Bruce Lee opened the flood gates. Donnie Yen carries the banner well.

Rating: 9/10 (4 August 2018)

This is one of the, if not the greatest martial arts films ever made. The casting, writing, choreography, and story line are all in sync. I was in awe with this movie when I first watched it and have watched it several times since. That said, I feel it dragged on a bit too long but it is still an astounding film. I think I went through every emotion at my disposal watching this film, which says a lot about the writers, actors, and directors. What a ride!!!
"Karate flicks" have been around for decades. Bruce Lee transformed "Karate flicks" into a global phenomenon. His influence on-screen opened the floodgates of respect for the Asian culture and made Martial Arts mainstream around the entire globe. This amazing film is the product of Bruce Lee's achievements. In it, Donnie Yen does not disappoint!!!
Donnie Yen's skills are beyond belief yet so believable. His demeanor brings a level of civility, humility, love, and courage that is unmatched. Almost everything in this movie is just right at every moment in the film with one or two exceptions. The hero is heroic without being over-bearing. He is powerful yet gentle.
The wife is simply drop dead gorgeous. She was cast well and played her part. I enjoyed her various scenes and enjoyed her expressions such as her look of "Boys will be boys even when they are grown men". When she was ticked-off her husband knew it and had that "uh-oh" look on his face. She basically kept her hero husband in check. When things got rough, she was the glue that held the family together. This film captured many nuances without going off track which is simply amazing.
I love true martial arts, always have. Ip Man's character is the embodiment of what martial arts is to its core. There never will be a perfect film. When it comes to a film about martial arts and more, Ip Man is as good as it gets. They are not running up walls and jumping 100 feet into the air on top of trees. The speed and agility displayed in this film without all of that stuff is incredible.
I deduct one star for a somewhat clumsy sub-plot that was added but did not add to the movie and only served to make the film longer than needed.