Ip Man 2, while not quite as good as Ip Man (reviewed here), still ranks as a thoroughly successful martial arts picture.
Donnie Yen reprises his role as Ip Man (Ip is his surname, Man his given name. If he were in the US, he’d call himself Man Ip.). He and his family are refugees in Hong Kong, their pre-war lives of affluence in mainland Foshun nothing but a memory. The first film indicated that Ip was a smart businessman, but even a smart businessman needs a little starting capital. For Ip, that means offering lessons in Wing Chun.
Soon, Ip’s standing before a gathering of the martial arts masters of Hong Kong, offering to fight any challengers for the right to be called Master. This is a fantastic sequence, even better than the film’s climactic fight against a cocky English boxer. It combines comedy (two Masters conferring, “You wanna go first?” “No, I think you should go first.”) with class and grace, showing us Masters fighting hard, but pulling their punches so as not to do any real damage. The battles convey a sense of respect and sportsmanship, with Ip bowing to each defeated opponent and telling him, “Thank you for letting me win.” When Sammo Hung himself, as the Big Boss, takes center stage against our protagonist, the film delivers a real treat. Hung has always been a big boy – he was the “fat one” during his days at Peking Opera – and it’s a real delight to see a man who’s pushing 250 lbs trading moves with the younger, fitter Yen.
So if Ip Man 2 still has Donnie Yen and even puts fight choreographer and director Sammo Hung in front of the camera, why doesn’t it measure up to Ip Man? Simply put, the stakes aren’t as high. In Ip Man, the hero tries to keep his family alive during the Japanese occupation of China. In Ip Man 2, he’s just another immigrant trying to make it in a new town. Nobody’s pointing a gun at him. Further, the fights use more wire work, which is a distraction in the quasi-realistic world Ip Man 2 tries to create. Combine that with a greater reliance on fast-paced editing in the fight sequences, and we have a film that, rather than the brilliance of its predecessor, merely checks in as very very good.
But hey, I’ll take very very good every time. Ip Man 2, while not a masterpiece, is still better than most martial arts films on the market. I’d happily watch it again.
