Review of The Grandmaster (2013) by Dan W — 04 May 2013

The Grandmaster intrigued me, but also made me profoundly sad in a way I haven't felt since I watched Dances with Wolves. It begins at the height of the golden age of martial arts in the 1930's, with Yip Man (or Ip Man, as he's more commonly referred to) making an impression with Gong Yutian, a martial arts master from northern China that has come south and declared that the south should also have a master. Yip Man defeats Yutian in a philosophical battle, which slightly infuriates Gong Er (played by a wonderful Ziyi Zhang), Yutian's daughter, who challenges Yip Man and defeats him, but they part on cordial terms and stay in touch over the years.

I was intrigued by the different forms of Wing Chun used, as I'm slightly familiar with the style myself. It involves a lot of redirection of your opponent's energy, so as to use it against them and tire them out. It's not flashy at all, but extremely effective used properly. The fight between Yip Man and Gong Er is a ballet of fists and feet, and the fight between Gong Er and Ma San, the man who murdered her father, is full of animosity and power. I loved that the movie took the time to explain that martial arts are borne in several different fashions. Some styles are a mimicry of actual weapons or animals, and specific moves can have a deep philosophy behind them that is worth spending a lifetime studying. With the proper background and training, watching two masters use kung fu on one another is a display of their beliefs and culture in action, not just two people attempting to hurt one another.

But like Dances with Wolves, The Grandmaster also shows you the end of an era for a people thanks to senseless war and "progression". It feels like an old, more honorable world ends, and a new, hollower one began, with Yip Man emoting a quiet desperation from his old life falling away, his daughters dying from starvation, his wife leaving him, and although Gong Er admits to loving him, she cannot give him her love because she chose a life of vengeance, forswearing marriage and happiness. The silver lining being Yip Man starting his own school and spreading Wing Chun to the world, eventually teaching the famous Bruce Lee himself.

Like learning a martial art, it takes great patience to get through some of The Grandmaster, as director Wong Kar Wai is very deliberate in conveying his messages. The gold to be found here is in the trading of philosophies by Yip Man, Gong Er, and Gong Yutian, not necessarily the fight scenes (although they are very well done and exciting, too). There is substance to the dialogue that you can soak in for hours afterwards if you let it, and I can respect that.