Review of The Grandmaster (2013) by Sheila T — 31 Aug 2013
In The Grandmaster, an aging grandmaster Gong of the Northern schools wants to merge styles with the Southern schools. His school heir (Xiao Shen-Yang played by San Jian Shui) and physical heir, daughter Gong Er played by Ziyi Zhang come into conflict.
During an exhibition Gong Er and southern grandmaster lead Ip Man (Tony Leung) have a battle. The story follows IP Man during the Japanese invasion years, 1938-1945 and after. The opening fight scene in the rain is one of the most beautifully filmed Kung Fu scenes ever recorded.
However the movie gets a bit draggy in spots. There is what appears to be tonal inconsistency created by graininess in much of the dark settings shots. Sometime it seems to be about flashback or distracted mind.
Other times it just seem to be weak cinematography. There's not enough meat and pace control here to call it an all time life changing classic. But there is lots of good stuff. One of my favorite things is to see Ziyi Zhang move or speak.
A little more cinematic fundamentals and a little more accessibility would have pushed this one higher in my estimation.
This review of The Grandmaster (2013) was written by Sheila T on 31 Aug 2013.
The Grandmaster has generally received positive reviews.
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