The Grandmaster (2013)

Let's get one thing straight. This movie isn't historically accurate. It is much more a movie about the relationship between a grandmaster and his respected opponent's daughter than a biography of Ip Man. That being said, if you know that's what the movie is going to be, it isn't a bad film after all. There have been countless movies about Ip Man and it's refreshing to get something else than more worship for a historical character whose legacy is bigger than the character really was. I'm not saying Ip Man wasn't a fascinating character with a strong moral compass who had an important influence on martial arts cultures, but after Ip Man, Ip Man 2, Ip Man 3, The Legend is Born - Ip Man, Ip Man: The Final Fight and The Legend of Bruce Lee, the world doesn't need another blockbuster that tells us what great guy he was.The problem of this movie is something completely different. It has a shallow story partially based on fiction and partially based on facts that could be described in four sentences. Southern grandmaster starts to care about Northern grandmaster's daughter despite being married. Northern heir apparent collaborates with Japanese invaders and kills his master. Northern grandmaster's daughter vows to take revenge instead of getting married, having children and teaching martial arts. After getting her revenge, she meets the Northern grandmaster in exile and they talk about what could or couldn't have been if fate had been gentler to them.Wong Kar-Wai's movies always had a slow and philosophical touch but they had a mysterious and even slightly supernatural touch that made Ashes of Time so profound and 2046 so dreamy. The Grandmaster is slow and philosophical but is missing the unique atmosphere and content of the other two movies. If the film were seventy-five minutes long without unnecessary flashbacks and side stories, it would be a very good movie. Clocking in around two hours, depending on which of the versions you might have come across, this movie loses momentum and turns out being slightly above average.The fact that this movie is still slightly above average and not a complete disappointment is related to three reasons. First of all, the movie's cinematography is gorgeous. Images and words are carefully chosen, the change of seasons and weather is portrayed perfectly and the fight scenes are particularly elegant and almost poetic by honouring the essence of the wu xia genre. The director might at times overuse the natural symbols and the slow-motion camera effects but these elements are still beautiful to watch. Secondly, the movie has a slightly gloomy atmosphere from start to finish that keeps it together despite the at times random time-line. The film shows us examples of resilience despite severe hardship. On the other side, the movie also keeps a different message for us: you have to see beyond the boundaries to become who you deserve to be. Thirdly, the acting performances are solid. Tony Leung is authentic as calm and wise grandmaster who still has his minor flaws and weaknesses. I really liked his balanced portrait of the character which is a welcome change in comparison to the numerous movies worshipping Ip Man. The most stunning actress is Zhang Ziyi in this film. She convinces as ambitious, proud and smart young woman who progressively becomes bitter, nostalgic and tired. This gradual transformation is absolutely haunting to watch and would have been even more efficient without the use of flashbacks. That being said, it's difficult to escape her genuinely beautiful and elegant appearance on screen which makes the character's fate even gloomier. The fight scenes in the movie are very poetic but so are Zhang Ziyi's costumes, face and movements and she remains credible as her father's skilled avenger. Nobody could have played this role better than her.In the end, if you are familiar with Wong Kar-Wai philosophical and poetic wu xia movies, you will also appreciate The Grandmaster. The acting performances are very good, the cinematography is beautiful and the movie has a gloomy vibe while still delivering a hopeful message. If you are looking for a historically accurate portrait of Ip Man or if you are expecting a vivid martial arts flick as the movies starring Donnie Yen, you might not get what you want. In the end, this is a martial arts movie that really focuses on the second part of its expression: arts.

Wong Kar Wai usually make really great movies, typically some very offbeat dramas that sink into your conscious and then sticks with you. And while there are some great moments here and there in "The Grandmaster" (aka "Yi dai zong shi"), then the movie was nowhere near the usual complex and unique movies that Wong Kar Wai has previously directed.The story that Wong Kar Wai sets out to tell in "The Grandmaster" is about legendary Kung Fu master Ip Man, the man who trained Bruce Lee in the martial arts.If you expect a grand martial arts movie, then you will be sorely disappointed. "The Grandmaster" is sort of a very pointless mixture of martial arts and drama, that ultimately failed to deliver on both accounts. The martial arts sequences were visually impressive, but they didn't really help the movie's storyline to progress. And the drama was just too long-dragged and became too much and somewhat of a hindrance to the movie. And in overall, the movie is just kept in too dark hues and tones.What made this movie semi-watchable was a great performance by Tony Leung, one of the better actors of the Hong Kong cinema. Oddly enough, then it was as if Ziyi Zhang didn't fully put everything she had into her performance in this movie.Wong Kar Wai sets out to accomplish something grand with this movie, but swung and missed far, unfortunately. "The Grandmaster" is not really a memorable moment in Chinese cinema. And there are far better and more enjoyable movies about Ip Man available.

Rarely have I seen a movie with such a marriage of art and poetry. It seemed like studying a paining at depth while hearing a poet/teacher tell a story of his life. Ip's story and his connection to Gong Er was operatic. I was engrossed to the end by the performances. The direction and cinematography was the best I've seen in a long while. The long, slow scenes were perfect for the story as it was told mixed with a soundtrack that was appropriate throughout. I truly enjoyed this movie and I will add this to my private collection as a movie I will want to return to again and again. Even the fight scenes were more dance or ballet than simple fighting but with technique and flow rarely seen. I highly recommend this film.

This film tells the story of Chinese Martial Arts Master IP man , the most famous fighter of China and around the world ; this is the tale of martial-arts master Ip Man, the man who trained Bruce Lee . In fact , Bruce Lee trained in Wing Chun and later developed his own hybrid martial arts philosophy . IP Man was the founder and spiritual guru of the Win Chun . This luxurious Kung Fu film was marvelously filmed with good production design , colorful cinematography , spectacular combats and breathtaking scenes . The flick displays lots of violence , action filled , fierce fights though turns out to be overlong and some tiring . It deals with Ip Man's (Tony Leung) peaceful existence in Foshan , but his life changes when Gong Yutian (Wan) seeks a successor for his family in Southern China . Ip Man then meets Gong Er (Ziyi Zhang) who challenges him for the sake of regaining her father's honor . Later on , there takes place the Second Chinese-Japanese War , as Ip Man moves to Hong Kong and struggles to provide food and comfort for his family but they decease . While , Gong Er takes the way of revenge after her father is wrongly murdered . Good film starring Tony Leung , based on the true story of the martial arts master IP Man . Tony Chiu Wai Leung trained four hours a day for a year in preparation for his role . This moving Chop-Socky displays drama , action-packed , thrills , and wild fighting images . It is an action-filled and violent film , being filmed in Shanghái , Foshan, Kaiping ,Guangdong, and Shenyang, Liaoning, China . Director Kar Wai Wong establishes his signature style of kinetically-paced story-telling through sumptuous imagery , leading to international critical acclaim . The picture is full of tumultuous sequences with frenetic action , surprises , fierce combats and groundbreaking struggles . The rousing fights with deadly use of fists , feet and palms ; actors exercised ¨Wing Chun¨ it is a Chinese martial art that emphasizes short-range practical combat with direct punches and blocks and low kicks , its practitioners are trained to quickly approach and engage opponents at close range , this can negate the longer range of taller opponents by attacking from inside their offensive perimeter. Fights , attacks and exciting combats very well staged by expert fighters , the result is a strong entry for art martial buffs . Amid the glamour and grandeur of the scenarios is developed an intrigue between Chinese-Japanese confrontation and about a fighter master who attempts to restore his name . Groundbreaking combats among Tony Leung , Ziyi Zhang and a lot of enemy fighters . Classic as well as impressive Chop-Socky in which wild fighting scenes provide an overwhelming view of Tony Leung/Ziyi Zhang's skills . Actors made their owns stunts ; some of the players got injured and to had to be hospitalized during the shooting , some of them suffered mild concussions during filming, after being struck several times during fighting scenes . The motion picture was well directed by Kar Wai Wong , but some moments results to be a little boring and slow moving . He is 1st Chinese to win the Best Director Award at Cannes film Festival (1997) for "In the Mood for Love" and has directed several successes such as ¨My Blueberry nights¨, ¨2046¨, ¨Happy together¨, ¨Fallen Angels¨ and ¨Chungking Express¨. And , of course , this ¨The Grandmaster¨ that was official submission of Hong Kong to the Oscars 2014 best foreign language film category . One reason for the long development time of the movie was that the film spent over a year in editing before director Kar Wai Wong was satisfied . The ¨Grandmaster¨project was announced almost 10 years before its final release, due to director Kar Wai Wong's endless perfectionism. Several other motion pictures about the Ip Man that were conceived after this announcement most famously ¨Ip Man¨ (2008) by Wilson Yip with Donny Yen , ¨IP Man 2¨ (2010) by Wilson Yip with Donnie Yen as Yip Man , Xiaoming Huang , Wong Shun-Leung , Sammo Hung Kam-Bo , Lynn Hung , Simon Yan and ¨IP Man 3¨ (2013) with Anthony Wong Chau-Sang as Ip Man, Gillian Chung , Jordan Chan and Eric Tsang , all of them were all released in the meantime.