Ip Man [Blu-ray] [US Import]

'Ip Man' is based on the life of the martial artist, Ip Man who was the real life Kung fu master of Bruce Lee. The movie concentrates solely on the events, which occurred around Ip Man in the city of Foshan (China) between 1930 and 1940 during the 'Second Sino-Japanese (China/Japan) War'.

In the movie, the main form of martial art that is displayed is Wing Chun, which specializes in close-range combat. Ip Man was the first martial arts master to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun openly.

Ip Man is one of the finest martial arts movies produced by the Hong Kong movie industry. It was released in December 2008 to a widespread deserved critical acclaim and box-office success. The movie was nominated for 12 Hong Kong Film Awards, winning awards for Best Picture and Best Action Choreography.

The star of the show is the really underrated Donnie Yen who enacts the role of Ip Man. He is simply underrated because he has not been involved in many high grossing movies, whereas the likes of Jackie Chan and Jet Li have. Donnie Yen, if not better, is equally as talented as Chan and Li. In the movie, the way he performed the action scenes is worthy of an applause, simply jaw dropping. Yen performs the action scenes with natural ease making the fighting look beautiful and artistic. Now, coming to the acting, this is clearly Yen's career best performance as he portrays both a 'Hero' and a 'Wounded lion' with total conviction and raging aggression. The way he expresses his emotions both facially and physically is SUPERB. Ip Man is a Donnie Yen show from beginning to end.

The character of the main villain is portrayed by the Japanese actor, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi. His portrayal of the formidable Japanese general is impressive.

The movie is directed by Wilson Yip who provides excellent direction, succeeding in keeping the audience glued to the screen until the end. Ip Man is the fourth collaboration between Yen and Yip after the brilliant 'SPL: Sha Po Lang (aka Kill Zone)', the enjoyable 'Dragon Tiger Gate' and the entertaining 'Flash Point'. All these movies are of the action genre and showcase the chemistry and talent of the duo. All three movies contain stunning martial arts especially 'Sha Po Lang', which was hailed as a return to the classic Hong Kong action cinema. Ip Man is the best effort from the duo to date.

The stunning action choreography, which is a treat to watch is provided by the legendary Sammo Hung (Hong Kong Actor/Martial Artist/Director) who has starred in classic movies like 'Wheels on Meals', 'Project A' and also 'Sha Po Lang'. The beautifull choreography by Hung is displayed on screen by Yen's martial arts skills with finesse. The fight scenes, which are real and brutal are the best I've ever seen and will leave your heart-pounding.

Another hero of the movie is the background music score, which is composed by the Japanese composer, Kenji Kawai. The music is moving and compliments the narration and Yen's action scenes with sheer perfection. The music combined with the martial-arts display by Yen simply inspired me to learn Wing Chun, but after carrying out a reality check, I think I'll leave the martial arts to Yen.

The Blu-ray quality is excellent, providing crystal clear picture and heart-thumping sound. The screen resolution for the Blu-ray disc is 1080p (1920 x 1080 progressive scan), the sound format is HD MA 5.1 Dolby Digital, the audio language is only in Cantonese and the subtitles, which are non-removable are only in English. The disc is in PAL format and region B.

Ip Man is not a normal martial arts movie as it contains all the essential elements of an out-and-out entertainer. It's one of my favourite movies as it has a moving/emotional story, with a great narration, brilliant action, terrific performances and to round it all off, soothing and inspiring music.

It's an inspiring feel-good movie with Ip Man being portrayed as the real 'Peoples Hero' who fought for his people. Once the movie gains momentum you'll be rooting for Yen subconsciously and in the process you just might discover the 'Hero' within you.

Ip Man is strongly recomended as it is one of the greatest Hong Kong movies ever. As a result of the movies success Ip Man 2 is currently in the making and is being planned to be released in 2010, can't wait.

Once Ip Man receives international recognition (for some reason it hasn't yet) it'll become an instant classic.

Magnificent!

Despite loving this film and giving it 5 stars, I'd like to contradict other reviews and say that this is not first and foremost a martial arts film, so if you are looking for a simple action movie and don't want to think, look elsewhere. If however, you are looking for a beautifully crafted, cinematic gem then watch Ip Man. For me, the focus of the film was the superb acting skill of Yen in the title role. His gentle demeanour and exquisite expression lift this film above the norm. It is primarily the story of a man of peace and humanity, plunged into the chaos of war and fighting only to protect his family, friends and country. The cinematography is beautiful and the use of colour for the opening hour, switching to an almost black and white feel punctuated by the red of the Japanese flag as a counterpoint during the latter stages when Japan invade and occupy China, is a powerful visual move. The film has moments of humour and pathos and some scenes which will bring a tear to the eye. Yes, the fight scenes are amazing and beautifully choreographed and performed but do not overly dominate what is essentially a story of the triumph of the human spirit. The film has obvious political messages in it's style and particularly at the end, which extols the virtues of China and the Chinese people to the extent that it has an undertone o communist propaganda, but it does not detract from what is a brilliant movie.

I stumbled upon this blu-ray at the video store and almost didn't get it since it was hyped as the "film about Bruce-Lee's master". I thought it was just going to be a cheaply made and dumb kung fu flick riding the coat tails of Bruce's success. What I got instead was one of the best films I have seen all year, kung fu or no. The film is very well made, the emotional aspects very well acted out and integrated throughout the film. The characters are all very believable and IP Man is definitely the people's hero.

The film and story in itself is just a treat to watch as we follow Master IP Man's life just before and during World War II including the Japanese occupation. The Kung Fu fight scenes are just incredible. I had to watch each one a number of times because they were so cool. I can't fault anything about the choreography or the style as it is just fantastic from start to finish. Donnie Yen does an excellent acting job and shines in the fight scenes.

The film makes you feel good, although some of the fight scenes are a bit brutal and bloody. In the end, it turned out to be a movie that I am going to buy.

The blu-ray has great picture quality and great sound. Neither are reference quality but still worth the blu-ray. The story is what will induce you to buy this epic film though.