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

Landlady: Master! Someone wants to learn Wing Chun.
Ip Man: You want to learn Wing Chun?
Wong Shun Leung: Maybe. Just checking it out. I don't know what Wing Chun is.
Ip Man: Let me give you an introduction. As a matter of fact, Wing Chun is a close combat style from the South...
Wong Shun Leung: No need to tell me all this. Let's just fight. I'll pay you the school fees if I lose.
Ip Man: Ok. I am Ip Man of Wing Chun.

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Connections

Followed by Yip Man 3D (2013)

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Soundtracks

"Unbeatable"
Written by Serena Tong
Performed by Calvin Cheng

User Reviews

Where action becomes an art form.

Donnie Yen returns as the titular kung fu grandmaster in Ip Man 2, with Wilson Yip reassuming his directorial duties and, most importantly, Sammo Hung back in his role as action director, and also as a main character.

The story picks up from where the first movie left off. Ip, having survived the war period in Foshan, moves to Hong Kong with his family and attempts to make a living teaching his beloved art of Wing Chun boxing. However, he is met with opposition and hardship in the form of rival martial arts schools and the atypical British oppressors, and finds that even his formidable martial arts prowess may not be enough to resolve these problems.

But the story aside, anyone with a little background knowledge of this film should know what to expect; a dose of intense Hong Kong kung fu film action. As the story begins to drag, at some point even a unsuspecting viewer should have realized that all the plot devices and dialogue serve little purpose other than as catalysts leading to the combat scenes. And at helm of the fight scenes is none other than the legendary Sammo Hung, in familiar territory choreographing the Wing Chun style, which he made a name for himself in movies such as The Prodigal Son in the 80s. With some creative input of his own, he manages to compose complex and graceful fight sequences that stays true to traditional kung fu styles, from Praying Mantis to Hung Gar Kuen. And who better to bring his imagination to life than the ever reliable Donnie Yen? What Hung designs, Yen executes with masterful control and precision. And in the movie when the former steps up to challenge the latter in a sparring session, we witness two of Hong Kong's greatest kung fu stars pushing themselves doing what they're best at in a brilliant exchange of strikes and blows. Absolutely a sight to behold.

In the end, the typical viewer is unlikely to be captivated by the highly borrowed storyline, save for some who still enjoy the cinematic display of Chinese pride that is rather blatant and unsubtle. But you will be blown away by the fights, you will be in awe of the moves, and, if you're able to, appreciate the action scenes not as the mindless, disposable portion of the movie, but rather the core of it, carefully thought out, executed, and filmed as a true form of art. With that, forgive the storyline, and enjoy the film for what it is.