Released: December 2020
Director: Liming Li
Run Time: 84 Minutes
Not Rated
Genre: Action
Distributor: Magnet
Cast:
Yu-Hang To: Ip Man
Michael Wong
Wanliruo Xin
Dongfeng Yue
Back in 2010, just after the release of Ip Man 2, the film’s star Donnie Yen said in an interview that he didn’t want to do anymore Ip Man films after the second because he felt that the market would get oversaturated with movies about the legendary Wing Chun grandmaster. He wasn’t wrong. It’s now 2021, and we have had about 8 or 9 movies directly about Ip Man or that involve him in some way. The first film was released in 2008 to world-wide acclaim. It wasn’t just for the phenomenal action sequences, but it was for Donnie Yen’s stellar performance as well. He was so good that Ip Man become his most recognized and iconic role to date. Eventually, Mr. Yen would agree to make the third and fourth films capping off a stellar film series. However, there was another Ip Man film that came out in 2010 that was completely unrelated called The Legend is Born: Ip Man starring Yu-Hang To in the title role. A follow-up to THAT film would star Anthony Wong called Ip Man: The Final Fight. In 2013, there was a movie called The Grandmaster starring Tony Leung as Ip Man, but the marketing was deceptive, because that movie was actually not about Ip Man, but a different grandmaster. NOW we have another movie about Ip Man: Ip Man: Kung Fu Master. Oh, my. If there was ever a clear example of cashing in on a popular character, this would be it.
Ip Man: Kung Fu Master follows Ip Man as a young police officer who is investigating possible drug connections to the Japanese. I’m going to flat-out say it. The story here sucks. It sucks because there’s barely anything here to follow and is no different than anything else that we’ve seen from a movie about Ip Man. So, forgive me if I skip the story portion of this movie, because that’s the only thing that’s wrong here. The story is essentially just a paper-thin thread tying the fight sequences together. That’s all. Yet, for a movie that boasts a run time of 84 minutes, it’s an incredibly dull affair. Let’s start with what works, and it’s not a lot. Some of the action sequences are surprisingly decent, if standard and generic at times. The opening fight sequence where Ip Man takes on a hundred member of the Ax Gang is okay. I say okay, because a lot of it is bogged down with unnecessary slow-motion and quick-cuts. That’s the issue with a lot of the action sequences. There is a cool sequence where Ip Man is training with his drunken uncle and THAT was actually pretty good. So, why couldn’t the effort put into that sequence be applied to the rest of the action in the movie? Even the final battle with a Japanese general is incredibly underwhelming.
That brings me another low-point about the movie: The cast. Specifically, the casting of Yu-Hang To as Ip Man. This guy clearly has talent as a martial artist, but that’s all he’s got going for him. He’s not a good actor. He wasn’t that great in The Legend is Born and he’s not that good HERE. When there are moments when he’s supposed to be emotional, there’s NOTHING behind the eyes. It’s like he’s staring into space. Donnie Yen may not be the world’s greatest actor, but when it comes to the more emotional moments in his movies, he’s got it. He’s gotten better over the years, but he’s also got the one thing that To doesn’t: Charisma. When Donnie is on the screen, you pay attention, because he commands the screen. He’s got the chops for it, To doesn’t. In fact, the acting in this film is legitimately bad, with the exception of the guy who plays Ip’s drunken uncle. He was fun to watch, because he’s got screen presence, but a goofy character can only carry a movie for so long before it falls flat. The movie’s main villain is a pathetic stock corporate villain. There’s no energy in his performance, no sense of urgency. How are we supposed to connect with these characters when they are so lifeless and dull? You can’t, and because of that, the movie is boring.
I hate coming down this hard on kung fu movies. I don’t like doing it. It’s one of my favorite action sub-genres that I grew up watching. But I’m not going to sit here and tell you that Ip Man: Kung Fu Master is a good movie when it isn’t. There were some things that went right, but a whole lot of other elements that went completely wrong. The character and historical figure of Ip Man deserves better than this, and he’s gotten better. Even Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy was a better Ip Man movie than this, and he only showed up in that movie in flashbacks. No. Ip Man: Kung Fu Master is a piss-poor attempt at cashing in on one of the most popular characters in the action genre. Hell, even Ip Man: The Final Fight was a better movie than this. Honestly, stick with the Donnie Yen movies. They’re far superior. Barring that, check out The Grandmaster, Master Z, or even Ip Man: The Final Fight. These are SO much better than Kung Fu Master.
My Final Recommendation: 3.5/10. You’re not missing anything by skipping this one.