By Adam Bloodworth
This historical origin story is the latest to dramatize the life of Wing Chun master Ip Man. Over the years, the man who mentored Bruce Lee has been portrayed many times, most notably in Donnie Yen’s hit Ip Man franchise (2008-2019) and Wong Kar-wai’s The Grandmaster.
This seems unlikely to be as well regarded, as Li Xi Jie and Zhang Zhulin’s movie falls far short of that standard. Miu Tse is charismatic as the young Ip Man, shown during his early days in Hong Kong where he crosses paths with evil British human trafficker Mr Stark (Sergio De Ieso). Plot wise, it’s very much like every low budget action movie you’ve ever seen as the righteous good guys take on the mean-spirited, cackling (and often cigar smoking) foreign villains.
Those hoping for some insight into the iconic title character will leave disappointed, as the script takes a back seat to ornate fighting scenes which are entertaining, albeit a bit empty without a worthwhile story to drive them.
Tse does his best with what he has, having enough presence to overcome the flaky dialogue and a film that doesn’t always focus on the smaller details (there’s more than one plot point that
seems to be resolved off-screen with no warning.)
Still, it’s a good audition for future interpretations of the man. De Ieso’s over-the-top performance can be a blessed relief. Although there’s no hint of subtlety, he at least looks like he’s having fun.
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