Review of Ip Man 2 (2010) by Halfwelshman — 27 Jan 2012
Ip Man 2 delivers equal thrills in terms of perfectly choreographed, heart-thumping fight sequences, but steps up a gear from the first in terms of character development and drama. Donnie Yen is still brilliant as Master Ip, who becomes quite a compelling protagonist who goes on a real emotional journey over the course of the film, and the dreams of many a martial arts fanatic are realised as Sammo Hung not only reprises his role as lead fight choreographer, but also fights Yen in a stunning sequence with Ip and Hung balancing on a loose tabletop.
Like with the first film, the villains are laughably stereotyped - having demonised the Japanese in the first film, director Wilson Yip this time turns the judgemental finger on the British. I can understand the anger that many Chinese and Hong Kong people will have for the various nations that have victimised them over the centuries, but the idea of the fim's finale - an "Eastern vs Western" boxing match is a little too ridiculous for me to stomach.
Ip Man 2 is still a thoroughly entertaining film as a whole though, and is much more developed and consistent than the first film. Let's just hope one day Bruce Lee's family give permission to allow someone to tell the story of Grand Master Ip training Lee - that's the story we all really want to see told on the big screen.
This review of Ip Man 2 (2010) was written by Halfwelshman on 27 Jan 2012.
Ip Man 2 has generally received positive reviews.
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