worried Cheung, Ip Man’s wife, Siu-Wong Fan as Jin, a brash Northern martial artist, and Hiroyuki Ikeuchi as an austere Japanese general, were decent. Yen plays a calm and humble Ip Man who avoids conflicts and focuses on perfecting his martial art. While overall the acting is good, the highlight of the film, however, is the choreography for the fights. The fighter scenes are entertaining but also elegant. The movements are smooth but also realistic. There were many actual martial artists, including Ip Man’s own son and student, Ip Chun, who were consultants to the film.

The main story is very good and while there are many fictional elements to the story, the film does a decent job showcasing the hardships people had to endure during the Japanese occupation. The portrayal of the Japanese is also much more nuanced to older films such as Fist of Fury.

# Conclusion

Some of the best fight choreography ever.

# Overall rating: 8.0

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