Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

The Grandmaster

Original title: Yi dai zong shi
  • 20132013
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 10m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
34K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Yi dai zong shi (2013)
A story inspired by the life and times of the legendary kung fu master, Ip Man, and set in the tumultuous Republican era that followed the fall of ChinaÂ’s last dynasty, a time of chaos, division and war that was also the golden age of Chinese martial arts.
Play trailer2:11
3 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Action
  • Biography
  • Drama

The story of martial-arts master Ip Man, the man who trained Bruce Lee.The story of martial-arts master Ip Man, the man who trained Bruce Lee.The story of martial-arts master Ip Man, the man who trained Bruce Lee.

IMDb RATING
6.5/10
34K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Kar-Wai Wong
  • Writers
    • Kar-Wai Wong(story)
    • Jingzhi Zou(screenplay)
    • Haofeng Xu(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Tony Chiu-Wai Leung
    • Ziyi Zhang
    • Jin Zhang
Top credits
  • Director
    • Kar-Wai Wong
  • Writers
    • Kar-Wai Wong(story)
    • Jingzhi Zou(screenplay)
    • Haofeng Xu(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Tony Chiu-Wai Leung
    • Ziyi Zhang
    • Jin Zhang
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 155User reviews
    • 285Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 68 wins & 72 nominations total

    Videos3

    Theatrical Trailer
    Trailer 2:11
    Theatrical Trailer
    Teaser Version
    Trailer 1:10
    Teaser Version
    Exclusive Clip
    Clip 0:57
    Exclusive Clip

    Photos671

    Chang Chen in Yi dai zong shi (2013)
    Tony Chiu-Wai Leung and Ziyi Zhang in Yi dai zong shi (2013)
    Tony Chiu-Wai Leung in Yi dai zong shi (2013)
    Ziyi Zhang in Yi dai zong shi (2013)
    Chang Chen in Yi dai zong shi (2013)
    Ziyi Zhang in Yi dai zong shi (2013)
    Tony Chiu-Wai Leung in Yi dai zong shi (2013)
    Kar-Wai Wong in Yi dai zong shi (2013)
    Tony Chiu-Wai Leung at an event for Yi dai zong shi (2013)
    Yann Yann Yeo at an event for Yi dai zong shi (2013)
    Jane Fonda at an event for Yi dai zong shi (2013)
    Ziyi Zhang at an event for Yi dai zong shi (2013)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tony Chiu-Wai Leung
    Tony Chiu-Wai Leung
    • Ip Manas Ip Man
    Ziyi Zhang
    Ziyi Zhang
    • Gong Eras Gong Er
    Jin Zhang
    Jin Zhang
    • Ma Sanas Ma San
    Chang Chen
    Chang Chen
    • Razoras Razor
    Cung Le
    Cung Le
    • Iron Shoesas Iron Shoes
    Qingxiang Wang
    • Master Gong Yutianas Master Gong Yutian
    Elvis Tsui
    Elvis Tsui
    • Mr. Hungas Mr. Hung
    • (as Jinjiang Xu)
    Song Hye-Kyo
    Song Hye-Kyo
    • Zhang Yongchengas Zhang Yongcheng
    • (as Hye-kyo Song)
    Kar-Yung Lau
    Kar-Yung Lau
    • Master Yongas Master Yong
    • (as Chia Yung Liu)
    Chau Yee Tsang
    • Shortyas Shorty
    • (as Chiu Yee Tsang)
    Hoi-Pang Lo
    Hoi-Pang Lo
    • Uncle Dengas Uncle Deng
    Shun Lau
    Shun Lau
    • Master Ruias Master Rui
    Xiaofei Zhou
    • Sister Sanas Sister San
    Mancheng Wang
    • Master Baas Master Ba
    Ting Yip Ng
    Ting Yip Ng
    • Brother Sauas Brother Sau
    Man Keung Cho
    • Cho Manas Cho Man
    Tony Ling
    • Foshan Martial Artistas Foshan Martial Artist
    Tielong Shang
    • Jiangas Jiang
    • Director
      • Kar-Wai Wong
    • Writers
      • Kar-Wai Wong(story) (screenplay)
      • Jingzhi Zou(screenplay)
      • Haofeng Xu(screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

    Ashes of Time
    7.0
    Ashes of Time
    2046
    7.4
    2046
    Happy Together
    7.7
    Happy Together
    Days of Being Wild
    7.5
    Days of Being Wild
    As Tears Go By
    7.0
    As Tears Go By
    In the Mood for Love
    8.0
    In the Mood for Love
    Chungking Express
    8.0
    Chungking Express
    My Blueberry Nights
    6.6
    My Blueberry Nights
    Fallen Angels
    7.6
    Fallen Angels
    Infernal Affairs
    8.0
    Infernal Affairs
    Lust, Caution
    7.5
    Lust, Caution
    One-Tenth of a Millimeter Apart
    One-Tenth of a Millimeter Apart

    Storyline

    Edit
    Ip Man's peaceful life in Foshan changes after Gong Yutian seeks an heir for his family in Southern China. Ip Man then meets Gong Er who challenges him for the sake of regaining her family's honor. After the Second Sino-Japanese War, Ip Man moves to Hong Kong and struggles to provide for his family. In the mean time, Gong Er chooses the path of vengeance after her father was killed by Ma San. —Immanuel Ambhara
    • ip man character
    • falling off a balcony
    • girl
    • crying
    • starving to death
    • 175 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • In Martial Arts there is no right or wrong, only the last man standing.
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Biography
      • Drama
      • Romance
      • War
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated PG-13 for violence, some smoking, brief drug use and language
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The project was announced almost 10 years before its final release, due to director Kar-Wai Wong's endless perfectionism. Several other motion pictures about the Ip Man that were conceived after this announcement (most famously Ip Man (2008) and Yip Man 2 (2010)) were all released in the meantime.
    • Quotes

      Gong Er: Remember when I told you that there is nothing to regret in life? It's all bullshit. If life had no regrets it would be really boring.

    • Alternate versions
      The original version released in Asia removes a portion of Yi Xintian's subplot. The rain fight sequence between Xintian and Ip Man shown in the trailer, for example, was removed. However, Wong Karwai then recut the movie for a special Berlin Film Festival screening by incorporating the missing scenes back, but editing out several scenes from the original version including a fight sequence between Ip Man and a Hong Kong challenger. Both versions are missing crucial segments that made all three main characters' journey feel incomplete. The actual finished movie was rumored to be 4 hours long. Wong Karwai mentioned he had no intention of releasing the 4 hour version.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Oscars (2014)
    • Soundtracks
      Stabat Mater
      Written by Stefano Lentini

      Performed by The City of Rome Contemporary Music Ensemble

    User reviews155

    Review
    Top review
    5/10
    Casey's Movie Mania: THE GRANDMASTER (2013)
    Wong Kar-Wai's 10 years-in-the-making of the so-called Ip Man biopic is exquisitely photographed and blessed with some dazzling fight choreography, but THE GRANDMASTER is mostly a scattershot mess of unfocused direction.

    When director Wong Kar-Wai first announced the project way back in 2002, I bet a lot of die-hard fans are eager to see how the critically-acclaimed art-house director is going to do a big-screen treatment of the legendary Ip Man. Fast forward to 2013 (after a string of delays and whatnot), THE GRANDMASTER has came and gone with mostly favorable reviews and successful box office runs. However, after finally watching it, I must say that THE GRANDMASTER turns out to be an overrated effort after all.

    Likewise, Wong Kar-Wai is always meticulous when comes to distinctive visual flair. Philippe Le Sourd and Song Xiaofei's sumptuous cinematography is nice to look at, while beautifully framed Yuen Woo-Ping's fight choreography with such balletic mix of slow motion and various camera speeds. The rest of the technical credits are equally ace -- ranging from its elaborate production design to its detailed costume design. On the plus side, the first half is particularly engaging. As for the cast, Zhang Ziyi excels the most as the hotheaded, yet emotionally frustrating Gong Er.

    The second half is hastily stitched together, while burdened by terribly inconsistent pace. It's understandable that Wong Kar-Wai's movie is always fragmented but this time, THE GRANDMASTER is way uneven yet unfocused. Another biggest problem here is the sudden change of focus from narrating Ip Man story to Gong Er story. If that's not insulting enough, the introduction of Chang Chen's The Razor character feels vague and needless altogether. Apart from Zhang Ziyi's exceptional performance, it's rather surprising to see the usually-reliable Tony Leung Chiu-Wai doesn't impress much as Ip Man. Although he is charismatic enough, he fails to expand his Ip Man character with a satisfying emotional center other than looking cool or broods a lot. Popular Korean actress Song Hye-Kyo is sadly neglected in a thankless role (thanks to Wong Kar-Wai for cutting off most of her scenes in the editing room) as Ip Man's wife, Zhang Yongcheng.

    It's quite sad to see what could have been another classic Wong Kar-Wai movie-in-the-making turns out to be a disappointment. Strictly for die-hard fans.

    http://caseymoviemania.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-grandmaster-2013.html
    helpful•65
    45
    • caseymoviemania
    • Apr 21, 2013

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 30, 2013 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Hong Kong
      • China
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Languages
      • Mandarin
      • Cantonese
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Nhất Đại Tông Sư
    • Filming locations
      • Foshan, Guangdong, China
    • Production companies
      • Block 2 Pictures
      • Jet Tone Production
      • Sil-Metropole Organisation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $38,600,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $6,594,959
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $132,617
      • Aug 25, 2013
    • Gross worldwide
      • $73,933,046
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 10 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Four starry Hong Kong features acquired for Taiwan (exclusive)
    Four starry Hong Kong features acquired for Taiwan (exclusive)
    May 22ScreenDaily
    Zhang Ziyi Had Some Unique Training For Her House Of Flying Daggers Role
    Zhang Ziyi Had Some Unique Training For Her House Of Flying Daggers Role
    Apr 1Slash Film

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Yi dai zong shi (2013)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Yi dai zong shi (2013) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The 10 Most Anticipated Marvel and DC Movies
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    2022 TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.