Continuing after the events of the earlier film, the sequel centers on Ip's movements in Hong Kong, which is under British colonial rule. A sequel to the 2008 film Ip Man, the film was directed by Wilson Yip, and stars Donnie Yen, who reprises the leading role. It's no masterpiece, but for solid martial arts fun you could do a lot worse.Ip Man 2 is a 2010 Hong Kong biographical martial arts film loosely based on the life of Ip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun. I've always been a fan of Wong and he doesn't disappoint here, while the likes of Eric Tsang, Ken Lo, and Sammo's lad Timmy all impress. This one feels like a soap opera at times, but the good news is that the hard-hitting fight sequences are really effective and give the performers a chance to shine. The main problem I have with them is that the writing isn't great, descending into sentimentality to often and never really feeling too mature. Yau's films look quite poor when compared to the great Yen trilogy, but on their own merits they're quite enjoyable. In this one, the great and underrated Anthony Wong delivers a subdued portrayal of the quiet master, once more driven into action by the machinations of some violent gang leaders. The first, THE LEGEND IS BORN: IP MAN, was a prequel to the Donnie Yen trilogy, whereas THE FINAL FIGHT is a natural successor. IP MAN: THE FINAL FIGHT is the second of two biopic movies made by former Category III director Herman Yau. Reviewed by Leofwine_draca 6 / 10 Natural successor to the Donnie Yen trilogy But as I say, I'm not invested in the history of the real Ip Man so how accurate this all was did not have a bearing on my enjoyment of the picture. The film could have better explained why he stayed behind in Hong Kong after Madame Ip left, that was a big question mark for me. Anthony Wong appeared to be a reasonable choice for the role of the title character, taking an interest in his students and assuming the mantle of a grand master with equanimity and calm. The picture is competently made and directed, and the fight scenes are generally realistic without going over the top in terms of violence and gore. The plus side for this movie had to do with an actual story instead of crazy wire work and impossible flying moves that would wind up decimating someone if they were actually hit just once. I don't have any of that in my background, I simply picked the film up because I'll take in a kung fu flick, in this case Wing Chun, from time to time just to see what's current. Virtually every other review for this movie here on IMDb is posted by someone familiar with the real life Ip Man or having a solid interest in martial arts films. Reviewed by classicsoncall 8 / 10 "Superior skills make for a strong personality."
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