Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2319 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-10-26
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: Cantonese Chinese
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 101 minutes

Synopsis
Behind ever great man there lies a teacher, and this was certainly true of Bruce Lee, who claimed as his mentor a martial arts expert named Ip Man (1893-1972). A genius of Wushu (or the Chinese martial arts school), Ip Man grew up in a China nearly ripped to pieces by racial hatred, nationalistic strife and warfare. He rose like a phoenix above these ashes, however, courtesy of his participation in matches against various Wushu masters and kung-fun warriors - ultimately training martial arts icons such as Lee. This biopic from director Wilson Yip dramatizes Ip's life story.

Customer Reviews

Fantastic Emotional Martial Arts Epic
'Ip Man' is based on the life of the martial artist, Ip Man who was the real life Kung fu master of Bruce Lee. The movie concentrates solely on the events, which occurred around Ip Man in the city of Foshan (China) between 1930 and 1940 during the 'Second Sino-Japanese (China/Japan) War'.

In the movie, the main form of martial art that is displayed is Wing Chun, which specializes in close-range combat. Ip Man was the first martial arts master to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun openly.

Ip Man is one of the finest martial arts movies produced by the Hong Kong movie industry. It was released in December 2008 to a widespread deserved critical acclaim and box-office success. The movie was nominated for 12 Hong Kong Film Awards, winning awards for Best Picture and Best Action Choreography.

The star of the show is the really underrated Donnie Yen who enacts the role of Ip Man. He is simply underrated because he has not been involved in many high gossing movies, whereas the likes of Jackie Chan and Jet Li have. Donnie Yen, if not better, is equally as talented as Chan and Li. In the movie, the way he performed the action scenes is worthy of an applause, simply jaw dropping. Yen performs the action scenes with natural ease making the fighting look beautiful and artistic. Now, coming to the acting, this is clearly Yen's career best performance as he portrays both a 'Hero' and a 'Wounded lion' with total conviction and raging aggression. The way he expresses his emotions both facially and physically is SUPERB. Ip Man is a Donnie Yen show from beginning to end.

The character of the main villain is portrayed by the Japanese actor, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi. His portrayal of the formidable Japanese general is impressive.

The movie is directed by Wilson Yip who provides excellent direction, succeeding in keeping the audience glued to the screen until the end. Ip Man is the fourth collaboration between Yen and Yip after the brilliant 'SPL: Sha Po Lang (aka Kill Zone)', the average 'Dragon Tiger Gate' and the entertaining 'Flash Point'. All these movies are of the action genre and showcase the chemistry and talent of the duo. All three movies contain stunning martial arts especially 'Sha Po Lang', which was hailed as a return to the classic Hong Kong action cinema. Ip Man is the best effort from the duo to date.

The stunning action choreography, which is a treat to watch is provided by the legendary Sammo Hung (Hong Kong Actor/Martial Artist/Director) who has starred in classic movies like 'Wheels on Meals', 'Project A' and also 'Sha Po Lang'. The beautifull choreography by Hung is displayed on screen by Yen's martial arts skills with finesse. The fight scenes, which are real and brutal are the best I've ever seen and will leave your heart-pounding.

Another hero of the movie is the background music score, which is composed by the Japanese composer, Kenji Kawai. The music is moving and compliments the narration and Yen's action scenes with sheer perfection. The music combined with the martial-arts display by Yen simply inspired me to learn Wing Chun, but after carrying out a reality check, I think I'll leave the martial arts to Yen.

Ip Man is not a normal martial arts movie as it contains all the essential elements of an out-and-out entertainer. It's one of my favourite movies as it has a moving/emotional story, with a great narration, brilliant action, terrific performances and to round it all off, soothing and inspiring music.

It's an inspiring feel-good movie with Ip Man being portrayed as the real 'Peoples Hero' who fought for his people. Once the movie gains momentum you'll be rooting for Yen subconsciously and in the process you just might discover the 'Hero' within you.

Ip Man is strongly recomended as it is one of the greatest Hong Kong movies ever. As a result, Ip Man 2 is currently in the making and is being planned to be released at the end of 2010, can't wait.

Once Ip Man receives international recognition (for some reason it hasn't yet) it'll become an instant classic.

The Blu-ray quality is excellent, providing crystal clear picture and heart-thumping sound.

Magnificent!

wow!!
have just watched the wonderful film, and all i can say is wow!!. i watch a lot off kung fu films and can say this is the best i've seen in many a year. don't hesitate just buy!!

Brilliant Blu-Ray
Ip Man was a famous Wing Chun kung fu instructor (sifu). So to do a film of him had to be done right, anything else would have probably been rubbish. And this is far from rubbish in fact this film has become one of my all time favourite films. I watched a copy of this film on dvd and was blown away. But to watch it on Blu-Ray is awsome. If your a martial artist like me then you will love it. If you do Wing Chun then this is a must. The fight scence are brilliant. Heard they were making a Ip Man 2 but this time it involves one of his famous students Bruce Lee. Looking forward to it.
SPECIAL FEATURES
DTS HD Audio 5.1 Cantonese
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Cantonese
Trailer Gallery
Interview Gallery Featuring Wilson Yip, Donnie Yen, Lam Ka-tung, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Ip Chun (Ip Mans son), Fan Sui-wong, Xiong Dai-lin, Sammo hung and Simon Yam.
Making Of Gallery