Donnie Yen's career in the film industry has certainly been more interesting than most actors. Donnie was discovered by Yuen Wu Ping, who made Yen's debut, and immediately in the leading role. It was in 1984, in Drunken Tai Chi, which for many is the last film that represents the old school of kung fu action films. Ian's performance left little room for doubt that a new major talent had emerged on the scene. And the result of his further collaboration with Woo Ping was a number of classic Hong Kong action films - "On Line 4", "Tiger Cage 2", "Once Upon a Time in China 2" and "Iron Monkey".
It's no secret that according to many early interview Jena it seemed as if the person who had the most faith in Donnie's abilities was himself. Walking the fine line between self-confidence and arrogance, he created a controversial impression on the public, and as a result, the opinions of many Hong Kong film lovers were divided. Of course, it was very pleasant to watch his characters on the screen, but Ian’s frank statements and desire to openly criticize his colleagues did not help to instill in the audience love for him as a person.
As Ian's career progressed, it became clear that his belief in himself as a fight choreographer became as important as his belief in himself as an action star. Donny's desire to develop his own action style ultimately led to a falling out with the man who introduced Ian to the genre. The last straw was the shooting of the 1994 film "Wing Chun", where Woo-ping was the director and Yen was the leading actor. It's impossible not to notice how some of the action scenes really should have been choreographed... After the film's production ended, the relationship between master and apprentice also came to an end. More than 20 years passed until they were reunited again.
And if cases of disagreement between actors and the director are not so uncommon in Hollywood, then in the then Hong Kong film industry, where everyone is closely connected with each other, it was quite the opposite. Rumors quickly spread that Yen was difficult to work with, and for the next 10 years he did not make another major action film in Hong Kong. However, Yen was not one to simply disappear out of sight, and rather than accept his fate as a struggling Hong Kong action star, he spent the rest of the '90s toiling in low-budget action films in the Philippines and Taiwan such as High Voltage. , "Iron Monkey 2", and "City of Darkness".
While these films allowed him to pay the bills, Yen took the opportunity to begin developing his own signature action aesthetic. In the nineties, between filming a low-budget Hong Kong series in which he imitated Bruce Lee, Yen twice occupied the director's chair. He made his debut in 1997 with Legend of the Wolf, followed a year later by Ballistic Kiss. While the production made it clear that Ian was still his own biggest fan, the fight scenes offered some promise that would be fully realized several years later.
As the '90s came to an end, Ian increasingly began to take on the role of fight choreographer at the turn of the millennium, working on various projects. From a German TV pilot called "Code Puma", to "Blade 2". By 2002, Yen had already acquired a respectable enough reputation to play a prominent role in the long-awaited big Chinese project, his first since leaving Woo-ping. Even though it was essentially an extended cameo, Yen's performance as the warrior Sky in acclaimed director Zhang Yimou's Hero was unforgettable. Largely thanks to the opportunity given to him for a kind of rematch against Jet Li. They previously faced off against each other in Once Upon a Time in China 2, exactly 10 years ago.
"Hero" was a great success both in China and abroad, receiving the most attention, comparable only to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." However, it wasn't until a year later that Asian action films really took the international market by storm like never before, and it wasn't a Chinese or Hong Kong film. It was a Thai film. "Ong Bak" became something of an international phenomenon, starring a completely unknown Thai actor named Tony Jaa. This was the kind of film that even people who had no interest in Asian films saw. Jaa became an overnight sensation, including among an audience that had previously had no interest in reading subtitles... "The guy hit him with his knees and broke the floor with it!", "This dude is running right over people's heads!"... " Ong Bak" addressed the audience on the most primitive level, which is what an action film should do - lots of hard punches, and most importantly, it was all real.
While Donnie Yen never openly talked about it out loud, it is easy to sense that he was quite puzzled by this new Thai trend that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Previously, in several interviews, Ian expressed his desire to break into Hollywood. And then Tony Jaa appeared, proving that there was no particular need to break into Hollywood, having starred in just one film, after which everyone knew his name. A year after the release of Ong Bak, it was reported that Yen had teamed up with director Wilson Yip to make a Hong Kong action film called Sha Po Lang (SPL or Stars of Destiny). This would be Yen's first "made in Hong Kong" action movie since Wing Chun. In an interview leading up to the film's release, Yen said that the world was now focused on Thai action films, but for him it was time to return Hong Kong to its former glory.
It may have been an empty promotional statement, but it certainly conveyed one message. Which basically said: “forget about Ong Bak... I'm back.” Truth be told, in 2005 it didn't take much effort to impress Hong Kong action movie fans. At the time, the industry was experiencing a long stagnation in the genre, so it was enough to show a few decent punches or kicks to excite fans. Upon its release, Sha Po Lang truly brought Hong Kong back to its former glory in the action genre. Yen's fight choreography helped the film go beyond the standard crime thriller, which it would have remained without the successful combination of the usual Hong Kong action scenes with the new trends of MMA. Donnie Yen's two fights - against Woo Jin and against the legendary Sammo Hung - became all-time classics. However, can the international success of "Sha Po Lang" and "Ong Bak" be compared? By this indicator, SPL was certainly inferior.
The reasons are quite obvious. "Sha Po Lang" is a crime thriller with some absolutely outstanding action sequences; but foreign audiences are simply not interested in yet another film with the subtitle "crime thriller". "Ong Bak" was something more; his story was so simple that it hardly qualifies as a movie. Instead, it sells itself as one continuous ACTION and only action, using slogans that Jackie Chan once used for Rumble in the Bronx. The entire marketing campaign for Ong Bak revolved around Jaa, who had no stunt doubles and acted without any ropes. A true real action star. This simplicity and the sheer audacity of the film's scenes went a long way to making up for its many shortcomings. "Sha Po Lang", on the other hand, wanted to be taken seriously, as it was for all fans of Hong Kong films. However, for viewers who had never heard of Donnie Yen before, simply proclaiming his name was not enough.
But what can be said with absolute certainty is that Yen has returned to the big stage of the Hong Kong film industry. "Sha Po Lang" allowed him to open the door he was looking for. Yen, who only a few years ago was starring in low-budget films, is now starting to work with directors such as Gordon Chan (Painted Skin) and Tsui Hark (Seven Swords). Donnie Yen quickly became a hot commodity. This was a guy who could take on leading roles and act in ways that the stars of yesteryear could no longer do... All of this ultimately led to the fact that the Chinese media began to publish numerous articles in which he was called the “king of action films” . Although, of course, a significant role in the luck that finally came to Donny was played by his successful collaboration with the director Wilson Yip.
Like Yen, Yip has had moderate career success thus far, having worked on the horror-comedy Biozombie in 1998 and the wuxia action film White Dragon in 2004. However, with Ian they created a duet between the director and choreographer of the fight scenes, which turned out to be winning. Following the success of Sha Po Lang, the two continued their collaboration, working on an adaptation of the Chinese comic book Dragon Tiger Gate in 2006, followed by the contemporary crime thriller Hot Spot a year later. But it was 2008 that would prove to be the real turning point, one that perhaps neither of them expected. It has been announced that Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen's next film will be about Ip Man, a man who up to this point was hardly known as more than just the teacher of the legendary Bruce Lee. The most surprising thing was that Yen, whose acting skills seemed questionable and who was best known as an actor playing angry cops, was chosen to play Ip Man.
All this seemed completely incompatible. Fans demanded that Ian continue to star in modern action films such as "Stars of Destiny" and "Hot spot"Then things got even more complicated when it was revealed that Wong Kar-wai was also in the process of developing an Ip Man movie starring Tony Leung. At the time, it was like suddenly finding out that Steven Seagal intends to play Jake LaMotta (the main character in Raging Bull, played by Robert DeNiro). It just doesn't make sense. Then another question came up: this is a Donnie Yen movie... who is he going to fight? In recent years, audiences enjoyed his one-on-one battles with talents such as Wu Jing, Sammo Hung, Xing Yu and Colin Chou, all certified martial artists, but in Ip Man, Ian's main rival was supposed to be Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, whose name only raised eyebrows in the eyes of everyone fans of kung fu films.
However, after the release of Ip Man, everything, as it turned out, fit together perfectly. As in Stars of Destiny, the fight choreography was done by Sammo Hung. The man who once directed the film Prodigal Son became responsible for the choreography of Hong Kong's own Prodigal Son, and it turned out to be an absolutely winning formula. Ip Man is considered by many to be the best Wing Chun film of all time. Ian's signature moves, such as his signature swings and jump kicks, gave way to superb Wing Chun techniques executed with incredible speed. Probably it was the fight scenes in "Yip Man" and helped the film break through not only in the local Chinese market, but also internationally. And although the film was not shown in the United States, at least until the first screenings were organized a few years later, it quickly found As with Ong Bak, when I talked to my colleagues, I suddenly discovered that they had become fans of kung fu films.
Trying to figure out what specific kung fu movies they liked often resulted in no one being able to remember the name, but everyone said there was a scene where "a guy throws a flurry of punches and slams another man into the ground." The scene they had in mind, of course, is considered the best in the film, when Ian fights against 10 karate experts at once. At the height of the fight, Ian uses intense barrages of punches, literally showering his opponent with them, and when he falls to the floor, he continues to deliver blows to the attacker's face with the same intensity. It was a breakthrough. Just as "Ong Bak" had its "moment," those few seconds that provide something no one has ever seen before, this scene in "Ip Man" was that "moment" from Donnie Yen.
The irony is that it wasn't his role as an angry policeman kicking someone in the face on the neon streets of Hong Kong that finally brought Yen to mainstream fame. Which I think Ian himself has always been convinced of. No, it was the role of a quiet and modest kung fu master. And although it is easy to say that only the action scenes brought "Ip Manu" such a success, it would be unfair to other aspects of the film. "Ip Man" is a simple and straightforward film, with a strong plot and lively characters with whom any viewer can easily find something in common. The story of the Japanese occupation of China gave Ian gets an opportunity he's rarely been given with previous heroes - a chance to really show his vulnerability. Standing up against a brutal and repressive military regime, Ip Man wants nothing more than to provide for his pregnant wife. Who wouldn't root for this guy?
Ip Man became a key role for Donnie Yen. He showed a different type of hero, gone was the daring and self-confident supercop, which had become so familiar to viewers that they were almost always ready to expect something similar from Ian. What we saw instead was a quiet, modest, well-mannered family man (albeit one who could actually cause serious harm if the need arose). Ian himself seemed to have lost the same brashness that showed up in his early interviews. During the press tour for the film, we see an already confident, mature martial artist whose passion for learning martial arts was both interesting and inspiring.
If "Stars of Destiny" was rediscovered for Donnie Yen door to the world of Chinese cinema, then "Ip Man" simply tore it off its hinges. "Ip Man" fever instantly swept across China; Over the course of one evening, the man known simply as Bruce Lee's teacher turned into a national icon. Like Wong Fei Hungg, Ip Man was destined to become an almost mythical figure. Soon other films about Ip Man began to appear, and even one series. Finally, Wong Kar-wai released his “Grand Master” in 2012 with Tony Leung in the title role.
But among all the different variations and adaptations, the main one was the image of Donnie Yen, who remained the same Ip Man in people's minds. When it was announced that there would be a sequel starring Ian as the Grand Master, it became major news. Director Wilson Yip and his action king seemed to have assembled every kung fu actor you could ever dream of: British powerhouse Darren Shahlavi, legendary masters Meng Lo and Fung Hark-On... They were even planning to stage a rematch of sorts between Donny Ian and Sammo Hoon, bringing them together again in a duel after "Stars of Destiny". Now, looking back, we can say that Ip Man 2 caved in under the weight of all the expectations with which it was burdened.
In the two short years since the first Ip Man, Yen has become one of the biggest box office stars in China. The crown was his, and there was no one who could take it away. The result was a sequel in which Ip Man's wife and friends were relegated to the background in favor of a formulaic character - the hero of China, the only one who stands against the corrupt British authorities, as well as all those who encroach on the integrity of the country. The hero's vulnerability disappeared, and in its place appeared a poster image of Chinese righteousness and honor. Ip Man was no longer a character with whom the viewer could relate. All this was based on a weak and rather stupid plot about how Ip Man is trying to gain a foothold in Hong Kong among other kung fu schools. To be honest, it just wasn't very interesting.
Shortly after the film's release, Darren Shahlavi expressed dissatisfaction with his role as a British boxer named Twister. He stated that he was constantly being pressured to be more assertive and aggressive, essentially turning him into a caricatured villain who could not be taken seriously. The fight choreography, once again choreographed by Sammo Hung, also had a lot of problems, which were evident during the tabletop fight between Ip Man and masters of other schools. The use of cables was sometimes bizarre, and even Sammo seemed to be able to slide down the legs of overturned chairs like the Sugar Fairy, as well as perform jump kicks from a standing position without any apparent effort. All this contrasted sharply with the down-to-earth style of the first part. It was later revealed that Sammo had health problems during filming and was therefore not at his peak. It's sad that these problems he had were reflected on screen. And coupled with a story that seemed like the creators simply wanted to capitalize on Ip Man's newfound popularity, the final product split audiences down the middle.
However, the most important thing was Donnie's own feelings about the role of Ip Man. The film couldn't ignore the obvious: Ip Mann's connection to Bruce Lee. So, of course, Ip Man 2 ends with the actor playing young Lee coming to Ip Man to ask to be his apprentice. Many fans have speculated that if there is a third installment, it will focus solely on the relationship between Ip Man and Little Dragon (Bruce Lee's nickname). However, this seemed unlikely. Without even touching on the issue of permission to use the image Bruce Lee, the thought of spending an entire movie watching Ip Man teach Bruce Lee Wing Chun was hardly exciting, no matter how blindly Bruce Lee fans wanted to believe it. But more shocking than any of these factors was Donny's announcement that he would no longer play Ip Man.
Ian said this because he was convinced that there was nothing more to add to the character, and that the market was already too saturated with Ip Man films, so it was time to move on to other pastures. As it turned out, Ian's decision not to return to this role marked the beginning of a gradual loss of audience interest in Ip Man. Wong Kar-wai's The Great Master eventually hit theaters in 2012, and Herman Yau released a film about the aging master in 2013 starring Anthony Wong, but neither generated nearly as much buzz as the films with Donnie Yen. Ip Man 2 also seemed to mark the end of the collaboration between Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen - despite rumors of them working on another film together, it seemed that it would not lead to anything concrete in the foreseeable future.
Even though Ip Man 2 didn't reach the level of the first film, it was still extremely successful in China and only established Donnie Yen as a local superstar. The general decline of Ip Man mania was perhaps an indication that the driving force behind the popularity was not the image of Ip Man itself, but the presence of Donnie Yen. In just two films, just as Kuan Takhin's name became synonymous with Wong Fei Hungg, Donnie Yen's name became synonymous with Ip Man. As a result, the number of films in which Ian took part during the year was innumerable, and they were all large projects with large budgets. From the legendary General Guan in The Lost Man of the Sword to 14 Blades and Men of the Sword, from Ice Kamat and The Monkey King to his return to his roots as a cop in Special Person andThe last of the best"From 2011 to 2014, Ian appeared on screen in 10 films. You couldn't hide from him even if you wanted to.
Ian's popularity was growing in strength, and the number of films that the news reported that he was going to star in far exceeded what one real person could handle. It has been revealed that he has created his own production company called Super Hero Films Co, which will be producing two films called "The Master" and "City of the Dragon", both of which are not even close to starting production at the time of writing. . Also, as stated earlier, there have been talks of a new collaboration with Wilson Yip about Wiseley, not to mention a Hollywood film."Noodle maker", in which, according to rumors, such stars as Robert De Niro and Al Pacino could take part. To top it all off, there is a second part of "The Ice Comet", which is still in post-production. However, despite all these rumors and speculation, one announcement caught everyone's attention - after 5 years in 2015, Donnie Yen will return to the role of Ip Man in the third part.
The news has the internet abuzz with speculation and anticipation: Can Donnie Yen still meet the physical demands of the role? Will Sammo Hung be choreographing again? Will this movie be about Ip Man's relationship with Bruce Lee? Who will be the antagonist? News leaked out slowly but surely, each piece of new information predictably causing a lot of excitement. The fact that Yen was teaming up with Ulsung Ip again should have been big news in itself, but Ip Man 3 also had a few cards up its sleeve that made this long-awaited reunion seem like a small thing. First of all, it was announced that Sammo Hong would not be choreographing and that Yuen Woo-ping would take his place. This was a huge surprise because it would mean, firstly, that Yen and Woo-ping would work together again for the first time since their creative differences led them to go their separate ways just after Wing Chun over 20 years ago. years ago.
Secondly, legendary boxer Mike Tyson also joined the cast, and it was officially confirmed that the film will feature a fight between him and Donnie Yen. Finally, after much speculation (including one ridiculous rumor about making Bruce Lee 100% CGI), it has been confirmed that Danny Chan will play Bruce Lee. Ip Man, Mike Tyson and Bruce Lee in one movie, the hype surrounding it was going to satisfy everyone's expectations. The third installment finally hit theaters in late December 2015, and Ian, to ensure that the film received the same level of international recognition as the first, flew to the US for a promotional tour with Mike Tyson.
Serious promotion made sense, since Ip Man 3 did everything to correct the mistakes of its predecessor. Gone is the image of Ip Man as the hero of China, and we again see an ordinary man, especially in those moments when he deals with greedy developers, and, more importantly, when his wife finds out that she is ill. Perhaps a sign of Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen's indifference to the relationship between Ip Man and Bruce Lee is the way it was portrayed. Ip Man 2 ends with an inconsequential scene of little Bruce Lee meeting the Great Master for the first time. Ip Man 3 opens with a similarly inconsequential scene with a grown-up Bruce Lee. The most glaring thing about this is that despite Bruce Lee's character being 10 years older, Ian barely looks a year older than he did in the previous installment.
Moreover, it is those final and opening scenes that prove that Wilson Yip's Ip Man films are no longer about portraying Ip Man as a historical figure, they are about Donnie Yen playing Ip Man. Of all the installments, it is in the third that we see Ian in the role that has already become the most comfortable for him, and despite the slightly meandering structure of the plot, the relationship with his wife resonates on an emotional level so well that you almost forget that you are watching kung fu movie. But this is a kung fu movie, and Woo-ping's choreography here is a breath of fresh air that creates the same excitement that was felt when watching the original for the first time.
The Tyson fight was a surprise, and the finale, which pits Donnie Yen against Max Zhang, a bright new talent in the fight movie genre, provides one of the most polished kung fu fights on film I've ever seen. In many ways, Ip Man 3 takes an unexpected direction, showing that less is more. This is a direction that even dared to have a fairly large segment where Ian doesn't fight at all as he gives up everything to care for his sick wife. It may not compare to the ruthless military regime of the first part or the boldness of the aggressive fighting in the second, but Ip Man 3 manages to tell a simple story about a man who wanted to live peacefully and happily with his family. This is a story that really resonates with our hearts. And although it can easily be argued that she deviated from the real life of Ip Man, that was not her goal. Donnie Yen finishes Ip Man 3, sitting with a cup of tea in his hand and looking out the window. It's a scene that also appropriately closes the Ip Man story, and proves that Donnie Yen was truly the best man to play the role.
Source: asiamovies-tvshows
Translated specifically for the public "Donnie Yen / Donnie Yen / 甄子丹" In contact with.
Editor: electricity
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Tags: 14 Blades, Bruce Lee, Gordon Chan, Donnie Yen, Yip Man, Ip Man 2, Mike Tyson, Max Zhang, Sammo Hung, Wilson Yip , Yuen Wu-Ping
Tags: 14 Blades, Bruce Lee, Gordon Chan, Donnie Yen, Yip Man, Ip Man 2, Mike Tyson, Max Zhang, Sammo Hung, Wilson Yip , Yuen Wu-Ping
There won’t be three Yip Manys, there won’t be a fourth
I watched one film about Wiseley, “Special Agent” with Andy Lau, it was still crap, I hope this time they will bring a normal plot without any plagiarism, like the mutants from Resident Evil.
Thanks to the author and translator!
Informative! Thanks to the author!
My opinion is that after Ip Man 3, Donny should return to “urban” action films like SPL, Flash, Special Person, Kungfu Jungle.
Just not for the “wuxia” genre - this is bullshit))) I tried to watch “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2” the other day and couldn’t ((( - a fake fairy tale with ropes in battles, a disgraceful Jason Scott Lee in the role of the main villain, a bored Donnie. .. I didn’t like it in general.
That's for sure))) I don't know how he didn't die of boredom, I personally was on the verge of this)) The heroine Michelle was turned into some kind of hysterical woman who makes complaints to the hero Donny, makes it clear that everyone is “don’t come near me,” and then she climbs in and makes claims again, he couldn’t even hide from her on the roof))))
In general, everything is bad. Yes. The only one who brought this swamp to life was Donnie. The scene in the tavern and on the ice is all that is worth watching in this film. Moreover, on the ice it would be much more interesting if it were not for the poor color filters, which sometimes make it difficult to even make out what is happening there.
But Donny will definitely not return to this, believe me. Not in the near future anyway. In fact, he refused the Dragon precisely for the reason “I’ve done this a hundred times already, long hair and a sword again...”))) Weinstein persuaded him only because he threw a bait, they say, the first Chinese movie shot entirely in English . And since this was originally for Netflix anyway, that is, for the Americans, he agreed, I believe, simply to participate in this kind of experiment. He didn't even do a promo. He gave one interview and that was it.
thank you