You know, sooner or later this film would have been made anyway. Viewers around the world enjoyed the on-screen revival Wing Chun, especially if you remember the successful work of Wilson Yip - his two films about Ip Mane с Donnie Yen starring. In addition, Herman Yau contributed with a story about his youth Ip Man, Wong Kar Wai will finish filming soon "The Grandmasters" с Tony Leung in the image Ip Man. And even with practices Wing Chun there were modern celebrities such as Bruce Lee, for example (it just so happens that he would have celebrated his 70th birthday this year), the film takes viewers back to the origins of the martial art, the legend and the philosophy behind it.
Just like in the films, there were real cases when over Ip Man enemies mocked him because he practiced a “feminine” martial art. And to be honest, this is partly true, since the legend lies in the principles and movements invented by a woman.
In this version Yan Yun Chun (Bai Jing) – a tomboy girl who studies martial arts Shaolin from her father, but it turns out that she is no match for the bully from another city. He decided to take part in the fighting tournament and thus win the right to marry. The abbess became her savior Wu Meiwho taught Yan Yun Chun a set of techniques based on economical movement, protecting the center, and essentially how to defeat a stronger and more aggressive opponent using the capabilities of a woman's physique. The result is obvious - this is what modern Wing Chun.
The filmmakers have gone to great lengths to describe and present to the world the philosophy of this martial art and aspects that those who have enjoyed the films will already be familiar with. Ip Mane. And although the movements, as one would expect, are a little “raw”, since we are witnessing the transfer of new knowledge from mentor to student, all of them, nevertheless, are brilliantly performed by the actress Karoly Hui, known from the Shaw Brothers films. Bai Jing She also didn’t lose face - her movements look convincing, because she took a course in martial arts. Her character turned out to be believable, she showed everything that she had learned during three months of intense training.
The level of pacing and execution of the fights, which should be a major priority in every martial arts film, is quite high, but as I said, if you've watched a few films about Ip Mane, this does not mean that you can evaluate Yan Yun Chun, starting only from his image, because she has not yet become a master, some of her movements are still rough and uncouth, but to demonstrate the early stages of development Wing Chun this fits just right. To some extent “Kung Fu Wing Chun” made me nostalgic for the Shaw Brothers films, with similar choreography, violence and a fair amount of blood splatter done back in the day using standard effects. My only complaint would be the simple and unnecessary CGI backgrounds, which significantly reduced the production value.
You'll also have to endure some clunky narration related to the family history. Yan and their shop that sells tofu. Then there is a story about Lun's family, in which a tea connoisseur Leung Bak Chow (Yu Shao Qun) parents force him to marry Yan, but it turns out that she is already engaged to Buck Chow. In this regard, the film is a weak, cliché-filled comedy with bloated subplots and worthless dialogue. Villain performed Colina Chow (Ngai Sing) behaves extremely monotonously and at the end of the film, unlike what you could imagine in anticipation of the final battle, he turns out to be just a “whipping boy”.
This is a story of two halves, and each of them separately resembles a television series with unnecessary plot lines that could have been disposed of. If the pacing and plot were tighter, the characters were better developed, and the dialogue was of better quality, then there would be a lasting impression, and not a bitter aftertaste from a film shot in a hurry with the goal of quickly “making money” on the wave of the success of recent film adaptations Wing Chun.
Conclusion: For a film to become a full-fledged product, it is necessary to prepare more carefully.
Stefan Shea's rating: 2/5
Author: Stefan Shea
Source: moviexclusive.com
Translation: EvilDollaR
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Tags: Kung Fu Wing Chun, Bai Jing, Kara Hui, Colin Chow
Tags: Kung Fu Wing Chun, Bai Jing, Kara Hui, Colin Chow
Appeared on the root tracker with Russian subtitles.
Is there a film with Russian dubbing???
Hardly, but from English. There are subtitles.
not on torrents yet
To finally be disappointed, can the film be downloaded somewhere?
The film was purely shot only to introduce everyone to the very history of the formation of Wing Chun, so you can watch it for fun.