Beautifully shot but not much to do with the real Yip Man

Rating: 6/10 (2 January 2014)

I had very mixed feelings here. The visuals of Yip Man are very beautiful. The use of faded colours to make the film look aged has become really popular. The choreography of the various fight scenes are complex, fast, very fun to watch. I also love the epic music which is a kind of fusion of a classical orchestral score with elements of traditional Chinese music.
This would all make Yip Man a good picture if it wasn't for the plot. Even without reading up on the real Yip Man's biography it's fairly easy to spot that some elements of the film are just bogus. This goes especially the second half's climatic centre piece: fierce competitions between Japanese and Chinese martial artists fighting for a bag of rice. On one side the Chinese are shown as dignified and brave despite their suffering with Yip Man's character standing out almost like a Messiah. The Japanese, on the other hand, are shown as worse than stereotypical. They are positively demonic. Their characters are almost ridiculously evil so that the film can end in the equivalent of a patriotic fanfare blast.
After the very atmospheric first half I found this a bit disappointing. Several years and sequels later I wonder if the real Yip Man has finished turning over in his grave yet.