In this low-key but eye-catching drama Herman Yau stripped off Anthony Wonga in the role of Ip Man, focusing on the last years of his life. Not so much an action film as a declaration of love for Hong Kong in the 50s, the film nevertheless strengthens its position Ip Man as a modern folk hero.
Another week, another movie about Ip Mane, or so, at least it seems, considering that the latest work Herman Yau came out almost immediately "Great Master" Won Kar-wai. After 2008, thanks to the efforts Donnie Yen и Wilson Yip, image of a master Wing Chun very successfully “came to life” on the screen, four more good films about Ip Mane, including its own “prequel” Яу - "Birth of a Legend: Ip Man", filmed in 2010.
"Last fight" starts with being old Yip Man (Anthony Wong) returns home after visiting Bruce Lee, his most famous student, who recently returned from Hollywood and became an international film star there. Flashbacks take us back to the early 50s, where students (Timmy Hungg, Jiang Liuxia, Gillian Chun, Chow Ting-yu и Jordan Chan) master Wing Chun led by a Foshan native. Despite regular attacks from other nearby martial arts schools, Yip Man teaches his students martial virtue so that they do not get involved in fights, but develop their inner strength and harmony.
Wong embodied the stoic image of an aging Ip Man, living a modest life compared to the luxurious conditions in which he was raised in Foshan. His wife (Anita Yuen) visits briefly from the mainland, but soon heads back to look after their student son. Students Ip Man took care of his daily needs, and he himself, meanwhile, became infatuated with a sultry young club singer (Zhou Chuchu), who has mutual feelings for him.
However, violence cannot be avoided, and the situation forces Ip Man forget about retirement. First he must face off against the head of a rival school (played with a comedic touch by Eric Tsang), but the film itself is built on the conflict emanating from the title - a battle with Dragon (Xiong Xin Xin), a notorious gangster from the Walled City Coleun.
Films Яу clearly received blessings from the family Ip: Ip Chun (Ip Man's son) appears in both films - this time he even pulls off a mega gag talking to himself on the phone. What is even more interesting is how the evidence about a person can move further and further from the truth, and how Yip Man turns into a folk hero with almost legendary status, competing with the likes of Wong Fei Hong.
У "The Last Battle" the budget was clearly less than the films Wilson Yip: old Hong Kong in bird's-eye shots looks a little artificial, and the scenery of the main street in most cases does not reach authenticity, but the film was not without visual embellishments. There is a creative episode in which there is disagreement between the school Ip Man and their competitors are covered by a local journalist and recreated on screen in the style of an old newsreel, where the image Ip Man exalted almost to a god-like level. The final confrontation in the alleys damaged by the typhoon was no less vividly recreated. Kowloon.
Although there is no getting away from the fact that many of the characters were played by actors who do not shine with knowledge of martial arts, they all coped with their roles with dignity, and the result is, for the most part, successful. Look especially convincing Wong и TsangWhereas Gillian Chun looks weaker. Such recognized martial arts practitioners as Xiong Xin Xin и Ken Lo, but this only heightens the tension in their climactic confrontations with the less-skilled leading men.
This casting may well raise eyebrows among martial arts fans, but the film is ultimately less interesting for the fighting than for its emphasis on recreating a specific period from Hong Kong's checkered past. The soundtrack features a number of classic Mandarin pop tunes from the era, while the script touches on pressing social issues including union strikes, water shortages and police corruption. But the commendably shot martial arts sequences that pepper the film (in particular, the lion dance competition is a breathtaking cinematic spectacle) contribute to the fact that "Last fight" found a worthy place in the growing wave of films about Ip Mane.
Author: James Marsh
Source: Twitch
Translation: EvilDollaR
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Tags: Ip Man The Final Battle, A Gil, Anita Yuen, Herman Yau, Gillian Chun, Jordan Chan, Ip Chun, Kevin Cheng, Ken Lo, Rose Chan, Xiong Xinxin, Timmy Hungg, Huang Yi, Jiang Luxia, Anthony Vaughn, Eric Tsang
Tags: Ip Man The Final Battle, A Gil, Anita Yuen, Herman Yau, Gillian Chun, Jordan Chan, Ip Chun, Kevin Cheng, Ken Lo, Rose Chan, Xiong Xinxin, Timmy Hungg, Huang Yi, Jiang Luxia, Anthony Vaughn, Eric Tsang
I've already tried to watch it three times, but every time I turn it off at the 15th minute...))
Appeared on "torrents" with translation. :)
It seems that it will be torrented, judging by the review and the constant apologies in the style that in a film about BB the main thing is that the fights will be terrible.
The most amusing little offtopic on the topic Ip Man from Darren Shahlavi:
He clarified that the film's title is written as Ip Man 2, not IP Man 2, and should be pronounced accordingly. He feels ashamed when people stop him on the street or in the gym and shout: “I pee man too!” (sounds like “Man, I pee too!”) :D