Watched these two films one after another during the week.

The common thread running through this series is the unification of Chinese against foreigners invading China. First the Japanese during WWII, next the British in Hong Kong. In both films, foreigners are portrayed as cruel and arrogant people, inciting a strong sense of indignation among the Chinese audience. And eventually, of course, Ip Man will win the ultimate battle, proving that the Chinese are no weaklings or pushovers.

Being more sensitive towards such emotional incitings, I would tend to distant myself more whenever I notice such plots. Plus I tend to be cynical towards stories in which the baddies are portrayed as incorrigibly bad, with nothing else in them but evil schemes. Seems to be, firstly, unrealistic and, secondly, to serve the sole purpose of illuminating the goodness of the protagonist.

So as you can tell, I'm not a huge fan of the plots in Ip Man 1 & 2. There's nothing wrong with simple plots, really. It's just that Ip Man lacks the surprise element. Everything is too predictable. Neither am I a fan of Donny Yen's acting. As in Bodyguards and Assassins, Donny Yen's acting is rather subdued, leaving me confused about the character occasionally.

BUT. Huge but here. The fighting scenes are absolutely commendable. Strong, swift attacks with no unnecessary moves. Intense, well-paced fighting. Enough to make your money worth. Just hope that he'll work on his acting, a common weak point among martial artists.

Rating: 7.5/10.

Labels: film, review

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