What's better? To be adaptable? Or to be hard and disciplined? Well, if you think about it for a moment or two, disciplined people do seem to have a lot more focus. Whereas adaptable people are the main stars in this film Directed by Wilson Yip; and Starring: Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, and Lynn Hung. It was made in 2010, and lasts for 108-minutes.Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster
THE STORY:
Poor Ip Man (Donnie Yen). After all the trouble he had back in Foshan, all he wants to do, is to set up a Wing Chun school in Canton, so that he could provide for his pregnant wife, Cheung Wing-sing (Lynn Hung), and his child. But to do think that he is able to do that? Like Fung he can! Instead, all he can seem to do is fight!
He fights punks at his school so he can get some pupils. He
fights other punks on the streets to defend his pupils. Plus on top of that,
following a run in with the law, he is forced to fight some Chinese masters to earn
the right to run his school as well.
Pretty gruelling way of making a living, don't you think.
Well, according to asthmatic Hung Ga master, Hung Chun-nam (Sammo Hung),
it is. Especially when he has to ask Ip Man and his fellow masters for money,
so that they can pay tribune to a corrupt British Elite ruling this province.
Moreover, Ip Man thinks likewise, because once he has been accepted as a master
in his own right, his school is forced to reallocate, due to a skirmish that
his pupils have been involved with also.
Still, that's what happens, and that's what they all have to
live with. Or do they?
You see, as times passes, and respect gestates amongst the martial arts schools, the British Forces decide to host a Boxing tournament within this
lo-cal, just to demonstrate their skills in boxing, whilst the Chinese
contingent does likewise. However, once this exhibition is in full swing, a
grandstanding English Boxer named Twister (Darren Shahlavi), disrespects the
Chinese martial artists in attendance, prompting Hung to retaliate in kind.
Ooops! Bad idea.
Regrettably, Hung and the Chinese people suffer greatly for
his retaliation, causing suffering and heart ache for all involved.
Well, I suppose that is why what next transpires really
kicks off when Ip Man enters the ring. As fighters are checked - boxers are
decked - punches are necked - and at the end of the day it is all about
respect.
In the aftermath of these events, a young kid called Bruce
asks Ip Man for lessons in Wing Chun. But this cocky little child is too young
at the moment - maybe later.
THE REVIEW:
Off the bat, I just want to say that I really liked watching
'Ip Man 2'. It is great film all in all, full of what its predecessor had on
offer, whilst spinning a nice new yarn in the process. Look at the facts: (1)
Donnie Yuen is a classically trained pianist, and was initially called 'Michael
Ryan' in his earlier film roles. (2) Screenwriter, Edmond Wong, stated that
this film isn't about survival as the first film was [click here for review],
it is about living instead. Moreover, this movie also deals with how the people
of Hong Kong were treated under British colonial rule, as well as highlighting
Western attitudes where martial art was concerned. (3) Martial arts
choreographer / actor, Sammo Hung, undergone major cardiac surgery prior to
filming, yet he still managed to perform him own stunts. (4) Donnie is a big Bruce
Lee fan, and was supposed to co-star with his son, Brandon, in the sequel
to 'Long zai jiang hu', before Brandon
Now you can do me a favour please? Can you take note of
point 6 for a moment - Sammo was
dissatisfied with the action in 'Ip Man 2'. My God! Sammo must be a real
perfectionist I can tell you! Because I thought the action on this film was
just great! Honestly, the way that all the guys just whizzed around the screen
like John Travolta on speed - it was blooming amazing. The rapid fire punched -
the grandiose cinematography - the timely ambience - and the personality of it
all - it was a really nice treat to watch.
Granted, in places, I did find that certain segments of this
film did feel a little bit neglected and left by the wayside. For example, Ip
Mans wife, and how his own 'personal life' impeded his 'action life'. Still,
this is only a little gripe within the scheme of things. And overall this is a
movie that I would highly recommend to anyone who likes a dynamic and dramatic
Kung Fu yarn.
In addition to this, in someway this flick was also like a
story of two-halves as well. Conceptually, the first-half acts as an
introductory chapter of Ip's new life in Canton - with him trying to set up a
new school at this lo-cal. Whereas the second-half acts as a Rocky type
morality tale of sorts - highlighting that respect and honor can mean more at
times than kicks and punches.
OK, as you most probably gathered by now, I just love this
movie. As it goes to show that both Sammo and Donnie can really act as
well as fight. Well, there were certain scenes in this film in which I truly
forgot that these two men where the movie stars that they are. They just seemed
to inhabit their respective roles to such a degree, that Donnie was Ip and
Sammo was... errr... Hung.
Bless you guys, as I am sure that Bruce Lee and Ip Man would have been
proud with this one.
THE RATING: A
IP MAN 2
Reviewed by David Andrews
on
May 11, 2012
Rating:
Reviewed by David Andrews
on
May 11, 2012
Rating:
