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Cast: Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, Simon Yam, Darren Shahlavi
Newly arrived in Hong Kong, martial arts instructor Ip Man (Donnie Yen) encounters stiff opposition when he begins teaching the Wing Chun fighting style. But instead of bowing to his rivals' demands, he perseveres and retaliates with amazing speed and power.
The sequel to the very successful Ip Man and inspired by his life "Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster" picks up right where the first film left off. If you haven't see the first film then I highly recommend doing so. The film stars Donnie Yen, there was a time when he stood in the shadows of such martial arts action stars such as as Jackie Chan and Jet Li but in recent years Donnie Yen has been "the man" to go to when it comes to making a marital arts film and rightfully so. As Ip Man Donnie is quiet and charismatic while still having that explosive power to let loose when needed. Ip Man 2 is different from the first in that this one introduces western boxing to the fold giving it a more "Hollywood" feel than the first film while still staying true to it's Asian traditions. Sammo Hung is back as not only the action director but as a central character in the film as well and he does a terrific as expected once again. His fight scene with Donnie has to seen to be believed, it is one of the best I have seen in recent memory. Some seem to think this was better than the original, I am not sure I agree with that 100% since the first dealt more with the man and the war, this one has that feel early on but during the second half it takes on more of a "Hollywood" flavor or a "Rocky" feel to it but that is not to say this isn't a good film because it's a fantastic film and a must see for any martial arts fan. Ip Man 2 might shift from the traditional to a more modern feel but it's all about the action and Donnie Yen never disappoints. The British boxer in the film known as "Twister" is almost like a comic book character as far as being exaggerated goes but he is a tough opponent even for Ip Man which makes for a very entertaining finale. They went on to make a third film as well which ended up being a prequel but Donnie was not interested in it since he felt the character had run it's course, I agree and respect his choice. Nowadays any film starring Donnie Yen is a no-brainer for any action fan and Ip Man 2 serves up the goods. Like I said before I didn't think this was better than the first film but sequels rarely are but everything about the film is fantastic and the fight scenes are realistic and powerful which makes it a must-see, must-own film. The film comes out on DVD, a Collector's Edition two-disc set,Single Blu-Ray and a Collector's Edition Blu-ray as well.
Both Collector's Editions come loaded with Special Features that include:
Making Of
Behind The Sets
Deleted Scenes
Shooting Diary
Interviews
Trailers
English Language
You can order which version you want HERE.
Released by Well Go USA Entertainment
**** Out Of *****