The life and times of Ip Man (Donnie Yen), the grandmaster of Wing Chun and eventual mentor to Bruce Lee, the film chronicling a small portion of his life both before and during the Japanese occupation of China.

CRITIQUE

I’d never heard of Ip Man before watching this movie based on – more like inspired by – his life. But just because that was so did not mean I found director Wilson Yip’s 2008 effort Ip Man to be a lost cause. Just opposite, actually, the filmmaker crafting a highly enjoyable action-driven biopic filled with strong moments and even stronger performances. This is an extremely solid, high-class project, and when all was said and done I was quite happy I’d taken the time to give it a look.

As played by the great Donnie Yen (who seems like he was just born to play this part even though he’d never in fact studied Wing Chun until he was cast in the role), Ip is a figure of great virtue, strength and human kindness. The courage and humility he brings to the character feels absolutely genuine in every way whatsoever, the performance so strong I almost forgot I was watching the star of Iron Monkey and Hero and not some relative unknown getting their big break. He’s that good.

Then there are the jaw-dropping action scenes. Staged by Sammo Hung (who has been working virtually nonstop in Hong Kong since 1961), these sequences are some of the most stunning I’ve seen in years. There is an early battle between Ip and a stranger intent on defeating all of his city’s martial arts masters which is exhilaration incarnate. It is not, however, the film’s highpoint. There are at least three later ones that blow it out of the water (including a furious one on ten battle that had me gasping for air), the stakes getting higher and higher as things progress.

Set largely during the Sino-Japanese War and involving the occupation of Man’s hometown of Fo Shan, the movie does stretch credulity more than a few times. Apparently the script has more than its share of historical inaccuracies, stretching the truth time and time again in an effort to make the central figure even more iconic.

Not that there is really anything wrong with that. Every culture deserves their heroes, China (no matter what you think of the country in its current condition) certainly no exception. But when it is so blatantly obvious that you’re playing fast and loose with the truth, and when the film is directed and acted as if we are supposed to take it absolutely serious, this does tend to be a bit of a problem. A minor one, true, but still a noticeable problem all the same.

Ultimately I don’t have as big an issue with this as it might sound. The movie is extremely enjoyable with action scenes so good martial arts fanatics are going to be doing cartwheels as they watch them. Yen is extraordinary in it, and the rest of the cast (filled with a variety of noticeable character actors) largely rise to the occasion. Ip Man is a good film I had a great time watching, and while I’m not sure I learned a ton about the title figure I still got just enough to keep me interested all the way from start to finish.

THE VIDEO

Ip Man is presented in 2.35:1/1080p widescreen. I have issues here. For one thing, while watching the film I got the distinct feeling Yip was going for two distinct visual periods, the first being Ip’s life pre-Japanese occupation and the other post. The way the movie is designed, those early scenes appear as if they are supposed to be brighter, more colorful, more distinctive, while the latter has a desaturated look that is supposed to emulate Fo Shan’s dire straights.

While I do not know for sure if this is true, I do know that other international Blu-ray releases have showcased the film in just this fashion. Sadly, what is processed here is so equally desaturated you can barely tell the difference between the film’s two different segments. While there is definitely more color during the first third, it’s still so overly diluted it’s almost impossible to tell if this is on purpose or not. It’s a weird visual choice on the part of the manufacturer, and I’m not quite certain it is the one the filmmakers would appreciate.

Is this a problem? I’m not entirely sure. Other than this, call it a gut feeling, on my part the image is very strong, crisp and full of the depth you’d expect from a Blu-ray. I’m just not sold this is how the movie was originally supposed to be viewed, and because of that I can’t quite give this transfer the full thumbs up.

THE AUDIO

Available audio includes English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 with optional English subtitles. I hate discs of foreign films that default to the English audio. It drives me nuts. This one does just that. There is also a noticeable difference between the audio for the dialogue and the audio for the effects, the balance a bit off resulting in a bit of volume changing fatigue as far as one’s finger and their remote control are concerned.

THE EXTRAS

Extras here on this two-disc set include:

DISC ONE

• The Making of “Ip Man” – Typical behind-the-scenes featurette that’s not as interesting or as informative as I’d have liked to have been.
• Deleted Scenes – A collection of a few deleted scenes, all running right around three minutes, presented in the most distracting way imaginable so I can’t tell you how good any of them really are as I watched only one and then quickly called it a day.
• Domestic and Hong Kong Trailers

DISC TWO (standard definition DVD)

• Interviews with Cast and Crew – A little over an hour of interviews that’s far more interesting and informative than that featurette documentary ever was.
• Shooting Diary – A little over five minutes of more behind-the-scenes info.
• Behind the Sets – Three featurettes, each running right about two minutes each, covering the look of the film and its production desing. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Questions of historical accuracy aside, Ip Man is an entertaining feature filled with awesome martial arts battles and anchored by a magnificent performance by Donnie Yen. This Blu-ray has major problems in both the audio and visual departments, however, and I’d strongly recommend a rental before deciding to add this film to your collection.