IP MAN - The man who trained Bruce Lee

[Sam@Cult Labs]

Bruce Lee is an icon, the man who brought the Eastern fighting arts into Western consciousness, but IP MAN is the one who taught him the moves. Donnie Yen stars in a new biopic of this remarkable man and it's no polite Crouching Tiger affair. For Cult Labs folk who obviously like their onscreen violence to really kick, IP MAN is perfect marital arts cinema. I've never seen a film in which so many grunts get pummeled in the top of the skull until brain juice flys out of their noses.

Here's the blurb and trailer stuff....




IP MAN (cert. 15) will be released as a two-disc DVD (£15.99) and single-disc Blu-ray (£19.99) by Cine Asia on 26th October 2009.

Directed by Wilson Yip (Flash Point; Dragon Tiger Gate; SPL) and starring Donnie Yen (An Empress And The Warriors) in the title role, the award-winning wartime period action-drama IP MAN brings to the screen the fascinating life of the celebrated Chinese martial artist who famously became martial arts master to Bruce Lee and was the first person to teach the close range combat techniques of Wing Chun openly.

Providing a dream role for Yen, who has always been an outspoken Bruce Lee fan and has gone on record hailing him as one of the greatest Chinese figures in history, the story of IP MAN and his importance in the development of modern martial arts cannot be overstated. In fact, Bruce Lee was so devoted to his master that he would often sit outside the dojo before classes started looking sullen, pretending that lessons had been cancelled so that, once the other students had gone home, he could enjoy personal one-on-one training sessions with Master Ip.

The year is 1935 and Foshan in Guangdong province is a hive of martial arts schools each competing against each other for superiority. The area's undisputed Wing Chun master is Ip Man (Yen), an independently wealthy and unassuming character who refuses to give classes and only fights behind closed doors in order to protect his challengers from the embarrassment of defeat.

Several years later, invasion by Japanese military forces sees Ip Man and his family destitute and hungry. In desperation, Ip takes a job working at the local coal plant alongside many of his fellow martial artists, where employees are offered bags of rice to take part in bouts fighting against the Japanese soldiers in the commander's private dojo. Following the death of one of his former peers in the dojo, Ip volunteers to take on ten Japanese fighters at once, an act which arouses the interest of the Japanese commander, Miura. Meanwhile, on hearing they are being harassed by local bandits, Ip agrees to teach Wing Chun to the workers at his friend's cotton mill so they may defend themselves. Hearing news of this development, Miura demands that Ip Man also instructs his troops in martial arts. Refusing to cooperate, Ip Man instead challenges Miura to a public fight in which he intends to prove the superiority of Chinese over Japanese martial arts once and for all.

The fourth movie collaboration between director Wilson Yip (Flash Point; Dragon Tiger Gate; SPL) and action star Donnie Yen (An Empress And The Warriors), IP MAN boasts incredible fight choreography and action direction by Sammo Hung (Three Kingdoms; Kung Fu Hustle; The Medallion) and Tony Leung Siu Hung (The Legend Of Drunken Master; The Three Swordsmen). Nominated for 12 honours at the 28th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2009 and eventual winner of the Best Picture and Best Action Choreography Awards, the film took the number one spot at the Hong Kong box office during its initial domestic theatrical release keeping both "Twilight" and 'Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" off the top of the charts.

A sequel to IP MAN is already in production and is scheduled for release in May 2010, while a biopic of Bruce Lee, produced with the cooperation of Lee's family, is being planned for release to coincide with the 70th anniversary of his birth on 27th November 2010.

IP MAN (cert. 15) will be released as a two-disc DVD (£15.99) and single-disc Blu-ray (£19.99) by Cine Asia on 26th October 2009. Special Features include: Trailer Gallery; Interview Gallery (Wilson Yip, Donnie Yen, Lam Ka-tung, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Ip Chun, Fan Sui-wong, Xiong Dai-lin, Sammo Hung, Simon Yam); "Making Of" Gallery (Making Of, Pre-production, Shooting Diary); Location/Set Design Gallery (The Foshan Cotton Mill, Foshan's Main Street and Mo Goon Street, Ip Man's Residence); Gala Premiere footage; Deleted Scenes Gallery; Cantonese 2.0 and 5.1 (with English subtitles) audio options; Cine Asia trailers.

[Sam@Cult Labs]

Read about the real IP MAN on the Cult Labs Fan Page:

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=151346403878

[Splatterdragon73]

Does anybody here know if the U.K. DVD and Blu-Ray release of this movie is better than it's R1 counterpart?

[thundercrack]

Originally Posted by Splatterdragon73

Does anybody here know if the U.K. DVD and Blu-Ray release of this movie is better than it's R1 counterpart?

I'm not sure as IP Man will be released in the US on 27th July

[springjack]

I'm not sure as IP Man will be released in the US on 27th July

DVD
http://www.axelmusic.com/productDetails/812491011454

BLU-RAY #1
http://www.axelmusic.com/productDetails/812491011461

BLU-RAY #2
http://www.axelmusic.com/productDetails/812491011522

[DJBenz]

For those that enjoyed Ip Man, you might want to search out the sequel, Ip Man 2, and prequel Ip Man: The Legend is Born.

I haven't seen the prequel yet (Donnie Yen doesn't star in the title role, as it's the younger years of Ip Man being told) but it's notable for its inclusion of Ip Chun (Ip Man's Son and head of the worldwide Wing Chun Athletic Association) as one of the characters.

Ip Man 2 I felt was very much a similar template to the first but not a patch on it. It tells the story of Ip Man's move to Hong Kong and the establishing of his first martial arts school (where he would eventally teach Bruce Lee). The oppression in this film comes not from occupying Japanese forces, but from the almost mafia-like coalition of martial arts schools lead by Master Hong (Sammo Hung).

Ip Man proves himself once again and the culmination of the film is Ip versus a goliath of an English boxer to save Chinese pride. It's all a bit trite and spoiled somewhat by the really apalling actors they used to play the British characters.

Yen has expressed a reluctance to return for Ip Man 3 and if there's a similar slide in standards to the first I can't say I'd blame him.

[HongKongDave]

Personally I preferred Ip Man 2 - the first felt a little too full of itself for me but part 2 is hyterically funny thanks to the guys playing the brits

Although some Chinese friends of mine were rather more disturbed by the racism than I. It's there but my overwhelming reaction was one of laughter!

The prequel is a solid bit of work and well worth a watch if only to see Sammo & Yuen Biao spar

[drees5761]

Ip Man 1 is a classic , no 2 is ok for the first half, then gets silly with the boxing and Rocky 4 style ending. Anyone who has seen it will know what i mean.
The Legend Is Born, the prequel of sorts is a good film, excellent action, not on par with the first Ip Man but fans of the genre should enjoy it. I studied Wing Chun so have an added interest in the films. Old school fans should check out Prodigal Son and Warriors Two, two classic Wing Chun films directed by Sammo Hung.

[Kenro199x]

The first Ip Man was great although the blu-Ray here in the U.S. made this odd decision to wash out the colors in the pre-Japan invasion part of the story. Wish the home video version was better.

Part two was fun and while it did have a Rocky IV vibe to it I didn't mind it so much because:

1) I Like Rocky IV
2) It had the greatest Boxer vs. Martial Artist scene ever. Samo's fight scene with the British Boxer was awesome. Donnie's fight at the end with the boxer was awesome as well (but different in that it didn't feel derivative of the prior fight).

I really enjoyed both films immensely.

[DJBenz]

I think I will take another look at IM2, as I think I approached it expecting the same kind of film as the first. With a bit more of my tongue in cheek, I may enjoy it more. The action is great in the second film, but I wasn't taken so much by the story.

Donnie's fight at the end with the boxer was awesome as well (but different in that it didn't feel derivative of the prior fight).

One thing that spoiled it for me was that Ip only remembered, at the crucial dramatic moment, his advice on the boxer's weak point and then won the fight based on that and a bit of Hong style thrown in for good measure.