Life is never easy when you're a martial arts master: there's always someone on your case, insisting that you prove your skills. Take Ip Man for example…Having been wounded by the Japanese, Wing Chun expert Ip Man (Donnie Yen) escapes to Hong Kong where he sets up a school to teach his style of kung fu. The first potential pupil to show up is Wong Leung, who says he will only pay for lessons if Ip Man can defeat him, which he does; ashamed, Leung runs away. Leung returns later with several of his friends who team up to try and beat Ip Man, but to no avail. They realise that Ip man is a true master and beg for him to become their sifu.Word soon spreads and Ip Man's class grows steadily larger, but when Leung is kidnapped and held to ransom by the students of a rival school, the Wing Chun master must once again prove his worth, by freeing Leung and beating the rival students. This brings him to the attention of master Hung Chun-Nam (Sammo Hung), who runs the local guild of martial arts schools. Ip Man is told he can only continue to teach Wing Chun if he takes a test against the other masters. Yet again, Ip Man has no choice but to show what he's made of, beating several masters and matching Hung in a one-on-one.Ip Man is accepted by the guild but is told that he must pay a monthly fee of $100; he refuses to accept their terms, but continues to teach, which causes more friction that results in a massive street brawl.Ip Man goes to smooth out matters with Hung, and earns the guild master's respect. Hung makes a peace offering in the form of tickets to a western boxing match being organised by Superintendent Wallace, a corrupt British officer in the Hong Kong police force. At the match, star boxer 'Twister' Miller (Darren Shahlavi) insults the Chinese fighters who are demonstrating their skills, saying that kung fu is no match for boxing. Hung enters the ring to defend his culture and accepts a challenge from Twister. Sadly, Hung is killed during the match. During a press conference to try and placate the Chinese, Twister once again boasts that he can beat any of their fighters. Guess who accepts the challenge…This sequel to the hugely popular Ip Man (2008) once again blends fact with fiction to tell the exploits of the Chinese national hero who would later go on to train superstar Bruce Lee. Taken with a pinch of salt, it proves to be hugely entertaining stuff, with Yen exercising both his acting and his fighting muscles to the fullest. The fish market fight against the rival students is a little far fetched, and the martial arts scenes rely a little too much on wire-work for me to find them fully satisfying, but with Sammo Hung as action director, and super fast moves and incredible athleticism from star Yen, there's still plenty to make the jaw drop.Sammo Hung also shows that he's still got what it takes in front of the camera, with his fights against Ip Man and Twister being a lot of fun, but it is the Wing Chun master's fight against the Ivan Drago-style bad guy in the final act that inevitably proves to be the highlight—a brutal smack-down guaranteed to please all but the most fussy of martial arts fans.7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

The most impressive thing about Ip Man was its action choreography, not because it was expertly carried out but because after a long time, martial arts in cinema didn't look like a joke that went way too over-the-top. Instead, it had a very realistic feel, something that I'd been waiting for so long. There's no denying that the film had its storytelling issues but most of those complaints were simply brushed aside by its adrenaline-fueled, high octane & wildly spectacular action.Now as for Ip Man 2, almost everyone who went in expecting the same thrilling experience that the original delivered didn't really come out feeling exactly the same. The film had an opportunity to be a worthy sequel to Ip Man but it exhibits such a massive downgrade in all aspects that it turns into a disappointment quite easily. Even its action choreography discards that grounded feel & ends up taking the same over-the-top route we've seen so many times in so many martial arts actioners before.Following the events after the first film, set during the early 1950s & very loosely based on the life of Chinese martial artist Ip Man, Ip Man 2 presents the Wing Chun grandmaster's life in Hong Kong under British colonial rule where he opens a school to teach his discipline but soon faces opposition from local practitioners. After managing to earn their respect, things go extremely wrong when a cocky British boxer makes fun of the Chinese tradition & throws an open challenge to anyone, thus forcing Ip Man to step into the ring.Directed by Wilson Yip, there are a handful of positives in this film such as its good pacing, an enjoyable plot & another charismatic performance from Donnie Yen. But that's all there is to this picture for it is marred by dull characters, horrible dialogues, poor performances, fractured storytelling & the most heartbreaking of them all, lacklustre action. What was done so amazingly well in the previous film is completely forgotten here although there are a few glimpses of such moments when the filmmakers aren't trying too hard.On an overall scale, Ip Man 2 lacks the elements that made Ip Man such a terrific example of its genre & feels like those sequels which are made to cash in on the success of the original rather than trying to push forward what it achieved with the first film. Replacing the authentic martial arts choreography with eye-candy moments full of gravity-defying stunts in slow-motion within the first act of the film, Ip Man 2 is a massive disappointment in every manner, lacks the kinetic energy of the original & falls remarkably short of its expectations.

Directed again by Wilson Yip (for the last time in the series) Ip Man 2 continues the tale of Ip Man and his rise to worldwide fame. There have been less complaints about the film makers "frugality" with actual events this time around. Picking up where Ip Man finished, the film takes place in Hong Kong.Donnie Yen reprises his role as the modest yet powerful Wing Chun master Ip Man. But he is not alone, he's got company from several actors from the first film. Actors Simon Yam, Lynn Hung, Siu-Wong Fan, and Li Chak are all back reprising their roles from the first film.One very delightful addition to the cast is Sammo Hung, who choreographed Ip Man 1 and 2, playing the overbearing martial artist master Hung-Chun Nam. Despite recovering from major heart surgery just prior to filming, Sammo gives his usual level of acting and (performing all his own stunts and getting injured in the process) fighting.This time around it's not just other martial arts masters that Ip Man has to deal with, it's the occupational British who have claimed Hong Kong for their commonwealth. With an overbearing attitude, which to be far the English in those days practised wherever they happened to occupy, and a clear distaste for the new British commonwealth citizenry; the people who "run" Hong Kong are equal to the Japanese in their attitude if not their actions.Despite this being the real focal point of the film, the actors playing the snobby and dislikable English overseers of Hong Kong are abysmal. Not one of them can decide which accent to use sounding like a strange combination of Australian, quasi-English, American, and God knows what else.Bad accents aside, the acting level was such that I harboured suspicions that the film makers had grabbed foreign tourists off the street to plug into the roles of the villainous British leaders. In a film where most of the climatic scenes take place against these oppressors, it really hurt not only the credibility of the film but it marred the film's message as well.Still, the fight scenes were impressive, the students were likable, irritating and endearing, and Ip Man's wife was a lot more understanding this time around.I need to say a quick word about Siu-Wong Fan who got to reprise his role as Jin from the first film, his character is a reformed man after the experiences from his interactions with Ip in the first film. He gets more of a part to play in the proceedings as a good guy, but then, he practically disappears for the rest of the film. I loved what he did with Jin and he was easily my favourite character besides Ip and Hung.Donnie Yen has gone on record as saying that this is the definitive Ip Man film and that it easily overshadows the first film. I disagree. While he does a brilliant job, again, as Ip; the film doesn't have quite the same structure or fluidity that the first film offered. The scenes of Ip fighting Master Nam (and his sycophants) could have been a lot longer although, admittedly, the premise of fighting on a loose table top was pretty damned impressive.When Ip Man 2 was in its pre-production stage, it was going to focus on Ip's relationship with famous pupil Bruce Lee. Due to their inability to get legal clearance from Lee's family in time, Lee's "appearance" in the film is shortened to just a few seconds of a very young Lee "meeting" Ip Man. A short sequence that was amusing, but intimately un-needed, I thought.Overall, despite Yen's assurances that this the Ip Man movie that will gain legendary status, I did not enjoy the film nearly as much as I did the first one. Consequently, I've given it a 4 out of 5 stars after taking a full star off for the un-even acting skills of the non-Chinese actors in the film.Although I am sure that all the "foreign" actors in the film were hampered somewhat by working in a film that doesn't feature English as its main language, a problem that I've noticed in most Asian films that feature English or American actors/characters. I hope that the next project they work on doesn't handicap them as badly as this film did.This is available on iTunes at the moment.

To start, the camera and artwork is done beautifully. I felt that every second was thought out carefully. The perspectives of the shots and what was happening fit very well together. Although those with "lazy eyes" may disagree, the subtitles seemingly disappeared within a few minutes. This effect is only achieved (for myself) when all details, large and small, fall nicely into place. In a way, subtitles can enhance a film. Not a word is lost due to volume imbalances. Despite the rough translations in many movies, the spirit still comes through strongly.The action is executed with obvious expertise, ensuing moments of "OUCH!" and "NICE ONE!" Some may feel much suspense, others will find the conflicts somewhat predictable. For this, I will subtract one star. Now, the most important part; the lesson. There are certain lessons that drive any film to success when finished properly. The movies I adore most are the ones in which I learn the most. I'm sure there are other films that teach this lesson just as well, if not better. I must say though, my throat knotted up and I bit my tongue to hold back tears near the end.My sense of this word (the word being the lesson and also spoken) has greatly attuned. What this movie has taught me is permanently etched into my soul. Hint: The practical wisdom is translated in the last eighth ;)