Donnie Yen has enjoyed a pretty successful career over the years as one of Asia’s premier action star, but if his phenomenal work in “Ip Man” doesn’t transform him into a global superstar, then he probably never will. Loosely based on the middle years of the grandmaster of Wing Chun (and the man who would become Bruce Lee’s mentor), “Ip Man” stars Yen as the title character, a skilled martial artist who refuses to take on any students, despite living in a city renowned for its martial arts. But when the Japanese invades China towards the end of the 1930s, Ip Man must rely on the only thing he knows in order to protect his fellow countrymen, transforming him into a national hero in the process.
Obviously, director Wilson Yip has taken some liberties with the story, but that’s to be expected from any biopic. What’s most upsetting is that the movie doesn’t feel quite as epic as the source material demands. Several years of history are missing from the middle of the movie (replaced by title cards explaining what happened), while the ending feels a little too rushed for someone who accomplished so much later in his life. Thankfully, “Ip Man” makes up for its questionable direction with great performances from Donnie Yen (stoic as ever) and Gordon Lam, and easily some of the best fight sequences of the last decade. And with martial arts veteran Sammo Hung credited as the film’s action director, I wouldn’t expect any less.
