The Grandmaster

More biographical and reflective than the glut of action-orientated Ip Man movies out there, this drama on the man who trained Bruce Lee will appease Martial Arts fans but there’s not much here for everyone else.

Documenting the life the grandmaster who popularised the Wing Chun offshoot of Kung Fu, The Grandmaster follows Ip Man through his perfection of the technique, the trauma of the Japanese occupation, the loss of his family, and on to the setting up of his legendary Hong Kong school. Along the way, he falls for Gong Er (Ziyi Zhang), the daughter of a grandmaster who is on the verge of retirement and seeks a successor.

Or something. The Grandmaster, with its flashforwads and flashbacks, and its tendency to switch story emphasis to different characters (isn’t this Ip Man’s story?), is a conundrum.

But it is stylish, as one can expect from a Kar Wai Wong film, but the director seems to be caught in two minds with how to deal with the fight sequences. With a liberal use of slow motion, the combat scenes are slowed down – right down – to a point where the viewer can appreciate a positional stance or a grip or the angle of palm as it strikes. For the most part it favours realistic technique over emotional impact, but then there is the Matrix-esque gravity-defying feats of strength (a rickshaw is squashed when Ip Man and an opponent both kick it from opposite sides). Either way, the scenes lack urgency.

The snail’s pace gives one time to admire the Philippe Le Sourd’s stunning cinematography; The Grandmaster looks beautiful with fight scenes taking place at night in the rain or on a train platform in the snow.

In an attempt to engage the heart there is an unconsummated love between Ip Man and Gong Er. Aiming for something like In The Mood For Love, the romance here isn’t given the depth it deserves despite the soundtrack working overtime during their scenes of tortured, longing glances; one recurring track recalls Morricone’s Deborah’s Theme from Once Upon A Time In America but the relationship here doesn’t have anything like that level of regret and loss.

The episodic nature of the narrative is a problem (Kar Wai Wong utilises both a narration and title cards) but the absence of a real antagonist is an issue too. There is a challenger to Ip Man’s champion, but the hothead soon disappears only to turn up much much later to battle… eh, Gong Er.

Not the comeback after My Blueberry Nights Kar Wai Wong had hoped for.