You can’t be a fan of martial arts movies or Quentin
Tarantino without knowing the name Yuen Woo-Ping. Woo-Ping was the
choreographer behind many of the classic martial arts movies to come out of
China as well as doing the same role on films like THE MATRIX and CROUCHING
TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON. But he’s also a well-respected director in the genre as
well having directed films like IRON MONKEY and DRUNKEN MASTER. So it should
come as no surprise that Woo-Ping now helms the continuing saga started with
the Ip Man series of films.
Picking up where the third IP MAN movie left off Cheung Tin
Chi (Jin Zhang) has abandoned martial arts after his defeat at the hands of Ip
Man. Now running a small store in Hong Kong while raising his young son he sets
out to live simply. But fate has more in store for him.
While making a delivery he literally runs into Nana
(Chrissie Chau), an opium addict in debt to gangster Tso Sai Kit (Kevin Cheng)
and her friend Julia (Liu Yan). When Kit breaks the gift Chi bought for his
son, he steps in to protect the two women before the police arrive. All are
arrested and thanks to a payoff to the corrupt police chief they are released
that night. But the release comes late and Chi misses the dinner he promised to
take his son to at a high end restaurant owned by Davidson (Dave Bautista).
Seeking revenge for his humiliation Kit and his men firebomb
Chi’s store burning him and his son. As he escapes with his injured child the
men follow him. Passing nearby the Gold Bar, owned by Fu (Xing Yu) Julia’s
brother, he bumps into Julia and asks her to watch after her son. One by one he
defeats that gang chasing him as well as an assassin named Sadi (Tony Jaa)
who’s been following him.
Julia talks to her brother and he offers Chi a job working
in the bar. The two talk and form a bond once he realizes who Chi is having
studied martial arts himself. Their friendship is tested after Chi takes
vengeance against Kit by destroying one of his opium dens. Kit’s sister Kwan
(Michelle Yeoh) is the actual head of the gang that Kit is part of. She was
also the person responsible for helping Fu begin his bar and he’s indebted to
her. All is smoothed over when she talks to Chi.
Kwan is in the middle
of trying to take their business legit but Kit wants to carry on with the
gangster life. So much so that he makes a deal with a friend and gets into the
heroin business. When his friend takes him to the man behind the heroin trade
(no spoiler here folks) he cements his loyalty to the man and finds himself
with more power than he had in the past.
Chi discovers what is taking place and alerts Kwan to the
situation. She asks for time to settle the situation but before that happens
Kit kills Nana who was engaged to Fu. Chi and Fu storm Kwan’s offices and an
all-out battle takes place that is amazing to watch. Another offering is made,
another situation settled but not completely. It isn’t long before Chi will be
forced to reignite the flame inside and use his skills to right the wrongs set
in place by the various situations fate has steered him to.
Look, I’m a fan of martial arts films and have been for some
time. I grew up on those Saturday afternoon showings of Kung Fu Theater that
had the imported Chinese martial arts films that were more about acrobatics
than martial arts. But the movies coming out of China today are stunning in not
just the martial arts skills on display but the technical aspects of the films
as well. And with Well Go leading the pack in bringing these films around the
world on disc they deserve major kudos.
Yes, I know that much of what we see on display here is wire
skills, actors being lifted high in the air by trusses and wires. But there is
more to it than that. The moves used in these films take an enormous amount of skill
to do properly and they do indeed follow through on those skills.
More than that the film is gorgeous on so many levels. The
cinematography for a movie that some would write off as “just a martial arts
movie” is amazing. The fluidity of the fight sequences is stunning. And rather
than fall prey to the worst shooting of a fight scene possible as many western
films do (the Bourne films come to mind) they don’t zoom in for close ups
during fights or rely on jerky camera movement to cover up the problems
associated with a fight sequence. Instead they back up enough that you can see
the entire fight taking place. And in the sequence in Kwan’s office you have
not one but two separate fight sequences taking place at the same time for some
amazing shots.
I’ve not gotten around to watching the IP MAN series though
I was able to pick them up used a while back. Now I find myself wanting to pull
them out to watch and set this one next to them on the shelf. I have a feeling
I will enjoy them as much as this film. It will be one that I know I’ll
definitely pull out from time to time to watch. Once again praise to Well Go
for bringing these films to the world. And continued success to them with more
coming.
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