Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster (2010)
"Yip Man 2" (original title)

Centering on Ip Man's migration to Hong Kong in 1949 as he attempts to propagate his discipline of Wing Chun martial arts.

Director:

Wilson Yip

Writers:

Choi Hiu-Yan, Chan Tai-Li,

Stars:

Donnie Yen, Xiaoming Huang, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo

3 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Donnie Yen	...	Yip Man
Xiaoming Huang	...	Wong Shun-Leung
Sammo Hung Kam-Bo	...	Master Hung Chun-Nam
Lynn Hung	...	Cheung Wing-Sing
Kent Cheng	...	Fatso
Darren Shahlavi	...	Mr. Miller / Twister
Yu-Hang To	...	Cheng Wai-Kei
Charles Mayer	...	Superintendent Wallace
Kanin Ngo	...	Leung Kan
Calvin Cheng Ka-Sing	...	Chow Kong-Yiu
Siu-Wong Fan	...	Jin Shan Zhao / Kam Shan-Chau
Simon Yam	...	Chow Ching-Chuen
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Christian Bachini	...	Twister Supporter
Brian Thomas Burrell	...	Emcee
Li Chak	...	Yip Chun (as Li Ze)

Storyline

Ip Man 2 is a 2010 Hong Kong biographical martial arts film loosely based on the life of Ip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun. A sequel to the 2008 film Ip Man, the film was directed by Wilson Yip, and stars Donnie Yen, who reprises the leading role. Continuing after the events of the earlier film, the sequel centers on Ip's movements in Hong Kong, which is under British colonial rule. He attempts to propagate his discipline of Wing Chun, but faces rivalry from other practitioners, including the local master of Hung Ga martial arts.

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Plot Keywords:

martial arts | hong kong | master | wing chun | sequel | 

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Genres:

Action | Biography | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Facebook (Chinese)

Country:

Hong Kong China

Language:

Cantonese Mandarin English

Release Date:

29 April 2010 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$61,057 (USA) (28 January 2011)

Gross:

$204,380 (USA) (29 April 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Henan Film & TV Production Group Henan Film Studio, Mandarin Films Distribution Co., Beijing ShengShi HuaRei Film Investment & Management Co.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the fight with Twister, as Yip Man begins to dominate and eventually wins shortly thereafter, Yip Man is shown striking Acupressure points on Twister's arms. When these points are struck accurately and with force, the person who is struck will feel intense pain in their arms causing the arms to either go numb or seem very heavy; if struck with perfect accuracy and sufficient force, the affected person will lose the ability to use their arms all together. If you have ever "hit your funny bone" (forcefully compressed your ulnar nerve against your humerus), you have experienced this effect, at about 0.05% - 1% of the power demonstrated in the film.

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Quotes

Ip Man: Let's talk. Will you release my pupil first?
Cheng Wai-Kei: Release him!
Ip Man: Leung, are you all right?
Wong Shun Leung: I'm fine.
Ip Man: Why did you injure him?
Wong Shun Leung: He wanted to fight, but wasn't as good as me. I couldn't really help it, could I?
Cheng Wai-Kei: What did you say? I'm not as good as you?
Ip Man: Take it easy! You're both young men. Injuries are inevitable in friendly fights. I'll visit your master and explain to him. May I know who your master is?
Cheng Wai-Kei: Doesn't matter. He's better than you anyway. By the way, did you bring the ransom?
Ip Man: No.

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Connections

Followed by Ip Man 3 (2013)

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Soundtracks

"Unbeatable"
Written by Serena Tong
Performed by Calvin Cheng

User Reviews

Exciting action sequences marred by weak third segment

Ip Man 2 contains top-notch action sequences from the beginning to the end. It is a befitting sequel that is almost on par with the first movie.

However, it is unfortunate that some of the action scenes rely too much on wire-works. The battle between the masters for example, was inventive but a bit on the fantastical side. Looking back at the first movie, all of the best action sequences were much more grounded in realistic portrayal, as the Wing Chun style looks good in this manner.

It was good to see some cool style vs style fights though, as we get to see Animal Style, Baguazhang and Hung Gar vs. Wing Chun. A friend and I were wondering though if it'd be more accurate to present Preying Mantis, Taiji and Choy Li Fut in the mix as these styles are well established in Hong Kong.

In terms of plot, Ip Man 2 transitions nicely from the first movie, where we get to follow Ip Man as he establishes and propagates Wing Chun in Hong Kong after escaping Communist persecution in 1949. A fact that was obscured by making the character look like he's escaping the Japanese Army instead. No doubt this is a marketing ploy to make sure the movie would not upset the powers-that-be in China.

And like the first movie, Ip Man 2 takes liberty with many facts and plot to condense the essence of Ip Man's characters and what he stood for. It is interesting to note that little is mentioned about his sibling and extended family who helped him in some capacity during this difficult period of time. One of his first pupils was loosely based on a real-life counterpart, the late Master Wong Shung Leung. In Ip Man's old life, he'd often send Wong to successfully answer challenges.

Sammo Hung has delivered yet another amazing feat with choreographing this movie, despite his declining health during production.

My biggest disappointment has to do with the blatant stereotype and one-dimensional characterization of the British colonists and the Twister character. It's a lazy writing that may excite a certain segment in the Chinese market, but in my eyes this serves only to bring down the movie to B-grade martial art flicks of bygone era. There's no denying the populist appeal of this method considering the main target market.

All in all, this has been a fun movie to watch, and I hope the prequel will be as fun, if not more mature in its storytelling.