Review of Ip Man (2008) by Daniel K — 16 Aug 2012

3: I'm not entirely sure if it's me or if it's the Chinese, but whenever I see a film like this I tend to view it as propaganda. I'm not sure if it is my foreign viewpoint, my opinion and knowledge of China, the fact that this war (WWII) is so much more recent say the Civil or Revolutionary War, etc.

, but films like this always seems drastically different from Hollywood versions such as Pearl Harbor, Flags of Our Fathers, The Patriot, The Thin Red Line, Letters from Iwo Jima, etc. Civil/Revolutionary war films don't make me hate the British.

WWII films make one hate the Nazis, but not the Germans. Is this because we have demonized the movement, but not the people. Even the flag and uniforms are different. However, when dealing with Japan it is still the same people and the same flag.

I don't think this is the answer though, because the American film that demonizes the Japanese is quite rare these days. It seems to me that China is simply stuck in the past, too nationalistic for their own good, and extremely vindictive.

I wonder if this will change as the generations effected by tragedies like these die out. The film itself is terribly entertaining and interesting. It is highly formulaic, but this is what we expect, which makes it comforting.

It's a fascinating story with quality production values and performances all around. Well done.