Donnie Yen - Underrated

Rating: 9/10 (4 April 2009)

I've just gone through my second viewing of this film, and the time flew just as quickly as it did the first time I watched it.
Ip Man is a fantastic film, with a generous mixture of action, comedy, sentiment, great acting and a simple but gripping story. In a book I read a few years ago, Donnie Yen was quoted to be not as famous as the likes of Jet Li and Jackie Chan because of his look. But, judging by this film, he has a good and posture on screen much domineering than the both of them. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of Jet and Jackie, but Ip Man has set him on the way, and I hope it brings him bigger success.
The fighting scenes in Ip Man is brutal, fast, very fluid, and actually beautiful to watch. They are also very realistic, in particular the battle against the 10 Japanese guys and the boss. The acting from all cast were also very strong. I in particular enjoyed watching Ka Tum Lam. You could really feel his pain at watching his comrades getting killed by the Japanese, and his suffering whilst getting beaten upon like a dog, you just really wanted him to escape. I was quite surprised that he was a survivor all the way until the end.
I think this film would do wonders worldwide, but it doesn't look like it is getting out of Asia, and that's a great disappointment, not just for HK film and Donnie Yen, but also for the Western audience, particularly when films - especially the action genre - these past years have been poor.
Donnie Yen is getting some healthy exposure, and he still looks very young for his age. Let's just hope he gets some better recognition, and we could have another martial arts legend (he already is in Asia) the world over! You'd be a fool to miss Ip Man... Especially if you have seen all four legendary Bruce Lee films.