A rousing, historical, uprising story

Rating: 9/10 (17 May 2015)

There is a weird notion in the UK that says that teenagers learning history in school would rather learn about how people died due to poverty in some minor British cities in the 1800s than anything outside of Europe for the past 2000 years. I personally find Asian history far more interesting than anything the UK has ever done. Perhaps Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors have somewhat skewed my view on the matter but compared to the utterly dull events of Britain's sparse history, Asia just seems far more interesting to me. This film's true story seems somewhat to be proof of this idea.
Ip Man sounds like a superhero name but alas he is but a man. Despite this, he really may as well have fighting superpowers. He is a master of the martial art Wing Chun and no human in his town of Fo Shan can beat him in a fight. During the subjugation of his town by the Japanese in World War II he struggles to get even a bag of rice. Fighting also occurs.
First and foremost, the fights in this film are some of the most impressive in terms of filmmaking and straight up martial arts that I have ever seen. Dust is flying about after hits and when fighters get knocked down, they seemingly defy
physics and push themselves back onto their feet. Not only are the actors impressive but also the way the fights are shot is incredible. The film uses speed- ups and slow downs masterfully (slowing down time is an important thing with Donnie Yen because he could likely unleash 15-20 punches in a second – which he does many times). It strikes a perfect balance between being too slow to be exciting and too fast, making it overwhelming and confusing. On a slightly unrelated note, much like the Raid films, I would like to disclaim some of the brutal shots in this film. If you don't want to see a guy's leg get utterly snapped, you may want to brace yourself during the fight scenes.
At the end of the first act of the film, there is a violent shift from a pretty light- hearted mood to a much darker tone. While the grimmer of the two atmospheres is fantastic and tense throughout, the difference is far too stark between the two and moreover, the first section very much overstays its welcome. All the fights (while excellent) in this section seemed purely expositional. The start in no way prepares you for what is coming next. While this may be seen as smart storytelling for maximum audience response, you are somewhat left realising that the film instantly went from the people of Fo Shan chanting 'Master Ip' to a man getting shot in the face at point blank range by Japanese soldier. While the misstep of the tone of the first act seems minor after seeing the spectacle of the film's latter sequences, it does exist and did certainly detract from the film overall.
I mentioned earlier that the darker section of the film was rife with tension and atmosphere and it is what sets the film apart from other films in the martial arts genre. These films are often either entirely comic (anything Jackie Chan has done) or entirely visceral (either of the Raid films). This film on the other hand takes both of the approaches and slams them together. While the seams stitching the two styles together are hugely apparent, the film is made better by both being present. The part of the story during the Second World War totally conveys the horror that really occurred in true history. The setting is dank and the comparison between shots of downtown Fo Shan before and after the switch is incredible (and the production value of this single street is vastly detailed and has clearly been laboured on for countless hours – which I am certainly impressed by). The use of colour is a huge shift in the film as well making the Japanese soldiers the only characters wearing anything other than shades of grey and I love smart use of colour in films. The second and third acts are incredible visually and conceptually.
Ip Man is a meticulously produced film about the eponymous master of martial arts. The fights within the film are incredible from both choreography and cinematography standpoints. The first section is unexpectedly upbeat but the latter half more than makes up for it. It is undoubtedly one of my favourite martial arts films, which is a difficult position to get to.