Ip Man 2

'Ip Man 2' is really spectacular. No wonder that this movie has tons of actions scenes. Even though you're not Chinese, this is a really great Chinese movie you have to watch.

The story is pretty normal since it's a part historical movie where you can't change a lot of the original story. For a historical film, the story is not the real factor for it to be good.

After seeing 'Ip Man', I have to say that it was good. It was very astonishing! After hearing the announcement on this sequel, I decided to check it out! Honestly, it was beyond my expectations! The fighting scenes were long enough and awesomely shot. The movie had so many fighting scenes that I say this movie is much better than it's predecessor. All those scenes were beyond my thoughts.

The kungfu moves were also well directed. They were amazing and far cooler than the first movie.

With a lot of action scenes, I think that 'Ip Man 2' is one of the greatest Chinese action films in history.

Well done 'Ip Man 2'! 8 stars for this sequel!

Edmond Wong's screenplay, like the first film, focused more on drama and had moments where questions such as integrity and the living of one's life according to ideals get raised, whether it is, for the sake of the greater good, worthwhile to forgo those ideals in order to make a living, and allow those who work for you, to make something out for themselves too. In essence, which of the lesser evils are you willing to compromise on. There's also time taken to devote to the corruption of Caucasian police officers, as well as how the Chinese used to fight their own, before learning to unite in the face of stronger, external opponents out to humiliate and insult long held values because of ignorance and prejudice.

The second half of the film, with what we've seen in the trailers involving yet another East versus West matchup that have been covered in contemporary martial arts films and biopics like Fearless and True Legend, was quite the worry for me, in that it would be another opportunity for meaningless bashing and the championing of nationalistic messages. It's that sense of deja-vu that you fear arising from a similar situation from its predecessor, but thankfully, we get a fight that's quite compelling to watch, with Ip Man now being properly challenged by an opponent who's skilled with plenty of power and dexterity, with that lack of honour in dishing out a fair fight. Darren Shahlavi who portrays Twister the boxer, gets top marks for making you all riled up with his constant air of superiority.

Action choreography continues to be designed by Sammo Hung, and personally three action sequences stand out. I didn't enjoy the fish market brawl, as I didn't take to Ip Man fighting with an unruly horde, except that there's a moment of truth there when he shows by example his philosophy of "running away" (not that he's a coward) which continues from where he left off from an answer to Wong Leung. Two scenes which stood out involves Shahlavi's battle with the Chinese grandmasters, and frankly, despite being a "boxing" match, it was really imaginative of Sammo to deliver something that's quite different from the usual action sequences in Chinese films involving battling a Caucasian in a ring.

But the number one action sequence, albeit a little bit short, would be that which you've been teased by the trailer, with Ip Man versus Sammo's Hung Jan Nam mano a mano atop a flimsy table, in what would be Wing Chung versus Hung Ga Kuen. Naturally, not to offend real life practitioners means the result of the fight would be understood, but to see Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung match up against one another, is an action film fan's dream come true again, from SPL, especially after Ip Man dispenses with the side show phonies. If I had a complaint, these two really went all out with the speed of execution, that you just want to beg the camera to stay put from afar in slow motion to allow us all to gaze.

And because of the enigmatic presence of Sammo, somehow I feel that Ip Man the character got diluted screen time because ample time has to be set aside to prevent Sammo's Master Hung from being just the supporting character, but one that's properly fleshed out. He's there to be the contrast as the older martial arts practitioner who's well respected by his peers, and providing that glimpse of how Ip Man could progress, and whether to want to compromise ideals for those dependent on him for livelihood. Sammo being Sammo also chews up the screen with his charisma, and you can hear gasps of reverence reverberate around the cinema hall when he first appears on screen, his persona just screaming that he's one bad mo-fo not to be messed around with.

So Ip Man's thunder did get stolen a little, and the air of invincibility of Ip Man also got shattered in this film, as Wing Chun gets practiced and delivered by others, and we see him drawing or even beaten, which is something rare and unseen thus far. Of course this makes his character even more believable that he's no Superman, and that it provides an opportunity for us to cheer him on in continuing to combat and stand for his ideals. Yen continues to deliver Ip Man in a relatively low key style, preferring smiles and the occasional smoke to wanting to show off that he's one of the best martial artists out there.

Simon Yam, Calvin Cheng, Fan Siu-Wong and even Lynn Hung who plays Ip Man's Wife from the first film were all sadly underutilized, and the introduction of Kent Cheng was something like a direct replacement of Lam Ka-Tung's character from Ip Man 1 (which means the deleted scene in the earlier film could be considered canon if you wish), being the default translator between the Chinese and the British, and more often than not is seen siding with the Westerners in order to keep his cop job. Huang Xiaoming brings a youthful energy as Wong Leung, and I suppose his inclusion is to capture the Mainland market where he's got a huge following.

Same same, but different, is my verdict of Ip Man 2, being just as enjoyable but lacking a certain inexplicable x-factor that could have made the second outing surpass the first.

Ip Man (Donnie Yen), a master of the fighting style Wing Chun despite his smoking habit, has come to Hong Kong. But he meets some resistance, both from other masters of other fighting styles and then from the British authorities who rule. Can Ip Man overcome, or at least learn to live with, such obstacles?

Let me just get this out of the way: "Ip Man" is a terrible name for a movie, even if that was really the man's name. And having his nemesis be Master Hung? This is not how you sell a movie to American audiences. Marketing concerns aside, the film was amazing.

The choreography was excellent, the use of tables, chairs and pallets as props during fighting was wonderful. And the musical score was phenomenal, hitting all the emotional highs in just the right places, making the fight scenes even more epic than they already were.

I can see this film being popular, especially with the current MMA craze: this film features a Wing Chun master fighting a Western-style boxer. Of course, this is not real, but I still see this appealing to someone. Probably many someones.

The DVD is loaded with hours of extras, and the quality is amazing. You even have six audio options, so your stereo will get a workout, and you can watch in either Chinese or English (I watched in Chinese with English subtitles, but you may prefer to have your movies dubbed).

The quote on the cover called this "possibly the best martial arts movie", which I am sure is taken out of context, but it is also not a stretch. While I am not a huge fan of the genre, this film captivated me and I found it hard to look away. With the exception of Master Hung's repulsively ugly, fat son, this movie is pretty much perfect.

I don't think I have seen the film that this is a sequel to, so early on I was a little lost with the flashback montage in the credit sequence and I felt a little unsure of some of the characters. Within about 5 or 10 minutes though this really doesn't matter because mostly the film is happy with very basic motivations and plotting, in favour of frequent fight sequences. The overall plot sees Ip Man coming to Hong Kong to continue the spread of his teaching but coming up against resistance from other schools in the area and the interference of a corrupt British chief. Although we also have money problems, a pregnant wife and relationships from the first film, that is pretty much all you need to know.

This is undeniably a disappointment – not so much because I wanted lots of dialogue and character development, but more because the moments of the film where we do have them tend not to work particularly well because they are just lip-service and not done well. How much of a problem this is though is minimised by just how much action there is and also how good it is. Whether it is an intense fight in a fish market against a gang of others, or the one-on-one boxing match of the finale, all of the fight sequences are exciting and very well choreographed. Although it has pace, the editing is not so frantic and rapid that it masks the action and it is impressive to see all the moves and skills of the performers. Donnie Yen is impressive in all of them.

Where Yen is less effective is in the acting side; the film doesn't give him much to work with and he also plays it very quiet and still, respectful perhaps but he is a lot less of a presence when he is not fighting. Fortunately others are more lively in terms of performances and the film benefits from plenty of nice characters and light comedy from the other masters and the students. Sammo is solid in all regards and he gets some good action too.

Yip Man 2 may carry characters and story from the first film, but very quickly it gets down to the action and pretty much delivers action sequence after action sequence, all of them engaging and intense. The lack of character and development is a weakness, but the strengths do more than carry it through this.

Overall, Ip Man's series has been a very inspirational trip for me. I grew up with Bruce Lee and from the direction of the director, I see where the movie is going to, whether it's historic or not. Before anyone else say anything about the western boxer in this movie, I lived through the end 70's of Asian martial arts world and I must say it has has it's share of "to the death boxing matches". Growing up in asia, we have had our share of nonregulated matches where contestant signed papers which declared their fight to the death. So it is no surprise that in this movie such a scene would occur. Not having TV at that time, the thrill of hearing such a match from radio (I remember my first Ali match and it was also on Radio, not TV) I can sympathise for the director's broad representation of history.

On the whole, when Ip Man told his disciple Leung, that he wasn't trying to teach him how to fight but to teach him the values of "martial morals", reminded me of my martial arts training under my master. Movies reflect life and in this moment of the film, I totally understood what the movie was going to.

I can only say, seek the truth and not be blinded by what is presented.