IP MAN - Best Hong Kong Movie in Ages

Last night I caught IP MAN, the new movie from Wilson Yip (the man who, along with Johnny To, has been keeping Hong Kong cinema alive in the post boom years) and was just absolutely floored by it. It's a fictionalized account of the life of Ip Man, the practioner of Wing Chun (a particularly bone-crushing brand of Kung Fu that stresses a strong offense as the best defense) who is best known to the world as the martial arts instructor of Bruce Lee. The bulk of the movie concerns his efforts to survive along with his family during the draconian Japanese occupation during WWII.
Obviously, this is more of a Kung Fu movie than a serious biopic, but it's made with such skill and passion that it really transcends the genre. The fight scenes in this one are absolutely astounding, but what makes the movie so damn good (what makes any* martial arts movie that's worth a damn any good, really) is that the fights really *mean something when you get to them. It's consistently involving on an emotional level, and there was even one scene that had me and the woman reaching for our Kleenex.
Donnie Yen (probably best known to American audiences for IRON MONKEY and his bit part as the Samurai vampire in BLADE II) was always a lot of fun to watch, but he really takes things to another level here, not only in terms of his martial arts but also acting-wise. He gives a quiet, dignified performance. As for the fight scenes, they're jaw- dropping. He really snatches the crown off Jet Li's head here.

Anyways, this is an absolute must-see, an instant classic of the genre. I doubt it will get much, if any, of a domestic release here in the States, but boy does it deserve one. This one's really got it all.
The demise of the Hong Kong action film has been greatly exaggerated. Just please, Mssers Yip and Yen, don't go to Hollywood. They'll have you grinding out GRANDSON OF CHUCKIE instead of great stuff like this.

Cheers,
B