Ye Wen
Directed by:
Wilson YipCinematography:
Sing-Pui OComposer:
Kenji KawaiCast:
Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Lynn Hung, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Gordon Lam, Terry Fan, Dennis To, Yanneng Shi, You-Nam Wong, Tony Siu-Hung Leung, Carlson Cheng, Kong Kam (more)Plots(1)
Wing Chun grandmaster Ip cements his reputation after defeating a roving band of kung fu masters who have come to his village to challenge him and the other martial arts masters. But his devotion to the martial arts results in tension and discontent with his wife. When the Japanese occupy his hometown of Foshan during the Sino-Japan war, Ip is forced to work as a coolie in a factory and participate in brutal sparring matches for the enemy's amusement. He demonstrates his superior fighting skills by defeating his opponents despite being heavily outnumbered and wins the admiration of the Japanese Colonel, Mr. Miura, who challenges Ip to a championship fight. The outcome of the match inspires the Chinese villagers to rise up and defeat their oppressors. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (7)
A choreographic ode to movement (and pathos) in a kung fu bedtime story. Though I wouldn’t put it on for the kids, the wouldn’t be able to sleep afterwards.
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Besides having a strong political undertone and revisiting events that were a significant historical blow to China, it is excellently combined with a kung fu film of the highest quality. When it comes to choreography, there are relatively few films from recent years that can boast similar scenes. Those punches really hurt in places. It's like the old-school Hong Kong style has made a comeback. A strong drama, albeit somewhat straightforward, but primarily an excellent action film with amazing fight scenes.
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A solid martial art romp that I was expecting to be the pinnacle of the genre but it wasn't. Donnie Yen is a flawless and unbeatable dude who has no problems with anyone and is in perfect control of his art, but at times the wire was impossible to miss. There were some great scenes (Donnie vs 10 guys), but it lacked the roughness and brutality you can see in, for example, The Wrath of Vajra or me to give it 5*. 75%
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I don't particularly like kung-fu movies (or rather not at all), but Ip Man definitely deserves my great admiration and respect. Imaginative and brisk execution, great choreography and a very likeable protagonist who is good-natured and friendly at the core, but can really kick some ass. The depiction of the Japanese occupation adds a great deal of impact to the otherwise rather weak story, and the viewer is able to form a relationship with the characters despite the fact that they have quite strange dialogue and are not brimming with much emotion. The film will probably be more appreciated by Chinese audiences, for whom the characters' actions are a matter of national pride, but even the unbiased viewer is guaranteed to have a great time. Between four and five.
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One must be in a right mood for a kung fu ride. The Chinese make their movies a bit differently than what I’m used to. Their films could be compared to a Red Bull commercial in some respect, so I went into this film with some doubts. To my surprise, Ip Man is a completely natural and realistic film about the difficult situation of kung fu during the Sino-Japanese War. From a historical point of view, it was very nice to watch, and the fighting scenes were on the verge of genius. Although it is not emotionally all that tense, it was certainly interesting.
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Gallery (87)
Photo © Mandarin Films Distribution Co.
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