Ip Man (Chinese film; 2008) [Spoiler-free]

A day or two ago in our [IRC chat channel](https://kiwiirc.com/client/kappa.hira.io:+6697#throat), me and @PMYA got to talking about martial arts; eventually I got on the subject of Wing Chun, a southern Chinese martial art I've had interest in for a few years now. Eventually the movie _Ip Man_, which is based on the life of the real Yip (or Ip, depending on translation) Man (that's his name, not a title or anthing), got brought up, and I decided to re-watch it last night after work. Ip Man is heavily responsible for the modern popularity of the martial art, as he trained numerous current masters, and also trained Bruce Lee before he moved on to create Jeet kun do. He also created the Wing Chun Athletic Association in the 1960's. You can watch this movie, and its two sequels, on Netflix. Like most movies "based on a true story", the movie takes a great deal of creative liberty with Yip Man's actual life for dramatic effect; AKA "most of this movie is a lie". :p Starring Donnie Yen as the titular character, we begin in early 1930's Fo Shan, which is depicted as a relatively wealthy town with a very active martial arts scene. Several masters train their personal martial arts to their students in a section of town dedicated to martial arts practice. Despite the many masters, most folks of the town believe Ip Man to be the best in town. Quiet and unassuming, and independently wealthy, Ip Man takes no students and does little but practice his martial arts, and enjoy time with his friends and family. He has the opportunity to train his skills against a few people who wish to challenge him, knowing the reputation he holds around town. In 1937, the Japanese invasion occurs, turning Fo Shan from a town of prosperity to a town of bleak prospects. Yip Man and his wife continue to live there, but most of his wealth was seized and they are forced to scrape out a meager existence. Ip Man finds work and hears that the Japanese are looking for Chinese martial artists to fight with. A friend of Ip's goes to one of these challenges, but does not return. Fearing for his friend, Ip Man decides to investigate the affair by going himself, and comes face-to-face with his own morality and mortality. I personally watched the movie with Chinese dialogue and English subtitles; I cannot rate the English audio, but the Chinese is good. The music is appropriate throughout, quiet and loud at appropriate times, and I could always hear someone speaking over the music; never once does the background drown out the foreground. Visuals are well done. There are only a one or two effects in the film, making everything feel real and authentic. They appear to be on real sets the entire time, and the costumes appear to be largely authentic, with a mix of western world and eastern world outfits. An early scene where Ip Man is eating with a friend of his named Yuan demonstrates this, as Yuan wears a relatively modern and western suit, while IP is dressed in traditional garb. Lighting and other things are all done well, and the movie is easy to watch; even during complicated fights, it's not difficult to know what's happening. The fight choreography is, of course, key, and seems to be extremely well done. Sammo Hung and Tony Leung Siu-hung designed the choreography, and were careful to incorporate many authentic Wing Chun maneuvers, and the actors themselves seem to perform their own stunts - at the very least, Donnie Yen was injured while filming, and spent several months training physically for the role. The fights themselves are easy to watch and understand what's happening, although some things are exaggerated here and there, but it's a movie, so it doesn't bother me. I'm not so good at reviews, so I'm not sure what else to say. I personally find it an enjoyable film with a few bits of humor sprinkled in there, as well as some good fights.