Three years after their first collaboration in Kill Zone (aka S.P.L) in 2005, Wilson Yip, Sammo Hung and Donnie Yen joined forces once again to make Yip Man, which tells the story of the celebrated Wing Chun master and mentor to Bruce Lee. Kungfu films stormed back into public favour as a result. Yip Man is not a biopic in the truest sense of the word – it barely touches on even the most definitive of the Wing Chun techniques, and Yen’s portrayal of Yip sets more score by the martial art code of honour than the actual practice of martial arts. Yip is idealised with a deep love for his family and his country and, throughout, there’s a resurgence of the long-neglected Confucian virtues. The combination of Yen’s indisputable acting talent with Hung’s gift for action choreography makes every action sequence thrillingly dynamic and articulate.
Film details
- Country of production
- Hong Kong
- Year
- 2008
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2011
- Length
- 107'
- Medium/Format
- 35mm
