The fight scenes themselves are very well crafted and fit surprisingly well into the narrative, despite the stark contrast in tone between the somber set pieces and the kinetic combat. This is due in large part to the action director Sammo Hung. A well-respected actor and director from The China Drama Academy, the same Peking Opera school that taught action-film greats Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, Corey Yuen, and many others. Sammo’s choreography is quick, exciting, fearless, and punctuated by the smart, sharp camera work. With the film’s narrative director, Wilson Yip, seamlessly blending the action into his own dramatic scenes, the fights serve as vignettes within the main story, indicating a chapter change and either presenting or finishing off a plot point.
As previously stated, this film does nothing to serve the true nature of Master Ip Man. What it does very well, is use a well-known historical figure and make his experiences into an allegory for something much bigger. In this case, Master Ip Man’s stunning martial arts prowess and adeptness at soundly defeating every Japanese soldier that wanders into his field of vision, represents China’s strength and determination in dealing with the Japanese invaders during the war. This in no way detracts from the story or the overall enjoyment of the film, as it is done so well.
Kung Fu- and drama-film fans alike will find something to write home about in Ip Man. The story is historical and accessible to a wide audience, and played very straight. The comedy, camp, and absurdity that is prevalent in many Chinese allegorical films, such as Drunken Master I and II, and the Once Upon a Time in China series, is absent in Ip Man. Those film are fun to watch, have spectacular action sequences, and many are considered classics in the genre, but it is refreshing to see a film like Ip Man, that doesn’t rely Just on star power or character recognition, but on solid technical filmmaking and a truly compelling story.
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