YIP MAN 2(2010)
(Directed by Wilson Yip)
"He trained Bruce Lee! Trust me...the movie won't let you forget that."- Signed by MartialHorror.
Plot: The great Wing Chun master, Yip Man, flees to Hong Kong to escape from the Japanese. He now faces persecution from the British as well as from other kung fu schools. Also known as “Ip Man” Review: Enthusiasts of Hong Kong cinema are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. After enduring a decade of shitty films, good HK movies are rising again. Since the Communist takeover, there was simply a crash in quality. Sure, Jackie Chan and Jet Li tried to keep things classy, and to an extent, they succeeded. But they’re too old to carry things on their own now. Stephen Chow was a potential savior but…..wait, what the hell happened to him? I haven’t heard about him in the last few years. But the light has come and Hong Kong is becoming a force to be reckoned with. “Yip Man” was one of those rays of light, maybe even being the biggest light! It was an awesomely made movie, and now it has produced a sequel, “Yip Man 2”. It is technically an inferior sequel, yet I liked it just as much. I wonder why. Ip Man(Donnie Yen) flees to Hong Kong after the events of the previous movie, and struggles to build another school. Things start to look up when people start to join, but that’s when his troubles begin. Master Hung(Sammo Hung, HOLY SHIT IT’S SAMMO HUNG!) has created a union for all kung fu teachers, and to become one, you must pass his test. This turns into a flat out grudge between the two men. But as Ip Man must struggle with his fellow teachers, he also must contend with British douchebags. A famous boxer known as the Twister(Darren Shahlavi) has arrived in Hong Kong and is stirring up trouble. Things have become quite complicated for the humble Ip Man. In my review of the previous film, I accused the movie of being racist towards the Japanese. I felt it was petty that they manipulated and bastardized history for the sake of painting this portrait of hatred and I don’t see the point of condemning a country for what they did 60+ years ago. It reached it’s lowest point when Ip Man even states that the Japanese are incapable of learning kung fu, and seems to suggest that Karate is the inferior martial art. In retrospect, I was being harsh. I don’t think that the filmmakers are racist, but believe they flubbed the films message. They probably just wanted your typical nationalist pride theme, and didn’t intend for the film to be anti-Japanese. But they messed up and that was the final result. “Yip Man 2” seems to be doing the same thing to the West for the most part, but turns it on its head, correcting this mistake. "Yip Man 2" is not a racist movie. Oh, sure, the westerners are mostly shown to be one-dimensional jackasses. They’re arrogant, corrupt and they belittle the Chinese every time they can. I find it bitterly ironic at how so many Asians complain that Hollywood only casts them as stereotypes, when Asian movies don’t tend to be any better(Especially China!). In Hollywood, Asian's used to be pety comic relief, but now they're pretty much modern day samurai("Predators"). Westerners in Asian films are usually barbaric beasts, with Jet Li’s “Born to Defense” even having the bad guy “GROWL” at people. This might be why I was indifferent to the complaints of "The Last Airbender" using non-Asians in what should've been Asian roles. But hell, the countries are getting better and if anything, countries like Hong Kong seem to be moving faster than Hollywood at correcting this mistake. As I said, “Yip Man 2” isn’t racist even if it is playing to a stereotype. The reason why I’m defending “Yip Man 2” is because the Chinese aren’t shown to be any better. Ip Man must deal with corrupt Asian cops and teachers who act just as arrogant, violent and intolerant as the British. But Ip Man wins most of his Asian opponents over with his humility, respectfulness and badass skills. The even movie ends with the presumption that he has earned the respect of his British opponents. The theme is about treating people with respect and being humble. In doing so, you will eventually with the respect of others. Hence, I applaud “Yip Man 2” for handling such a theme so effectively. Plus, here is a funny tidbit. When Ip Man meets Master Hung, Ip Man explains that their students fought and Ip Man’s student won. Hung instantly presumes Ip Man is claiming that his stance is superior and gets all angry about it. Could this be a subtle response to the accusations of racism against the first film? That people who felt this way looked too deeply into it and took it the wrong way? I’d like to think so. Unfortunately, “Yip Man 2” isn’t as well made as it’s predecessor. To be honest, there isn’t a whole lot you could do with it. The structure is a bit shaky, although it never becomes slow paced. I liked the first half, where the focus was on the school rivalry. To me, a smaller scaled story makes more sense compared to the events of the last film. But when the British are introduced, the film suddenly becomes a rip-off of “Rocky 4”. This in itself would be okay, but the sudden truce between Ip Man and Hung felt too sudden and contrived. I still liked the 2nd act, but it did feel a bit weeker. The movie also throws in a few subplots that never go anywhere. Jin(Siu- Wong Fan; who for some reason reminded me of Bones from that new “Star Trek“ movie), the former Bandit from the first movie, returns as a reformed family man. He's very likeable, but I wish he had more affect on the plot. Simon Yam’s character returns as well, apparently left mentally crippled after being shot in the head. Both of these characters represent the movies theme, but I wish there was some resolution with Yam’s character. Also, while a young Bruce Lee appears at the end, the epilogue text makes too big of a point of it, ignoring that Lee eventually became disillusioned with Wing Chun(although he always respected his Master). The directing also loses a lot of its impact. It’s good, and Wilson Yip handles the emotional sequences very well. But I’ll get on that later. Visually, the film is very typical. His directing was exceptional in the previous movie. While it’s fine here, there is nothing that really stood out. The first movie had a thick, atmospheric tone, wonderfully transitioning between Man's kung fu paradise to when he lost everything. This one had none of that. But the fight scenes are just as amazing as before, maybe even a little better. Sammo Hung gets the most impressive fights and trust me, despite his age and weight, he still is very athletic and was very believable as a kung fu badass. I also liked the fact that this movie had more diversity than it’s predecessor when it comes to the styles of fighting. Ip Man has plenty of unique obstacles, having to use the location to assist him while fighting people with plenty of unique styles. Fans of martial arts movies should be exhilarated at what’s on display here. But the ultimate reason why I love this movie just as much as the first is its emotional impact, so Wilson Yip deserves praise for that. The main heart here is Donnie Yen’s performance as Ip Man. He handles himself like a champ once more, but to me, his best scenes are his more awkward bits, like when he realizes he doesn’t have enough money to pay the rent, or when he’s struggling with getting students. I felt for the character, and I appreciated how various characters develop(like Master Hung). Sammo Hung(Master Hung) is phenomenal in the role. In the past, he was known for playing the (skilled) clown(“The Magnificent Butcher”), but he’s aged well so he looks like a hardened master. Hung carries the role magnificently, both physically and emotionally. These two men together make the movie into an emotional journey, and when they struggle, I felt it. Ip Man’s boxer opponent is much stronger than the previous villain(and in reality, is probably stronger than Ip Man considering he’s more than a match WITH BOXING GLOVES, which soften his blows), and Ip Man takes quite a beating. Twister is such a jerk, that you can’t help but want to see him get his ass kicked, and when Ip Man is finally victorious, I was cheering along with the audience within the movie. Like “Rocky”, it does so well with the characters that when they stumble, I felt it, and when victory is achieved, I was relieved. I personally felt the previous movie was a little robotic in terms of emotional impact, redeemed by it’s technical achievements. “Yip Man 2” is the opposite: Not technically as impressive, but emotionally devastating. That is why I loved this movie. I can see why some fans would be disappointed in comparison. It lacks the pleasant surprise that the first one brought us and lack it’s stunning visual achievements. But to me, “Yip Man 2” had more heart. I felt more for the characters and what they were going through. So while “Yip Man” is the better movie, I loved “Yip Man 2” just as much. Hong Kong cinema has triumphed again, and fans of kung fu cinema all owe a dept of gratitude to Wilson Yip, Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung and everyone involved in making these movies. Violence: Rated R worthy for some brutality. Maybe PG-13 worthy. Nudity: None. Overall: “Yip Man 2” is a must see if you liked the original, which was a must see if you like quality kung fu films. 3.5/4 Stars 
