Ip Man 2 (2010)

Edmond Wong's screenplay, like the first film, focused more on drama and had moments where questions such as integrity and the living of one's life according to ideals get raised, whether it is, for the sake of the greater good, worthwhile to forgo those ideals in order to make a living, and allow those who work for you, to make something out for themselves too. In essence, which of the lesser evils are you willing to compromise on. There's also time taken to devote to the corruption of Caucasian police officers, as well as how the Chinese used to fight their own, before learning to unite in the face of stronger, external opponents out to humiliate and insult long held values because of ignorance and prejudice.

The second half of the film, with what we've seen in the trailers involving yet another East versus West matchup that have been covered in contemporary martial arts films and biopics like Fearless and True Legend, was quite the worry for me, in that it would be another opportunity for meaningless bashing and the championing of nationalistic messages. It's that sense of deja-vu that you fear arising from a similar situation from its predecessor, but thankfully, we get a fight that's quite compelling to watch, with Ip Man now being properly challenged by an opponent who's skilled with plenty of power and dexterity, with that lack of honour in dishing out a fair fight. Darren Shahlavi who portrays Twister the boxer, gets top marks for making you all riled up with his constant air of superiority.

Action choreography continues to be designed by Sammo Hung, and personally three action sequences stand out. I didn't enjoy the fish market brawl, as I didn't take to Ip Man fighting with an unruly horde, except that there's a moment of truth there when he shows by example his philosophy of "running away" (not that he's a coward) which continues from where he left off from an answer to Wong Leung. Two scenes which stood out involves Shahlavi's battle with the Chinese grandmasters, and frankly, despite being a "boxing" match, it was really imaginative of Sammo to deliver something that's quite different from the usual action sequences in Chinese films involving battling a Caucasian in a ring.

But the number one action sequence, albeit a little bit short, would be that which you've been teased by the trailer, with Ip Man versus Sammo's Hung Jan Nam mano a mano atop a flimsy table, in what would be Wing Chung versus Hung Ga Kuen. Naturally, not to offend real life practitioners means the result of the fight would be understood, but to see Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung match up against one another, is an action film fan's dream come true again, from SPL, especially after Ip Man dispenses with the side show phonies. If I had a complaint, these two really went all out with the speed of execution, that you just want to beg the camera to stay put from afar in slow motion to allow us all to gaze.

And because of the enigmatic presence of Sammo, somehow I feel that Ip Man the character got diluted screen time because ample time has to be set aside to prevent Sammo's Master Hung from being just the supporting character, but one that's properly fleshed out. He's there to be the contrast as the older martial arts practitioner who's well respected by his peers, and providing that glimpse of how Ip Man could progress, and whether to want to compromise ideals for those dependent on him for livelihood. Sammo being Sammo also ch

Fmovies: 'Ip Man 2' is really spectacular. No wonder that this movie has tons of actions scenes. Even though you're not Chinese, this is a really great Chinese movie you have to watch.

The story is pretty normal since it's a part historical movie where you can't change a lot of the original story. For a historical film, the story is not the real factor for it to be good.

After seeing 'Ip Man', I have to say that it was good. It was very astonishing! After hearing the announcement on this sequel, I decided to check it out! Honestly, it was beyond my expectations! The fighting scenes were long enough and awesomely shot. The movie had so many fighting scenes that I say this movie is much better than it's predecessor. All those scenes were beyond my thoughts.

The kungfu moves were also well directed. They were amazing and far cooler than the first movie.

With a lot of action scenes, I think that 'Ip Man 2' is one of the greatest Chinese action films in history.

Well done 'Ip Man 2'! 8 stars for this sequel!

This is my first review on IMDb but after watching this film and being bitterly disappointed i felt i had to write one.

I want to begin by saying what i liked so much about the first one to illustrate the differences between the 2 films. The first one blew me away, the fight scenes were absolutely brilliant, before seeing ip man i was always a fan of the jet li stuff but donnie yen changed everything in the first film, it made me fall in love with win chung, and he was awesome, none of the fight scenes were over the top they were simple but thats what made them brilliant. In the second one i felt like i was watching a John Woo film, death by slow motion.

None of the characters were properly developed so you didn't care about them, and the fight scenes seemed to drag on, i mean taking on 50 guys with machetes c'mon for gods sake its supposed to be based on a real man, i don't care how good anyone is that just wouldn't happen, and the bit with the crate Jackie Chan film comes to mind, but the worst bit was the final fight , yaaaaaaaawwwwwnn!!! how boring and predictable, and as someone else mentioned Rocky 4 done all over again. People watch these films for the beauty of Chinese martial arts and in this one Wing chun in particular, and all of that is gone in this one, other than the very first fight with his student. Also the film touches on the spirit of kung fu and the belief system that goes with it, but doesn't go any deeper, which i would have loved, and this film had the opportunity to do that because he was teaching kung fu in this film.

So to sum up, Ip Man 2 is nothing special, still enjoyable but doesn't come close to the first one, ill still look out for more donnie yen films though because i still think he played the part well.

Ip Man 2 fmovies. Ever since "Ip Man" started making waves across Asia, a continuation/sequel was inevitable. People wanted more out of Donnie Yen and Wilson Yip. They wanted more of the same: martial-arts action-laden sequences carefully woven around an old-fashioned moral lesson about martial arts. And that is exactly what Yen, Yip and company have made here: a sequel which is surprisingly as solid as the first.

As per the first film, Donnie Yen once again proves that he can act AND fight at the same time. He is perfect as the wise sifu Ip Man and he acts rationally without ever losing control of himself. Even when he gets angry. Now that is a true man. His fighting skills prove that in spades.

The supporting actors are a mixed bag. On one hand we have the Chinese actors giving their best, including Sammo Hung in a memorable role as a fellow martial-arts master. However, the British actors are the ones I'm complaining about, some of their acting is just overdone and hammy. But the action still overlays this flaw. One part I did like about this sequel though; a villain in the previous film now becomes a like-able friend in this one. The reason? He found a family and humbled down, realizing his foolish mistakes in the past. This is proof that this movie is not all-action, but it has a big heart as well.

Again, the story is nothing new to write home about; it's basically the Hong Kong version of "Rocky IV", with Donne Yen playing "Ip Man" which is equivalent to Stallone's iconic character, and a very buffed-up Darren Shahlavi playing a British boxer which is the equivalent of Dolph Lundgren's "Ivan Drago" character. However the direction and the fight scenes are executed so masterfully that it makes the story easy to relate to.

Once again, his fists move like a chain-gun firing without reloading. And as for Sammo Hung, if you think that a fat guy can't fight, think again. Sammo Hung moves at breathtaking speed and it's a marvel watching Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung duking it out on the big screen. The martial-arts action sequences reaches new heights of excitement, and the adrenaline level of anyone watching them will be spiked. Then again, it has it's fair share of realism in it as well. Donnie almost gets the crap beaten up of him at one point, making his character all but human just like the rest of us.

Overall, it is a fine martial-arts movie, with good acting, a good ol' fashioned moral tale and lots of exceptional fight sequences that will leave you breathless. It's one Asian blockbuster not to be missed. And that last scene of the movie... a promise of things to come, like "Ip Man 3"?

Overall rating: 64/10

After I wrote my comment on Ip Man part I, I said I have not seen such action movie since Bruce Lee. Well, here is another movie of the same kind. No mistake. Afer we saw all the Stallones, Van Dammes and Schwarzeneggers we finally got one more film milestone. I really cannot find anything bad about this film. Except maybe ... the first part develops the characters more carefully, so if you have not seen the first sequel you might not recognize some fun in numb 2 ... But, everything else is a work of a masterpiece!! Acting, costumes, development of the action plot and emotional plot as well ... Just keep on working, seriously - I have not seen such a good action movie serial made anywhere else in the world for a very long time, especially not in Hollywood. After Kurosawa and Bruce Lee, this is the name you suppose to remember!!!

Overall, Ip Man's series has been a very inspirational trip for me. I grew up with Bruce Lee and from the direction of the director, I see where the movie is going to, whether it's historic or not. Before anyone else say anything about the western boxer in this movie, I lived through the end 70's of Asian martial arts world and I must say it has has it's share of "to the death boxing matches". Growing up in asia, we have had our share of nonregulated matches where contestant signed papers which declared their fight to the death. So it is no surprise that in this movie such a scene would occur. Not having TV at that time, the thrill of hearing such a match from radio (I remember my first Ali match and it was also on Radio, not TV) I can sympathise for the director's broad representation of history.

On the whole, when Ip Man told his disciple Leung, that he wasn't trying to teach him how to fight but to teach him the values of "martial morals", reminded me of my martial arts training under my master. Movies reflect life and in this moment of the film, I totally understood what the movie was going to.

I can only say, seek the truth and not be blinded by what is presented.