Ip Man (eep mun)

Sorry for the long delay in posts. But I haven't been really passionate about anything I've seen lately.

...That was until I watched Ip Man (2008).

Here's an amazing movie that, unfortunately, I think only a very few people I know will enjoy. This is a great drama with a lot of great martial arts. I felt equal parts sad, happy, touched, and that adrenaline rush that you get from amazing action scenes.

Set in the 1930's, more specifically the Japanese occupation of China, it follows the life of a man aptly named Ip Man. He's an expert it Wing Chun kung fu and a gentleman of leisure (very much a gentleman) before the war. Then during the occupation a Japanese general tries to prove that Japanese martial arts is superior to the Chinese. Ip Man refuses to fight. Conflict ensues.

The cast is excellent. Especially Donnie Yen as the lead. He's so engaging and charismatic in both dramatic and action scenes that I was on his side almost instantly. And if you didn't know any better you'd think he had been practicing Wing Chun all his life (rather than 9 months prior to shooting). But the supporting cast is very good too.

There are a couple caveats to watching this movie: 1) Some of the action is a bit brutal here and there. occasionally it looks really, REALLY painful. They did a really good job keeping the various styles of martial arts specific and accurate. A little wire-work seeps in, but it's mostly good old fashioned butt-kicking and is shot really well.

2) Watch this (please!) in it's original Cantonese with English subtitles. I prefer when the actors' mouths sync up with what it sounds like anyway. But there are subtleties that the English dubbing does not do justice to. But more importantly, there are a couple times during the film that they explain stuff that happens historically. And unless you can read Chinese you will miss a lot.