Ip Man

"The celebrated Kung Fu master of Bruce Lee."

2008 1h 46m CN

🙌

7.8

BANGER

★7.8TMDB · 4,269

DramaActionHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A semi-biographical account of Yip Man, the first martial arts master to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun. The film focuses on events surrounding Ip that took place in the city of Foshan between the 1930s to 1940s during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Directed by Wilson Yip, the film stars Donnie Yen in the lead role, and features fight choreography by Sammo Hung.

“The celebrated Kung Fu master of Bruce Lee.”

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Cast

Donnie Yen
Yip Man
Simon Yam
Zhou Qing Quan
Lynn Hung Doi-Lam
Zhang Yong Cheng
Hiroyuki Ikeuchi
General Miura
Gordon Lam Ka-Tung
Captain Li Zhao
Louis Fan Siu-Wong
Jin Shan Zhao
Xing Yu
Master Zealot Lin / Crazy Lin
Wong Yau-Nam
Shao Dan Yuan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Wilson Yip
Writers: Edmond Wong, Chan Tai-Lee
Languages: Mandarin, Japanese, Cantonese
Countries: China, Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Mandarin, Japanese, Cantonese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: China, Hong Kong.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Ip Man Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Wilson Yip, shot by O Sing-Pui. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Kenji Kawai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Cheung Ka-Fai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Donnie Yen and Simon Yam and Lynn Hung Doi-Lam carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Wilson Yip directs. O Sing-Pui behind the camera. Kenji Kawai scores. Cheung Ka-Fai cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in China, Hong Kong. Dialogue in Mandarin, Japanese, Cantonese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 18 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Mandarin, Japanese, Cantonese.
3International production across 2 countries: China, Hong Kong.
4Part of the "Ip Man Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Wilson Yip, shot by O Sing-Pui. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Kenji Kawai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Cheung Ka-Fai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Donnie Yen and Simon Yam and Lynn Hung Doi-Lam carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The celebrated Kung Fu master of Bruce Lee.".
10IMDB entry: tt1220719 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 16 themes, including "martial arts", "kung fu", "sports", "foreigner".