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The Grandmaster

Original title: Yi dai zong shi
  • 20132013
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 10m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
34K
YOUR RATING
The Grandmaster (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
    • 157User 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 The Grandmaster (2013)
    Tony Chiu-Wai Leung and Ziyi Zhang in The Grandmaster (2013)
    Tony Chiu-Wai Leung in The Grandmaster (2013)
    Ziyi Zhang in The Grandmaster (2013)
    Chang Chen in The Grandmaster (2013)
    Ziyi Zhang in The Grandmaster (2013)
    Tony Chiu-Wai Leung in The Grandmaster (2013)
    Kar-Wai Wong in The Grandmaster (2013)
    Tony Chiu-Wai Leung at an event for The Grandmaster (2013)
    Yann Yann Yeo at an event for The Grandmaster (2013)
    Jane Fonda at an event for The Grandmaster (2013)
    Ziyi Zhang at an event for The Grandmaster (2013)

    Top cast

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

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    Storyline

    Edit

    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 Ip 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 reviews157

    Review
    Top review
    Simply the Best Kung Fu Film Ever Made
    Some may say Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon (You can't beat its award score), other may say Zhang Yimou's "Hero" or Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury or Chow's Kung Fu Hustler if you like comedy. I would will say Wong Kar Wai's Grandmaster is the best Kung Fu movie ever made.

    First Crouching Tiger is more wuxia than kung fu, as it is about swordfight and you do not know any style of kung fu used in the film (are they really Wudang?). Then comes Zhang Yimou's "Hero" with a classic fight scene between Jet Li and Donnie Yen which is simply the best sword-fight in film history, only to be matched by the classic fist-fight between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris in Way of the Dragon. But I would say Zhang's film is too political in context and Bruce's top notch is more physical than spirit (and the whole of his top kungfu film is not satisfying).

    Wong's Grandmaster wins in spirit, in style more than in physique and awards. With long research and a semi-documentary style film-making, Wong has made a film about kung fu in its naked self, i.e. in blood, in sweats and in tears (hard work, stamina, suffering, sacrifice and national / world heritage). I prefer the title "Grandmasters" instead of "Grandmaster" as the film is more about an age represented by many martial artists and styles in kung fu depicted and above all in Ip Man (Tony Leung), Gong Er (Zhang Ziyi) and Yixiantian (Zhang Chen). Though in order to make the film shortened from 4 to 2 hours, perhaps significant parts about Yixiantian has been cut out so that the film may look unfinished but the unfinished parts only makes one long for seeing more - its full form.

    In martial art, it is always the heart that counts, or in this respect, any kind of arts, inclung of course film art. For filming the Grandmaster, Wong has justified himself a film director with a heart of a grandmaster, not only in China, but also in the world like Ip Man.
    helpful•32
    35
    • xinbuluan33
    • Jan 27, 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

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