Review of The Grandmaster (2013) by Joss D — 09 May 2014
Wong Kar Wai's films tend to be beautiful, complex and extremely understated, and his latest, a biopic of famous martial artist Yip Man, exemplifies his strongest virtues and vices as a film-maker.
Close in tone to Leone's Once Upon A Time in America, The Grandmaster is visually stunning with jaw-dropping cinematography, in addition to being well choreographed and well acted, but it is held back by a narrative which never really comes together.
The result is a gorgeous but fundamentally incomplete martial arts period epic. The Americans received a cut with 20 minutes removed, but even the Chinese cut needs more of its original 4 hour run time reinserting to achieve the clarity and pathos which the film promises and falls just short of.
This review of The Grandmaster (2013) was written by Joss D on 09 May 2014.
The Grandmaster has generally received positive reviews.
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