After seeing the legendary Wing Chung teacher portrayed by Donnie Yen in Wilson Yip’s excellent Ip Man (2008) and Ip Man 2 (2010), renowned director Wong Kar Wai delivers a lush and elegant interpretation of an earlier era in the martial artist’s life. Wai’s dream-like delve into Republican China bleeds stylish fight sequences with solemn drama via stammering slow-mo and flashbacks.
The film opens with a noirish, rain-soaked street battle, brilliantly choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping (The Matrix (1999), Kill Bill (2003) in Southern China’s Foshan. Following the Japanese invasion of China’s north-eastern provinces, Grandmaster Gong Baosen (Wang Qingxiang) journeys to Foshan to mark his retirement with a ceremony and stage a fight with a younger warrior. Ip Man (Tony Leung) visits a brothel called the Gold Pavilion; a haunt for local kung fu warriors, meets Baosen and accepts his challenge.
The Grandmaster’s eloquently shot fight sequences offer a fulsome patina but the notable lack of plot and emotional sustenance are prominent throughout. Despite convincing performances and jaw-dropping visuals the story sashays to a vacant resolution while orchestral overkill struggles as a substitute for complex character drama. Spectacular choreography and stunning cinematography by French DOP Philippe Le Sourd make a significant impact when combined with impressive performances but The Grandmaster is unfocused in many areas.
Gong Baosen’s Martial Artist daughter Gong Er (Ziyi Zhang) journeys to Foshan for the Grandmaster’s ceremony and also battles then forms a bond with Ip Man, which would have added greater depth if further explored. Instead the resolution charts Ip Man’s journey to Hong Kong to form the fighting school in which he trained and mentored Bruce Lee and Gong Er’s battle with a wily nemesis, yet only hints at Ip Man’s yearning for Gong and the repressed romantic conflict within.
There is great elegance present in The Grandmaster. The opening street battle, a brothel-based bout and a fight in front of a moving train are standout sequences but the sluggish narrative is most evident. It’s easy to be seduced by the blissful imagery and overall beauty but a slide into mediocrity, a slack resolution and an overabundance of slow motion shots make The Grandmaster a flawed yet lustrous endeavour.
Daniel has awarded The Grandmaster three Torches of Truth
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