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Storyline
In 1935 in Foshan, south China, there are martial arts schools on every street corner. Ip Man is the undisputed martial arts champion, yet he has not devoted himself to teaching. Despite this, it seems that all the kung fu masters of the city are eager to fight him to improve their reputation. Written by
Riccardo Amadori
Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Taglines:
In the last great war one man defied an empire...
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Hiroyuki Ikeuchi (who played the Japanese general) suffered a mild concussion during filming, after being struck four times during a fight scene.
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Goofs
Although the movie takes place in the 1930s, in the factory showdown with Ip Man, Jin Shanzhao is shown wearing modern-day jungle boots of the sort worn by today's soldiers, especially visible when Ip Man slams his foot with his long staff.
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Quotes
Ip Man:
[
Facing the Northerner Ip Man adopts his combat stance with an unsettling mixture of mettle and serenity]
Wing Chun, Ip Man.
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Connections
Referenced in
Dragon (2011)
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This is Donnie Yen's best acting piece for awhile now, and he still delivers the action sequences brilliantly. At 44 years of age, he looks so energetic, confident and charismatic. I believe the combination of Yen, Sammo Hung and Wilson Yip is the right choice for this particular film and fighting style. Wing Chun is best depicted without the flamboyant ballet of acrobatics often seen in other wushu films.
The movie doesn't dwell on historical accuracy, but rather use that settings to set the mood, deliver the message and simply tells you the life journey of a Grandmaster in an fun and entertaining way.
I remember that Richard Attenborough said (regarding Gandhi) that there was no way a director/movie maker could encompass and depict a person's life journey in only a 2 or 3-hour movie. But rather one should aim to emulate the spirit of that person, and the message/lesson of his story. I think this movie does that, with a quality production that raised the bar for period drama.
My rating is missing 1 point because I feel that there were plot devices that had been done-to-death before in other movies like: Fists of Fury, Fearless, Kill Bill, etc. However, Yip Man simply turns the notch to a higher sound-beating level.
Don't miss this on the big screen!