Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Siu-Wong Fan

A semi-biographical account of Yip Man, the first martial arts master to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun.

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91% liked it

3,043 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Wilson Yip

Release Date: December 18, 2008

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  • May 20, 2009
    "The celebrated Kung Fu master of Bruce Lee."

    A semi-biographical account of Yip Man, the first martial arts master to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun.

    REVIEW

    Excellent directio...( read more)n, photography and set design enliven this account of Wing Chun instructor Yip Man's life before he moved to Hong Kong. Every Wing Chun instructor today tries to make a lineage connection to Yip Man to legitimize their teaching so he is a very important figure in Kung Fu. Donnie Yen portrays the master with intense reserve and is possibly the best acting in his career. It surprised me for sure.

    The story line of this film is invented as historical accounts show Yip Man to have been a police officer in the time frame this film covers, not staying at home and only practicing kung fu as depicted here. Also the film claims that he refused to teach anybody but that is also not true. He left for Hong Kong a few years after WW2 not in the middle of it as this film presents. The plot with the Japanese army seems invented although they did ask him to teach the troops which he refused.

    However the film muddies up the historical record, that is not to say it isn't a great film. Sammo Hung's choreography is exceptional and a throwback to his great kung fu films of the early 1980's. The martial arts are done with great respect to traditional styles although some wire work is used to assist the actors with the difficult acrobatic moves. No flying across the room in this film.

    Although the ending is a little abrupt, this is one kung fu film that can be recommended to people who don't like these films. Highly recommended.
  • May 13, 2009
    Another martial arts epic for the ages, though this time Donnie Yen takes the lead, and deservingly so. Ip Man is a great movie, though not 100% accurate, but enjoyable and heartfelt as it tells the story of one of China's most revered Masters who later creates one of the world's...( read more) largest legacy of martial arts, which is Wing Chun.

    In the tradition of the Jet Li epics such as Once Upon a Tiime in China and Fearless, I guess this stands out more because of Donnie Yen's performance, which he took literally to heart and soul, as if he embodied the spirit of the man himself. With veteran Simon Yam and Sammo Hung as Action choreographer, how can this not be a great kung fu movie??

    Anyways, in 1937-1945, China was invaded by Japan. Ip Man and his world was thrown into chaos, though he tried to make the best of it, he realised that his peaceful life and the solidarity that he hoped for himself and his family is impossible, and thus uses his unique skills to fight back oppression and give hope to his people. In the end, in order to survive, he will eventually leave China for Hong Kong, and I guess the next movie will tell that story.


    Anyways, great cast and acting, this is a serious film though it has its moments. The music was undoubtledy a throwback to the traditional chinese kung fu music, but it blended well... the setting and cinematography was right, though it surely was no Hero or House of Flying Daggers, but then again, this is based on a true story. XD


    Anyways, this a really great film on many levels on my opinion, not just the action. Probably because they had Ip Man's descendants help work on creating that authentic feel to the movie.

    Two thumbs up.
  • February 11, 2009
    A fantastic martial arts film that puts it's genre ahead of the historical facts. This isn't a bad thing, as it produces one of the best Kung Fu films of recent memory. The first half is an introduction to Ip Man. It's fairly lighthearted and has some great lines. The son on his ...( read more)tricycle riding round the house is a particularly funny moment. There are some great fights which are a lot of fun to watch. The choreography is fluent and not so unrealistic. The second half throws Ip Man into more serious territory as he and his family lose their home and must ration their food. It becomes more of a "hurrah" for China film but tells it through one man. Again some epic fights that, unlike the first half, carry emotional weight. It's a solid piece of film making and fun Kung Fu story telling.
  • January 12, 2009
    Donnie Yen beating the crap out of a bunch of people, that's all you need to know. Pedestrian but workable story, good suporting cast. Great coreographies by Sammo. Nice to see Siu-Wong Fan working in something these days.
  • December 21, 2008
    Beatin ppl to a pulp - Donnie Yen's forte. All credit for keepin his shirt on this time! Simple story. The Lynn Hung girl was wasted, though.
  • November 4, 2009
    Great movie. Donnie Yen never ceases to amaze. This is a great story about the man who trained Bruce Lee. It tells of his life when Japan invaded his town in China and he is forced to strike a blow back against the Japanese. The martial arts and story in this film are some of the...( read more) best that I have seen in quite sometime. This movie is very entertaining and I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates asian film.
  • October 27, 2009
    Need to see this! DONNIE YEN!
  • October 17, 2009
    Wait? Another movie about a Chinese Kung-fu master kicking ass during the Sino-Japanese war? Another hero that goes from riches to rags? It does seem so, while this might be seen as a carbon copy of 2006's Fearless, the movie does excel in similar ways too: the choreography and t...( read more)he lead character (Donnie Yen). I'm giving it an extra star because I used to practice Wing Tsun, and it's always nice to see wooden dummy techniques on the screen again. Too bad it makes the Chinese folks hate the Japanese folks again, reigniting old wounds.
  • October 17, 2009
    excelent movie and it's in process ip man 2 for 2010 I hope it will be as good as this one.
  • October 8, 2009
    Once in a while, a Cantonese movie blows my mind in how good it is. Ip Man is that movie. This is the "Cinderella Man" of Wing Chun and Chinese Kung Fu. Has the same cinematic feel, and maybe even goes beyond, when you get into the depth of the actors' performances and mix that w...( read more)ith great action. The fight scenes alone propel the Kung Fu genre farther than ever. Seek this movie out. And see it again when they release it in North American theatres.

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Comments


  • kololee
    April 1, 2009
    Excellent martial arts movie with fantastic constant action and suspense.
  • masqueradeinc
    January 6, 2009
    *speechless*

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