Ip Man 2


Ip Man: “Take it easy! You're both young men. Injuries are inevitable in friendly fights. I'll visit your master and explain to him. May I know who your master is?”
Cheng Wai-Kei: “Doesn't matter. He's better than you anyway. By the way, did you bring the ransom?"
Ip Man: “No.”



release year: 2010
genre: martial arts drama/action
viewing setting: home Bluray 4/19/18

synopsis: After moving his family to Hong Kong, middle-aged martial arts master Ip Man must deal with both the local martial arts community and hostile British occupational forces.

impressions: This one repeated some of the challenges of the first one, in that the odds always seemed to be stacked against Ip Man. He got arrested for doing nothing...got hit after the bell rang in a match...had the rules changed in the middle of the fight...and so on. It also channeled Rocky 4 in the second half. The turning point in this one comes at around 39 minutes, when Ip Man has to fight for the right to teach martial arts in Hong Kong..and afterward, basically challenges the entire room full of masters, none of whom want to actually fight him. Other good fight scenes include the one at the fish market (where he takes on dozens of attackers) and the one at the end (where he takes on the British boxer, and actually gets hit, hurt, knocked down, etc.)

acting: Donnie Yen is outstanding, both with his acting and his action scenes. Lynn Hung is his very patient and understanding wife, who's pregnant for most of this one. Simon Yam is an old friend who's amnesiac now. Huand Xiaoming is a brash young student. Darren Shahlavi is the dangerous and hostile British boxer.

final word: Another good chapter in the life of this martial arts legend.

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