Ip Man(WY Retro)

Born into a wealthy family, wing chun master Ip Man is a low-key man who loves to be with his family. Even in the city of Foshan, where various schools of martial arts flourish, Ip remained not very prominent until he famously defeats powerful Shandong-born martial artist Jin Shan. During the Japanese invasion, Ip is forced to become a coolie to feed his family. Meanwhile, Japanese general Miura – a martial arts aficionado – uses rice to tempt martial artists into death matches. Seeing his friends killed and his compatriots suffering, Ip decides to stop saying silent and takes on the menacing Japanese fighters himself.

With a thorough understanding of Hong Kong classic kung fu cinema, Wilson Yip blends the individualistic heroism of Fist of Fury with the fervent nationalism of the Once Upon a Time in China series. In addition to impassioned patriotism, the script and characters are also filled with humanistic touches, such as Ip Man’s love of his family, Li Chiu’s desperation for survival and Miura’s love for martial arts. The action choreographed by Sammo Hung focuses on close-quarter combat, fitting with modern audience’s taste so well that the film kicked off a wing chun craze at the time of release.

Presented on 35mm film.