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Special Features
Interviews with Donnie Yen, Wilson Yip, Simon Yam, Sammo Hung, Lynn Hung, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Ip Chun
US Trailer and Theatrical Trailer
Making Of
2 TV Spots
3 Main Scenes
On the set
Deleted Scenes
Gala Screening
US Trailer and Theatrical Trailer
Making Of
2 TV Spots
3 Main Scenes
On the set
Deleted Scenes
Gala Screening
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
One of the most astonishing displays of martial arts action on film in recent years, Wilson Yip's Ip Man chronicles the life of the eponymous Wing Chun master (Donnie Yen), who would later become instructor and mentor to Bruce Lee. Fans of Ronny Yu's Fearless, with Jet Li, will notice several similarities between the biopics--like Li's Huo Yuanjia, Ip Man is a tireless instructor whose life, largely consisting of training and jaw-dropping spar sessions with any and all, is thrown into chaos with the arrival of Japanese military forces in 1937. He soon draws the interest of the commanding Japanese colonel (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi), who exploits the starving locals by forcing them against his trainees for bags of rice. Ip must then pit his extraordinary Wing Chun against the colonel's karate for his own dignity, as well as the soul of his people.
Were Yip's film simply a series of set pieces featuring Yen's incredible fighting skills, Ip Man would rank among the best martial arts films of the past three decades; the fight choreography, by Hong Kong legend Sammo Hung and Tony Leung Siu-hung (with consultation by Ip's own son, Ip Chun), offers the same sort of eye-popping, rewind-required fist and footwork that Ip's disciple, Bruce Lee, inspired in the '70s, and Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Tony Jaa displayed in subsequent years; a battle between Ip and 10 black belts, in particular, requires multiple views to absorb the speed and deftness on display. But Ip Man also succeeds as a historical drama inspired by the harsh realities of the Japanese occupation of mainland China, as well as an acting showcase for Yen, who embodies Ip's formidable physical and emotional strengths. The American DVD release of Ip Man from Well Go offers many of the same extras found on the Region 2 UK presentation, including interviews with Yen, Yip, Hung, and most of the cast, plus deleted scenes, an impressive tour of production designer Kenneth Mak's sets and location work, and several brief making-of featurettes. --Paul Gaita
Product Description
Ip Man Collector's Edition (containing over 2 hours of bonus footage) is an award winning adaptation based on the life of Ip Man (Donnie Yen), the grandmaster of Wing Chun and later teacher and mentor to widely influential and legendary martial artist, Bruce Lee. Ip Man is set in the 1930s in Foshan, a hub of southern Chinese martial arts just as the Second Sino-Japan war breaks out. During the war, China is nearly ripped to pieces by racial hatred, nationalistic strife and warfare. Ip Man rose like a phoenix above these ashes as he defied an empire bringing hope to China. Winner of Best Picture and Actor, Ip Man ranks as one of the best martial arts movies of all time!
Over 2 Hours of BonusFeatures
Interviews with Donnie Yen, Wilson Yip, Simon Yam, Sammo Hung, Lynn Hung, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Ip Chun
US Trailer and Theatrical Trailer
Making Of
2 TV Spots
3 Main Scenes
On the set
Deleted Scenes
Gala Screening
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
147 of 166 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
In the tradition of Jet Li's "Fearless" and "Fist of Legend", comes the fourth collaboration between the Wilson Yip-Donnie Yen tag team who also brought us the phenomenal "Shah Po Lang" in 2005. "IP MAN" is based on the life of the man responsible for making the Chinese kung fu style of "Wing Chun" (invented by a woman), which is up to this day, is among China's most revered style. Yes, Ip Man is also the man who has a huge number of talented disciples--most notably, the late great Bruce Lee.
In the 1930's, the Chinese province of Fo Shan is a thriving place of martial arts schools, with various sects of different styles. Fo Shan is said to be the place where the famous Wong Fei Hung learned his art and therefore this place has a reputation. Ip Man (Donnie Yen) is a very accomplished martial artist but he keeps to himself, maintains a low profile and quietly spars with friends at home. But after an acknowledged victory over a fighter from the Northern quarter, Master Jin (Fan Siu Wong), Ip Man becomes an instant hero in Fo Shan.
Time passes and in the late 1930's, following the Japanese invasion, Ip Man's property was confiscated by the Japanese army and his family is forced to live an abject existence. One day, general Miura (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi), a fanatical practitioner in Karate, witnesses the skills of this Wing Chun master. The general becomes obsessed with Ip man, and demands that the Chinese style of Wing Chun be taught to the Japanese army. But Ip man refuses and instead challenges Miura to a duel. Ip Man has to uphold the benevolence of his art and protect Chinese dignity. The battle for national pride is about to begin....
The one thing I know for sure is that Ip Man is indeed Bruce Lee's first teacher in Hong Kong for many years, and that Ip man was indeed asked to teach the Japanese; the rest of the significant historical details in this biopic is a little questionable. Yip and screenwriter Edmond Wong does get some details right, but please keep in mind that this is an action film first and foremost--it is hardly a historical drama. The action direction by Hong Kong legend Sammo Hung is indeed amazing, and it is the film's main draw. The story has the usual elements of honor, family, loyalty and pride and offers very little that is fresh--but this doesn't mean that it made the film any less exciting.
There is very minor characterization involved. The film has three acts, and the first has Ip Man's status in the Fo Shan province. He is a business man and he doesn't teach his art, there are hints that he used to compete, but he decided to keep a low profile because of his wife, Cheng (played by Lynn Hung). His relationship with his wife and son is somewhat estranged at times because of his love for sparring--she throws a tantrum whenever he fights; Ip Man is a humble man, and shows his wife the respect due her. The second act portrays the effect of the Japanese invasion on the people of China, and on the life of Master Ip and his family--which leads to the film's min encounters. While Donnie Yen may indeed lack the necessary acting ability to portray him dramatically--he sure has the presence of a highly trained martial artist. Director Yip did the right thing in focusing more on fights than dramatic impact. There are also some touches of social commentary seeing as how some Chinese prey on their countrymen and they only look out for themselves.
As I've said, Sammo Hung's action choreography is indeed phenomenal and it sure helps when you have a cast of real-life martial arts practitioners and action-honed actors such as Yen, Louis Fan and Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, who holds a Kuro Obi in Judo in real life. Sammo Hung maintains a nice balance between finesse, realism and downright brutality--the fights are very intense and very focused. It is a mix of the usual wire-fu and occasional acrobatics. Highlights include, Ip Man taking on 10 Japanese fighters in one time, the fight between Fan Siu Wong and Yen is quick but exciting, complemented with some subtle doses of humorous cracks. The fights are exquisitely shot, with multiple camera angles in a perspective view to close ups, so you can see all the hard-hitting action. There are also times when an opponent is thrown in the camera's view and I thought this added a lot of style and intense attitude. Wilson Yip and company knows how to shoot fight sequences and their skill proves the film's showstopper.
The action encounters are nicely placed and Wilson Yip needs to be credited for maintaining an excellent pace with its balance between action and drama. While this film is historically inaccurate, for the most part, it does succeed as an action film--a very well done at that. The film does ultimately fail as a character-driven, true-to-life biopic. Donnie Yen's "Ip Man" is more about his capabilities as a fighter than who he really was as a man, which is no doubt due to fact that it wanted to maintain a China-friendly film. The film's structure more of a popcorn action film than an emotional biopic of a man who made his mark in using his fists to unite the Chinese people. It plays too fast and free to fully realize the film's potential as a "based on true events" type of deal.
Despite some flaws in the script, and the filmmakers relying too much on the audiences' good beliefs rather than developing Ip Man as a man than as a caricature of a folk hero; (no doubt an attempt to match Wong Fei Hung in "Once upon a Time in China" and Huo Yuan Jia in "Fearless") to portray him as an inspirational role model/saint. "IP MAN" is a truly exciting film which is just full of action and the energy it exudes is just so much fun to watch. I am rather very interested in seeing as to what Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen would bring "IP MAN 2", which would hopefully show more of his experiences in Hong Kong (which may include his time with Bruce Lee). Of course, by that time, I've read that Wong Kar-Wai's version of "IP MAN" will be released and will hopefully have more historical significance as well as action thrills.
Still, this film comes with a "Highly Recommended" rating from me, it does rule as martial arts action film. [4 ½ Stars]
Note: The original language in the film carries is Bi-Lingual with both Cantonese and Japanese Languages.
In the 1930's, the Chinese province of Fo Shan is a thriving place of martial arts schools, with various sects of different styles. Fo Shan is said to be the place where the famous Wong Fei Hung learned his art and therefore this place has a reputation. Ip Man (Donnie Yen) is a very accomplished martial artist but he keeps to himself, maintains a low profile and quietly spars with friends at home. But after an acknowledged victory over a fighter from the Northern quarter, Master Jin (Fan Siu Wong), Ip Man becomes an instant hero in Fo Shan.
Time passes and in the late 1930's, following the Japanese invasion, Ip Man's property was confiscated by the Japanese army and his family is forced to live an abject existence. One day, general Miura (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi), a fanatical practitioner in Karate, witnesses the skills of this Wing Chun master. The general becomes obsessed with Ip man, and demands that the Chinese style of Wing Chun be taught to the Japanese army. But Ip man refuses and instead challenges Miura to a duel. Ip Man has to uphold the benevolence of his art and protect Chinese dignity. The battle for national pride is about to begin....
The one thing I know for sure is that Ip Man is indeed Bruce Lee's first teacher in Hong Kong for many years, and that Ip man was indeed asked to teach the Japanese; the rest of the significant historical details in this biopic is a little questionable. Yip and screenwriter Edmond Wong does get some details right, but please keep in mind that this is an action film first and foremost--it is hardly a historical drama. The action direction by Hong Kong legend Sammo Hung is indeed amazing, and it is the film's main draw. The story has the usual elements of honor, family, loyalty and pride and offers very little that is fresh--but this doesn't mean that it made the film any less exciting.
There is very minor characterization involved. The film has three acts, and the first has Ip Man's status in the Fo Shan province. He is a business man and he doesn't teach his art, there are hints that he used to compete, but he decided to keep a low profile because of his wife, Cheng (played by Lynn Hung). His relationship with his wife and son is somewhat estranged at times because of his love for sparring--she throws a tantrum whenever he fights; Ip Man is a humble man, and shows his wife the respect due her. The second act portrays the effect of the Japanese invasion on the people of China, and on the life of Master Ip and his family--which leads to the film's min encounters. While Donnie Yen may indeed lack the necessary acting ability to portray him dramatically--he sure has the presence of a highly trained martial artist. Director Yip did the right thing in focusing more on fights than dramatic impact. There are also some touches of social commentary seeing as how some Chinese prey on their countrymen and they only look out for themselves.
As I've said, Sammo Hung's action choreography is indeed phenomenal and it sure helps when you have a cast of real-life martial arts practitioners and action-honed actors such as Yen, Louis Fan and Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, who holds a Kuro Obi in Judo in real life. Sammo Hung maintains a nice balance between finesse, realism and downright brutality--the fights are very intense and very focused. It is a mix of the usual wire-fu and occasional acrobatics. Highlights include, Ip Man taking on 10 Japanese fighters in one time, the fight between Fan Siu Wong and Yen is quick but exciting, complemented with some subtle doses of humorous cracks. The fights are exquisitely shot, with multiple camera angles in a perspective view to close ups, so you can see all the hard-hitting action. There are also times when an opponent is thrown in the camera's view and I thought this added a lot of style and intense attitude. Wilson Yip and company knows how to shoot fight sequences and their skill proves the film's showstopper.
The action encounters are nicely placed and Wilson Yip needs to be credited for maintaining an excellent pace with its balance between action and drama. While this film is historically inaccurate, for the most part, it does succeed as an action film--a very well done at that. The film does ultimately fail as a character-driven, true-to-life biopic. Donnie Yen's "Ip Man" is more about his capabilities as a fighter than who he really was as a man, which is no doubt due to fact that it wanted to maintain a China-friendly film. The film's structure more of a popcorn action film than an emotional biopic of a man who made his mark in using his fists to unite the Chinese people. It plays too fast and free to fully realize the film's potential as a "based on true events" type of deal.
Despite some flaws in the script, and the filmmakers relying too much on the audiences' good beliefs rather than developing Ip Man as a man than as a caricature of a folk hero; (no doubt an attempt to match Wong Fei Hung in "Once upon a Time in China" and Huo Yuan Jia in "Fearless") to portray him as an inspirational role model/saint. "IP MAN" is a truly exciting film which is just full of action and the energy it exudes is just so much fun to watch. I am rather very interested in seeing as to what Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen would bring "IP MAN 2", which would hopefully show more of his experiences in Hong Kong (which may include his time with Bruce Lee). Of course, by that time, I've read that Wong Kar-Wai's version of "IP MAN" will be released and will hopefully have more historical significance as well as action thrills.
Still, this film comes with a "Highly Recommended" rating from me, it does rule as martial arts action film. [4 ½ Stars]
Note: The original language in the film carries is Bi-Lingual with both Cantonese and Japanese Languages.
70 of 84 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
As a fan of Chinese cinema for over 30 years, I've seen (and own) a lot of movies. However, whilst there have been dozens of memorable ones, few stand out as masterpieces in the Wuxia genre - 'Ip Man' is one such film, an instant classic that sets a new benchmark for action cinema. Wilson Yip, Sammo Hung and Donnie Yen have totally hit the mark in this outstanding motion picture, crafting a story that, although not sticking entirely to the facts (well, after all, it IS about entertainment!), works perfectly to tell the story of a real life Chinese hero, the late Grandmaster of Wing Chun Gung-fu, Ip Man. The camera work, direction and the performances of the entire crew make this a film that grabs the audience and holds them in its clutches from start to final gut-wrenching finish (all very good reasons why this film won the 'Best Picture' and "Best Action Choreography' awards in the 2009 Hong Kong Film Awards). Donnie Yen gives what I feel is his finest performance ever, whilst Sammo Hung's action choreography is briliant, showcasing the art of Wing Chun in a manner never before done so well. The soundtrack is also beautifully matched to the tone of the movie. I for one cannot wait to see 'Ip Man 2'
55 of 72 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
OK, I was originally going to give this a much lower star rating, but didn't want people to mistaken it as a negative review of the film itself, because it isn't, the film is a GREAT martial arts film. My low rating is the DVD itself. First thing I noticed is that the subtitles neglected to subtitle the words in the beginning credits. Now I'm not talking about the names, I'm talking about the first paragraph after the names right after you see him practicing Wing Chun, which tells the audience about the city and how it's known for being the origin of China's Nan Tian style of martial arts. And for that reason, it attracts martial artists from all over China to establish dojos and to exchange martial arts culture. It goes on to say that today Fuoshan (the town in the film where Ip Man is from) have become known as "THE TOWN" of martial arts. If you can't read Chinese, you won't know what that entire paragraph reads, and that's stupid because it's kind of important to the story.
The second thing I noticed is how poor the quality was. It's not so bad that it's unwatchable, but it's FAR worse than most DVD's I've owned.
Then the thing that made me stop watching this was the audio. For some reason they decided they didn't like the original audio stream and replaced it. But the first thing you'll notice is the volume. It's EXTREMELY low, you'll have to crank your system all the way up if you are to hear anything.
Then the next thing you'll notice is the bad syncing of the lips and of the fighting sound effects. The reason for this isn't apparent to those who don't know Chinese. But I do, I understand some Cantonese, which is a dialect of Chinese spoken most commonly by the "common" people, mainly from Canton. That is the language most of the people speak in this movie, except the Japs of course and those fighters from the North who spoke Mandarin. However, this is the reason why they redid the entire audio stream including the sound effects. They changed the audio from Cantonese to all Mandarin. I don't know why, perhaps this version was printed in China and they consider Mandarin the "official" dialect and kind of look down on Cantonese, Hakka, and other Chinese dialects.
To those who don't know the difference, this sucks because now the audio is too soft and the syncing is bad (you see a hit, then hear it, or vice versa) and they neglected to add back in some of the little verbal gestures Chinese people are known to make (like going "mmm" instead of actually saying yes, they did this in the original movie, but they omitted a lot of it in this print, instead, it's just silence).
But to those who understand Chinese, it also sucks because it takes the authenticity away since the film's locale's native language is Cantonese, so in real life, they would have been speaking Cantonese, not Mandarin, and people know this. That's why they had the inhabitants of this city speaking Cantonese and the fighters from the North that came down to challenge them spoke Mandarin. That is how it was and that is how they wanted to portray it. Now everyone spoke Mandarin and it's pretty annoying.
Either that or the Cantonese audio stream is so jarbled that I don't understand it. All I know is that when I first watched this movie, I understood almost all of it since I know Cantonese. When I bought this DVD, I couldn't understand any of it and had to use the subtitles... Not to mention I could barely hear it.
I don't know, the movie is a great movie, it is kind of like Fearless, but a little more historically accurate, Fearless was VERY inaccurate in terms of historical accuracy, this was a bit better, but the fighting is very different because this is Wing Chun, which is purely a close range fighting technique, which is where almost all fights end up anyhow so it's also the most practical of all martial arts in my opinion. You will almost NEVER get into a street fight where your opponent will stay a leg's length away from you so you can do Tae Kwon Do style kicks at them. That is completely unrealistic and exclusive to competition style fighting. In real fights, your opponent will tend to want to close the distance any chance he gets. So Wing Chun which focuses on close in, short arm fighting is perfect for that.
I suggest you watch this film, but I really would like to find a better print than this one, I know it exists because I've seen it not too long ago, a friend had it, but he doesn't have the box or anything and doesn't know what version it is.
The second thing I noticed is how poor the quality was. It's not so bad that it's unwatchable, but it's FAR worse than most DVD's I've owned.
Then the thing that made me stop watching this was the audio. For some reason they decided they didn't like the original audio stream and replaced it. But the first thing you'll notice is the volume. It's EXTREMELY low, you'll have to crank your system all the way up if you are to hear anything.
Then the next thing you'll notice is the bad syncing of the lips and of the fighting sound effects. The reason for this isn't apparent to those who don't know Chinese. But I do, I understand some Cantonese, which is a dialect of Chinese spoken most commonly by the "common" people, mainly from Canton. That is the language most of the people speak in this movie, except the Japs of course and those fighters from the North who spoke Mandarin. However, this is the reason why they redid the entire audio stream including the sound effects. They changed the audio from Cantonese to all Mandarin. I don't know why, perhaps this version was printed in China and they consider Mandarin the "official" dialect and kind of look down on Cantonese, Hakka, and other Chinese dialects.
To those who don't know the difference, this sucks because now the audio is too soft and the syncing is bad (you see a hit, then hear it, or vice versa) and they neglected to add back in some of the little verbal gestures Chinese people are known to make (like going "mmm" instead of actually saying yes, they did this in the original movie, but they omitted a lot of it in this print, instead, it's just silence).
But to those who understand Chinese, it also sucks because it takes the authenticity away since the film's locale's native language is Cantonese, so in real life, they would have been speaking Cantonese, not Mandarin, and people know this. That's why they had the inhabitants of this city speaking Cantonese and the fighters from the North that came down to challenge them spoke Mandarin. That is how it was and that is how they wanted to portray it. Now everyone spoke Mandarin and it's pretty annoying.
Either that or the Cantonese audio stream is so jarbled that I don't understand it. All I know is that when I first watched this movie, I understood almost all of it since I know Cantonese. When I bought this DVD, I couldn't understand any of it and had to use the subtitles... Not to mention I could barely hear it.
I don't know, the movie is a great movie, it is kind of like Fearless, but a little more historically accurate, Fearless was VERY inaccurate in terms of historical accuracy, this was a bit better, but the fighting is very different because this is Wing Chun, which is purely a close range fighting technique, which is where almost all fights end up anyhow so it's also the most practical of all martial arts in my opinion. You will almost NEVER get into a street fight where your opponent will stay a leg's length away from you so you can do Tae Kwon Do style kicks at them. That is completely unrealistic and exclusive to competition style fighting. In real fights, your opponent will tend to want to close the distance any chance he gets. So Wing Chun which focuses on close in, short arm fighting is perfect for that.
I suggest you watch this film, but I really would like to find a better print than this one, I know it exists because I've seen it not too long ago, a friend had it, but he doesn't have the box or anything and doesn't know what version it is.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fantastic action movie
This was a great movie. It has lots of action and the message of loyalty, discipline and strength was well displayed.
Published 3 days ago by Luis Delgado
Great movie!
One of the best martial arts movie I have ever seen. The martial arts is very well choreographed and executed. Read more
Published 6 days ago by J. Robinson
IP Man Review
This was a great movie. I recommend watching it. It is a good depiction of what happened.I really liked it. IT is a great movie. I swear.
Published 7 days ago by ShoShiggety
Excellent Movie
Really enjoyed this movie about Master Ip.
Compared to a lot of Chinese martial arts movies, this one was more real world in regards to human physics. Read more
Compared to a lot of Chinese martial arts movies, this one was more real world in regards to human physics. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Picky Guy
Something to see.
I don't know that I would hand it the greatest martial arts movie ever title, but it should definitely be a pleasant surprise for fans of martial arts films. Read more
Published 24 days ago by Shrakken
Best martial arts film in years
This is based on a true story, and you can tell. Not only is the martial arts top notch, but the plot is so compelling. Read more
Published 25 days ago by Greber
Other reviews do the justice
Great movie
Other reviews already say it....enjoyed it very much
The story is very good, I think is fiction, great action sequences, good script
Other reviews already say it....enjoyed it very much
The story is very good, I think is fiction, great action sequences, good script
Published 28 days ago by A. M.
IP MAN
Ip Man is one of the greatest martial arts masters of of his time. This movie tells he was suffering during the war as well as the other chinese. Read more
Published 28 days ago by Blanca
Beautiful Chinese film
I was transported into the Chinese culture and given a taste of a wonderful new world as it was drug into WWII by the Japanese. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Hayseed
Fast and beautifully done.
I loved this movie, from beginning to end.
First there was Bruce Lee, now we have Ip Man or Donnie Yen. Read more
First there was Bruce Lee, now we have Ip Man or Donnie Yen. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Joyce Nalaielua
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