Ye Wen 2
Ye Wen 2
Directed by:
Wilson YipComposer:
Kenji KawaiCast:
Donnie Yen, Xiaoming Huang, Sammo Hung, Lynn Hung, Kent Cheng, Darren Shahlavi, Dennis To, Simon Yam, Terry Fan, Meng Lo, Hak-on Fung, Carlson Cheng, Cindy Yuan (more)Plots(1)
Having defeated the best fighters of the Imperial Japanese army in occupied Shanghai, Ip Man and his family settle in post-war Hong Kong. Struggling to make a living, Master Ip opens a kung fu school to bring his celebrated art of Wing Chun to the troubled youth of Hong Kong. His growing reputation soon brings challenges from powerful enemies, including pre-eminent Hung Gar master, Hung Quan (Sammo Hung). However, when corrupt colonial officials stage a life-or-death contest with formidable British boxer, Twister (Darren Shahlavi), to humiliate the Chinese people, the masters quickly forget their differences. Soon, the eyes of the nation are on the one man capable of securing a victory, Grandmaster Ip Man. (Trinity Filmed Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (3)
At least in the first one the Japanese had manners, but in Ip Man 2 the Westerners are portrayed as spineless assholes who deserve nothing but defeat. The ridiculous epilogue only confirmed the fifth.
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We've fallen from a relatively complex and multi-themed action flick into a second film full of the classic vices of most sequels in general. It tries to copy the good stuff from the first one in an even more over-the-top fashion, and anything new has to be better, bigger, noisier. Unfortunately, the film is also much more straightforward and flat, like a Rocky IV from the East, where, instead of ideological hyperbole, everything is taken almost deadly serious. A worse average.
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For a mostly biographical film, it is incredibly action-packed and vivid. The fights are simply excellent, whether they are between kung fu fighters or a kung fu enthusiast against a boxer, as in this case. Yip Man relocated to Hong Kong to escape Japanese hatred, but he still encounters misunderstanding, even from Westerners who essentially did something similar to the Japanese in China. They think highly of themselves, as if they are cool, so they need to be taught a lesson. The confrontation between the martial art of wing chun and boxing is absolutely captivating. Social issues are not suppressed either, so in my opinion, thumbs up.
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