Donnie Yen (who grew up in Hong Kong and Boston) plays Ip Man, the fellow who invented Wing Chun Kung Fu and who, years after the events of this film, taught Bruce Lee. Here, he’s a prosperous gentleman in the Chinese town of Foshan. Foshan is a center of martial arts education, and he’s respected as the greatest practitioner around. Oh, and he’s also a great guy, always willing to help a friend and going out of his way to avoid embarrassing those who would challenge him.
And then the Japanese invade.
And that’s all I’m going to say about the plot, except to tell you that this isn’t the “brave resistance leader” movie I expected. Ip Man knows that punches and kicks aren’t much good against machine guns, and he’ll be happy if he can just figure out how to keep his family alive through the occupation. That isn’t to say that there are no punches and kicks, just that they’re carefully set up and they happen for a reason. Ip Man’s fights may be fun and cool in the beginning of the film, when everything’s generally ok, but they take on considerable dramatic weight after the Japanese show up. I found myself not just grooving on the choreography and execution, but emotionally engaged in each battle and worried for their outcomes.
Look, you know and I know that the world is full of great dramatic films. You want to know if Ip Man works as a martial arts picture. It does, and here’s why: Sammo Hung, who choreographed and directed the fighting sequences, has been doing this for a long time: he was one of Jackie Chan’s classmates in Peking Opera School, a brutally difficult academy that takes athletic kids and turns them into adults capable of amazing feats of grace and violence. Hung went on perform in a career’s worth of films and television programs (including a short-lived American cop show), and today he divides his time between performing and directing. Donnie Yen, the film’s star, has performed against martial arts luminaries such as Jet Li in Hero and Jackie Chan in Shanghai Knights. In other words, we’re talking about an action director and a star who both know what they’re doing (We expect the opponent stuntmen to know their craft. Ability to execute stunts is their calling card, while Hero Character actors also need to look good, be able to emote reasonably well, etc. Sometimes, for Hero Characters, stuntwork ability comes in second.). This assurance translates into fight scenes that actually make sense, with long takes that allow us to see and appreciate the work and the artistry that the performers bring to the production.
So what we’re talking about here is a movie with dramatic heft and first rate martial arts action. Add excellent production values and historical resonance, and we have a recipe for success. Ip Man is a winner.
