If the first Ip Man martial arts movie tells a story about Japanese invaision in 1937 where Ip Man fights for the honor of Chinese people, so in the sequel he fights for Chinese martial arts.
From the fist seconds of Ip Man 2 authors give you a message that you will see a great masterpiece and outsanding soundtrack works on it. Keeping in mind events of the first movie you are ready to immerse yourself in the movie and want to see what will happen next.
Already on 7 minute you can see a demonstration of great Kung Fu Wing Chun technique by Donnie Yen who gives some lesson to his new apprentice. Everything related to canons of Chinese action movies – firstly fight and secondly script.
The duel on the round table is especially exciting, we haven’t seen such kungfu for years, but too many wire-fu makes it not so real but in the Chinese traditions of action filmmaking. Director Wilson Yip gave this idea of this martial arts movie to Sammo Hung and he did his job perfectly. So don’t miss it, it worths your attention. Funny scene with rapid arms between Donnie and Sammo makes this part really impressing. The duel between Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung took 8 days to shoot, and everything went on very smoothly.
Ip Man must challenge with other clans to set up his own martial arts school in Hong Kong. It reminded me Bruce Le story when he fought for his right to open up his JKD school and teach foreigners in US. Fights were more realistic but it is 20 years of difference in time. Talking about young Bruce appearance, I don’t think that all the fuzz about it really deserves it. One minute at the end of the movie this is all what producers gave us. So many talks and so little time on the screne.
Watching the final fight of Ip Man 2 Film with foreigner boxer Twister suddenly one martial arts movie came to my mind -The Fearless. The film about Huo Yuanjia (Jet Li) fighting three Westerners: a British boxer, a Prussian lancer and a Spanish fencer. At the end Jet fights Anno Tanaka from Japan. Huo Yuanjia spent one film to defeat Japanese and foreigner when Ip Man is lucky to have 2 films for it. Talking about foreigner, Hercules O’Brien is much bigger than Twister, but who cares when you see such a great fighting choreography.
Want to pay your attention to Sammo Hung, he acts in perfect way, didn’t give a chance to hoist a white towel and died in the name of honor of Chinese martial arts. There was an accident during shooting, Darren struck Sammo at full force and Hung collapsed and fainted, there was blood in his nose and mouth, he couldn’t talk. They continued filming for another five hours, before Sammo was rushed to the hospital, and his face was given 4 stitches. Darren perfectly played agressive racist boxer and you feel that you are ready to jump into the ring and give him a lesson. Well done (read our interview with Darren Shahlavi) .
I do not know why but it is always funny to see foreigners in Chinese films, they show them like skinny agressive guys. Probably it’s stereotype of white man in Asian movies.
Ip Man 2 Film has got 2 stories, one is about setting up new school by Ip Man and second one is about honour of Chinese martial arts. Only second one is completely revealed. So we are waiting for a third part of Ip Man martial arts movie to see students and Bruce Lee (read review on remake of The Green Hornet movie) of cause… but on my opinion I do not want the next part.
