Ip Man 2


Ip Man 2 is a 2010 Hong Kong biographical martial arts film loosely based on the life of Ip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun. A sequel to the 2008 film Ip Man, Ip Man 2 was directed by Wilson Yip and stars Donnie Yen, who reprises the leading role. Continuing after the events of the earlier film, the sequel centres on Ip's movements in British Hong Kong. He attempts to propagate his discipline of Wing Chun, but faces rivalry from other practitioners, including the local master of Hung Ga martial arts.
Producer Raymond Wong first announced a sequel before Ip Man theatrical release in December 2008. For Ip Man 2, the filmmakers intended to focus on the relationship between Ip and his most famed disciple, Bruce Lee. However, they were unable to finalize film rights with Lee's descendants and decided to briefly portray Lee as a child. Principal photography for Ip Man 2 began in August 2009 and concluded in November; filming took place inside a studio located in Shanghai. For the sequel, Yip aimed to create a more dramatic martial arts film in terms of story and characterization; Wong's son, screenwriter Edmond Wong, wanted the film to portray how Chinese people were treated by the British and Western perceptions of Chinese martial arts.
Ip Man 2 is the second film in the "Ip Man" film series. It premiered in Beijing on 21 April 2010, and was released in Hong Kong on 29 April 2010. The film met with positive reviews, with particular praise for the film's storytelling and Sammo Hung's martial arts choreography. The film grossed over HK$13 million on its opening weekend, immediately surpassing Ip Man opening weekend gross. During its theatrical run, Ip Man 2 brought in over HK$43 million domestically, and its domestic theatrical gross made it the highest grossing Hong Kong film released during the first half of 2010. In total, Ip Man 2 grossed an estimated US$49 million worldwide. This amount does not include successful DVD sales all over United States, Asia and Europe.

Plot

master Ip Man and his family move to Hong Kong in the mid-1940s after their escape from Japanese-occupied Foshan. There, Ip desires to open a school to propagate his art, as well as make a living during the difficult times, but he struggles to attract students due to his lack of reputation in the city. One day, a young man named Wong Shun Leung appears and promptly challenges Ip to a fight, but is easily defeated. A humiliated Wong leaves, only to return later with some friends to gang up on him; Ip easily beats them as well. Stunned and impressed by Ip's skills, Wong and his friends become Ip's first students, bringing more disciples to help the school thrive.
Wong is later confronted by some Hung Ga students while posting promotional posters for Ip's school. One of them, Kei, challenges Wong to a fight and loses, but his friends take Wong hostage in revenge and demand a ransom from Ip. Ip goes to the local wet market as directed, but the meeting ends in a confrontation with a growing mob of Hung Ga students. Fighting their way outside, an outnumbered Ip and Wong are rescued by Jin Shanzhao, a martial artist, former bandit and once rival of Ip, who comes to their aid with his own gang. The students' master and head of the coalition of Hong Kong's martial arts clubs, Hung Chun-nam, arrives to break up the fight. Ip introduces himself, and Hung informs him that before setting up a school, he needs to attend a special ceremony to test his worth. Ip, Wong and Jin are subsequently arrested by Officer Fatso for disturbing the peace but are later released on bail. Hung and Fatso are acting as reluctant collectors for the martial arts schools as part of a protection racket headed by Superintendent Wallace, a corrupt officer in the Hong Kong Police Department.
Ip attends the ceremony and defeats his first challengers, before striking a draw with the last challenger, Hung. Ip is allowed to keep running his school on the condition that he pay his monthly protection fees, but he declines. In response, Hung has his students loiter in front of the Wing Chun school and harass anyone interested, causing a street brawl between them and Ip's disciples. Ip is thus forced to close up and move the school to his home. Ip soon confronts Hung, who blames him for the recent events since he refused to pay protection fees, whereas Ip criticizes Hung's management of his students. Hung insists that he is doing what he must and also insists they finish their fight. During this encounter, Ip stops Hung from accidentally kicking his son when he suddenly appears, and also suggesting that Hung spend more time with his family by having dinner with them as it is more important than settling the duel, earning Hung's respect as a result. Ip leaves, and the next day, Hung invites him to a British boxing match he has helped to set up, quietly coming to terms with him.
The boxing competition allows for a demonstration by the various martial arts schools to help promote themselves and their Chinese culture. However, the event's star boxer, Taylor "The Twister" Miller, an arrogant, racist and brutal man, openly insults and attacks the students, causing chaos as the masters try to restore order. Hung accepts Twister's challenge of a fight so that he can defend his culture. At first, Hung's wider range of skills allow him to overcome Twister's natural size and muscular physique, and the two are evenly matched, with Hung having a slight advantage. However, in the second round Twister counters Hung's attack with a left hook, and a right uppercut sends Hung to the canvas. Hung rises to his feet, but begins to succumb to Twister's sheer power. Hindered by his asthma, Hung is eventually beaten to death, as he refuses to concede and allow the man to insult his culture and people. News of Hung's death rapidly spreads throughout the city, enraging the Chinese populace and causing a scandal that spurs Wallace to hold a press conference where he lies that Hung was the one who started the fight, that Hung's death was accidental and that he was a weakling who died after a few punches. Twister announces that in order to clear his name he will accept any challenge from the Chinese to participate in a fair, public boxing match, but arrogantly boasts that he could kill every Chinese boxer in Hong Kong and that he doubts any of the Chinese are brave enough to face him. Ip arrives and challenges Twister to a fight. Fatso then secretly plots against Wallace.
As his wife goes into labor, Ip finishes training and begins his fight with Twister, using his more diverse techniques and great speed against Twister's sheer muscle. Ip later receives an illegal punch from Twister, and is prohibited from kicking due to the judges changing the rules during the match, allowing Twister to seemingly overwhelm him. Inspired by Hung's patriotic spirit, Ip changes his strategy by attacking Twister's arms, eventually defeating him. While the Chinese celebrate, Wallace is arrested by his superiors for corruption and abuse of power, as Fatso had secretly reported him before the match. Ip then gives a speech to the audience, stating that despite the differences between their race and culture, he wishes for everyone to respect each other regardless of their individual status. Both the Western and Chinese audience give him a standing ovation, while Twister's manager walks away, unhappy at the defeat. Ip goes home and reunites with his family, meeting his newborn second son, Ip Ching. Ip is later introduced to a boy named Bruce Lee, who wishes to learn Wing Chun in order to beat up people he does not like. Ip smiles and simply tells him to come back when he has grown up.

Cast

Main

Ip Man 2 is the second feature film overall to be based on the life of Ip Man, following the previous film Ip Man. The sequel is the fifth film collaboration between director Wilson Yip and actor Donnie Yen. Ip Man 2 was produced by Raymond Wong and distributed by his company Mandarin Films upon its theatrical release in Hong Kong. It was the last film Wong produced under his Mandarin Films production banner. Wong's son, Edmond Wong, returned to write the screenplay. Along with appearing in a supporting role, Sammo Hung reprised his role as the film's martial arts choreographer. Kenji Kawai reprised his role as the film's music composer.

Development

Prior to Ip Man theatrical release in December 2008, producer Raymond Wong announced plans to develop a sequel to the film. The sequel was intended to focus on the relationship between Ip Man and his most famed disciple Bruce Lee. In March 2009, Wong announced that the Lee character might not appear in the sequel, as producers had not fully finalized negotiations with Lee's descendants on the film rights. In July 2009, it was announced that Ip Man 2 would focus on a young Bruce Lee, prior to Lee becoming Ip Man's most famed disciple. The sequel continues Ip Man's story, focusing on his move to Hong Kong as he attempts to propagate Wing Chun in the region.

Casting

Several cast members from Ip Man reprise their respective roles in the sequel. Donnie Yen reprises his role as Ip; Lynn Hung reprises her role as Cheung Wing-sing, Ip's wife, who is now pregnant with their second child. To prepare for her role in the film, Hung asked producers for a 10-pound prosthetic belly to portray the feeling of being pregnant. Hung stated that the difficulty of her role lay in playing someone who goes from "a naive and simple-minded young woman to a strong, understanding and supportive adult." Fan Siu-Wong reprises his role as Jin Shanzhao, Ip's aggressive rival in the first film. In the sequel, Jin attempts to retire from the martial arts world by becoming an ordinary citizen, he later befriends Ip. In a cameo appearance, Simon Yam reprises his role as Ip's friend Chow Ching-chuen, who is now a beggar. Li Chak reprises his role as Ip Chun, Ip and Wing-sing's son.
Sammo Hung was announced as part of the cast in April 2009. Apart from serving as the film's martial arts choreographer, Hung appears as Hung Chun-nam, a master of the southern Chinese martial art of Hung Ga. In August 2009, it was announced that Huang Xiaoming would be playing Wong Leung, a supporting character based on Wong Shun Leung, one of Ip Man's disciples and the person responsible for mentoring Bruce Lee. Former child star Ashton Chen was also announced to be playing a disciple. Veteran actor Kent Cheng also has a supporting role in the film. To Yu-hang, who had a supporting role in the first film, appears in the sequel as a different character named Cheng Wai-kei. Cheng is a gang leader practicing Hung Ga, who decides to exact revenge on Wong after Wong defeats Cheng in a fight. Wilson Yip commented on the casting of the veteran actors as being "a form of tribute to old school kungfu movies."
Yen and Yip reportedly conducted a worldwide casting call for a suitable candidate to play Lee, who is Ip Man's most celebrated disciple. The film briefly portrays Lee at the age of 10. Yip and Yen debated over whether to look for an actor with a solid martial arts foundation or looks. Among the 1300 Mainland Chinese candidates auditioning for the role, Yip narrowed the casting call to two possible candidates: 10-year-old Jiang Dai Yan from Henan and 12-year-old Pan Run Kang from Heilongjiang. On 10 August 2009, it was announced that Jiang Dai Yan would be playing the role of a 10-year-old Bruce Lee. While the Bruce Lee character makes a brief appearance in the film, director Wilson Yip has expressed interest in making a third film that will focus on the relationship between Ip and Lee. Yen, however, has stated his lack of interest in making a third film, feeling that Ip Man 2 will "become a classic."
In November 2008, Yip revealed that there would be another actor appearing in the film, a martial artist who has been a fan of Donnie Yen. Yip commented, "I can only say that he fights even more vehemently than Sammo Hung." However, in February 2010, it was revealed that British actor and stunt performer Darren Shahlavi would have a supporting role as a boxing opponent fighting against Ip Man. Yip later stated that Shahlavi's character "has his own drama. He is also a personage, not just some random foreign guy that appears from nowhere for the sake of getting beaten up, like you see in other films." Other cast members include Ngo Ka-nin and Kelvin Cheng.

Writing and story

The filmmakers stated that while Ip Man was about survival, Ip Man 2 is about living. The sequel is set in Hong Kong in 1949, when the country was under British colonial rule. Screenwriter Edmond Wong stated that the film also "deals with how Hong Kong people were treated under British colonial rule, and Western attitudes concerning Chinese kung fu."
Wilson Yip stated that Ip Man 2 is a much better film than its predecessor in terms of characterization and storyline. The film focuses on disputes between the disciples of Hung Ga and Wing Chun martial arts, as well as the conflict and rivalry of the two practitioners. Wing Chun, as taught by Ip Man, is being viewed as a martial art meant only for girls; Hung Ga, as taught by Hung Chun-nam, is being seen as a macho form of boxing. Of the two characters, Yip commented, "Sammo Hung's character is not exactly villainous, but he's very overbearing, just like his torrential Hung Ga. In contrast, Ip Man is very unassuming, much like his fist." Yip also stated that the film has some moments of "family drama", such as the ongoing conflict between Ip and his wife Wing-Sing.

Filming

Prior to filming, a production ceremony for Ip Man 2 was held in Foshan, receiving plenty of media coverage. Principal photography began on 11 August 2009; filming took place in a sound stage at Songjiang Studios in Shanghai. On 28 October 2009, reporters were invited to the set to view the anticipated duel between Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung as it was being filmed. Filming ended on 8 November 2009.

Stunts and choreography

The film's martial arts sequences were choreographed by Sammo Hung, who also worked on the choreography for the first film. Prior to principal photography, Hung had undergone a major cardiac surgery. When he returned to the set, his dramatic scenes in the film were filmed first, with his fight sequences being filmed last. Hung performed his own stunts in the film, which led to him receiving several injuries during filming. While filming a scene, Hung was struck in the face by co-star Darren Shahlavi. He insisted on completing the shoot before going to the hospital. Not wanting his injuries to hinder the production progress, Hung spent five hours trying to complete the scene before going to the hospital for four stitches. After the completion of filming, Hung expressed that he was dissatisfied with the fight sequences involving his character, presumably due to his heart condition. He also stated that he plans to challenge Yen in a future film: "Although I'm the martial arts choreographer, our moves were all rather regulated, being confined by the script. So, I made a pact with Donnie Yen to have a rematch next year if the opportunity arises."
Huang Xiaoming prepared for his role by learning Wing Chun martial arts. He turned his hotel room into a gym, practicing with weights and a wooden dummy. Huang received multiple bruises on his arms, due to his frequent practices on the dummy. Huang would also spend time practicing with the film's stunt team. Wilson Yip praised his performance in the film, stating that Huang "may not be a martial artist, but he specially ordered a wooden dummy, and trained daily at home. In the end, he is doing the action scenes better than Hiroyuki Ikeuchi in the first film."

Film title

The Chinese title of the film literally means Ip Man 2: Legend of a Grandmaster. The title is a play on the first film's working title which was Grandmaster Ip Man, a title that was changed when Wong Kar-wai clashed with producers while trying to make his own Ip Man biopic. Wilson Yip explained that the title of the film was coincidental rather than intentional: "The sequel is about Ip Man being elevated from a master, a hero to a grandmaster, so we have 'grandmaster' in the title." Wong Kar-wai's film, titled The Grandmaster, was released in January 2013.

Release

Ip Man 2 was released in select Asian countries and in Australia on 29 April 2010. Prior to its release, Mandarin Films publicly launched the film's official website in Beijing on 6 April 2010. The film held a premiere press conference in Beijing on 21 April 2010, only seven days after the 2010 Yushu earthquake. Guests were asked to wear dark-colored clothing in show of mourning; there was a moment of silence for the victims of the disaster. The film's cast, Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, Huang Xiaoming, Lynn Hung, and Kent Cheng attended the premiere, and donated a total of ¥500,000 to relief efforts helping in the disaster recovery. The film held private screenings in Chengdu on 21 April 2010, and in China on 27 April 2010, receiving positive reactions from audiences. Mandarin Films has sold North American distribution rights for the film to distributor Well Go USA. Ip Man 2 was released in the United States by Variance Films on 28 January 2011.

Box office

In Hong Kong, Ip Man 2 faced competition with the international release of Iron Man 2, which premiered in Hong Kong one day later than Ip Man 2. During its opening weekend, Ip Man 2 grossed HK$13 million, surpassing Ip Man opening weekend gross of HK$4.5 million. The sequel claimed first place at the box office, grossing HK$1 million more than Iron Man 2. The film's revenues decreased by 28.1% in its second weekend, earning HK$9,719,603.56 to remain in first place. The film dropped 45.7% in its third week, bringing in HK$5,293,401 while still remaining in first place. Ip Man 2 continued to stay at number one at the box office, dropping an additional 39.4% in its fourth week and grossing HK$3,199,567. During its fifth week, the film moved to fifth place at 79.3%, grossing HK$664,535. Ip Man 2 grossed HK$43,268,228.72 domestically. The sequel's domestic gross in Hong Kong puts it ahead of Ip Man total box office gross of HK$25,581,958.69.
Ip Man 2 also broke box office records in Singapore. The film was the highest-grossing Hong Kong film to be released in the country, beating a five-year record held by Kung Fu Hustle. On its opening weekend Ip Man 2 came in second place behind Iron Man 2, grossing SG$1.74 million. The film's opening weekend gross surpassed Ip Man 2008 weekend gross of SG$827,000.
In total, Ip Man 2 has grossed US$49,721,954 worldwide during its theatrical run.

Performance analysis

Analysts believed that Ip Man 2 box office success was related to the favorable reputation and popularity of its first installment. Huang Qunfei, a general manager of the Chinese theater chain New Film Association Company, made notice of Chinese viewers preferring films made domestically over ones made in Hollywood: "Chinese viewers are less obsessed with Hollywood blockbusters than before. Finally, it is the film's quality that matters. With a good story, local films are likely to win more favor among audiences." Liu Wei of China Daily noted that the film's finale was similar to its competition against Iron Man 2 at the box office: "The hero of Ip Man 2...faces up to a Western boxer and knocks him out. Off screen, it is a similar story."
Analysts also predicted that Mandarin Films' hopes of having the sequel gross over ¥300 million in China was unlikely, due to competition with other films such as Iron Man 2. Another factor was that the illegal recording, downloading and file sharing of the film would cause a potential loss in revenue. A pirated version was released online, one week after the film's release in China, and attracted more than 10 million online users. Raymond Wong publicly expressed that he would be pursuing legal action against the originator of the illegal downloads.
In the first half of the year 2010, Ip Man 2 was the highest grossing Hong Kong film to be released in the country. However, when compared to films produced outside of Asia, the highest-grossing foreign film was Alice in Wonderland with HK$44 million.

Critical reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 96% of critics have given Ip Man 2 a positive review based on 28 reviews, with an average rating of 6.92/10. At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 67 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Singaporean film critic Genevieve Loh of Channel NewsAsia wrote, "Ip Man 2 delivers. Perhaps not as action-packed with dignified choreography as showcased by its excellent predecessor, this installment is nonetheless still exciting, if a tad one-dimensional." James Marsh of Twitch Film praised the film, writing, "Ip Man 2 looks fantastic and does a grand job of evoking the period authentically, lending the film a much-appreciated sense of dramatic gravitas." Joy Fang, a critic for online news portal AsiaOne wrote, "While not as big a movie as the first one, which focuses on heartbreaking and intense issues arising from the Japanese occupation in China, this film evokes Chinese pride with its strong cultural roots." Ho Yi, of the Taipei Times wrote, "Despite its plot holes, the Ip Man series has potential and recalls the 1990s' Once Upon a Time in China franchise starring Jet Li." Amir Hafizi of The Malay Mail praised Sammo Hung's martial arts choreography: "With fluid movements intricate interplay between contrasting martial styles and gorgeous sequences, kung fu fans will definitely get their eye-balls' worth here as this time around, the introduction of Western boxing into the mix makes for some interesting choreography." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded Ip Man 2 three stars out of four, writing, "In its direct and sincere approach, it's a rebuke to the frenzied editing that reduces so many recent action movies into incomprehensible confusion."
Darcy Paquet of Screen Daily had mixed opinions of the film. He wrote that the film's performances and fight sequences "should ensure decent theatrical runs." Paquet concluded his review by writing, "Ultimately, the film's energy and humour overcome cartoonishly bad performances from the British actors and an utter lack of surprises in the final two reels." Amanda Foo of The UrbanWire awarded the film two stars out of five, writing in her review, "It's no surprise that Donnie Yen isn't willing to sign up for any more Ip Man movies, with the shameless repetition that is happening in these films, even the most ardent fan would be tired." Matt Prigge of Metro New York stated in 2016, "There are gobs of films about Ip Man Of these, the three films starring Donnie Yen are the trashiest; the second one is basically a remake of Rocky IV."

Home media

In Hong Kong, Ip Man 2 was released on DVD, and Blu-ray Disc formats on 25 June 2010. Releases include a single-disc edition and a two-disc special edition on DVD Features for the special edition DVD, as well as the Blu-ray disc, include deleted scenes, several theatrical trailers, cast and crew interviews, a making-of featurette, coverage of the film's gala premiere, and a shooting diary.
Coinciding with the sequel's home video release, both Ip Man and Ip Man 2 were released as a double feature on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Releases include two-disc special editions of both feature films with a total of four discs on DVD, as well as a standard DVD edition featuring both films with a total of two discs.

Sequel

The third installment began filming in 2015. Edmond Wong, Raymond Wong and Wilson Yip returns as screenwriter, producer and director again, respectively. Donnie Yen reprises his role as "Ip Man". In March 2015, The Hollywood Reporter announced that principal photography began; they also revealed that Mike Tyson has been cast in a role and Bruce Lee is portrayed by Danny Chan, reprising the role from The Legend of Bruce Lee.