This "film" is 100% fiction; there is NOTHING remotely true about it. Ip Man never had a single fight as described in the film, never lived in Fo Shan during the war (he lived in Hong Kong), did not work at any of the jobs as portrayed (his profession was as a police officer), and was persecuted not by the Japanese but by the Chinese Maoists. This is a disgrace and leads me to this question: why not make a fictional movie about a fictional character if all one is going to do is create entirely fictional accounts of a real person?
Donnie Yen is a fine actor, don't get me wrong. The action is entertaining, the plot is invigorating... but it's all a pile of pandering rubbish because of the absolute misinformation it conveys without a single disclaimer to it's veracity. I would have appreciated it as a fiction but not as shameless propaganda. There are far too many fine wuxia, kung fu and dramatic Chinese movies out there to give any credence to one that outright and completely lies to its audience: Come Drink with Me, Iron Monkey, Kung Fu Hustle, Raise the Red Lantern, The Assassin, Devils on the Doorstep, Farewell My Concubine, YiYi, A Touch of Zen to name but a few.
Donnie Yen is a fine actor, don't get me wrong. The action is entertaining, the plot is invigorating... but it's all a pile of pandering rubbish because of the absolute misinformation it conveys without a single disclaimer to it's veracity. I would have appreciated it as a fiction but not as shameless propaganda. There are far too many fine wuxia, kung fu and dramatic Chinese movies out there to give any credence to one that outright and completely lies to its audience: Come Drink with Me, Iron Monkey, Kung Fu Hustle, Raise the Red Lantern, The Assassin, Devils on the Doorstep, Farewell My Concubine, YiYi, A Touch of Zen to name but a few.