Fridae

Ip Man opened last week along with many other titles, so we thought it best to save the review for this week's edition. We are not surprised to learn, though, that it is No. 1 at the Singapore box-office, making an impressive S$700,000 up to the weekend. Yes, it's that good.

Donnie Yen delivers a career-best performance as Ip Man, a martial arts legend who popularized the Wing Chun style of fighting in East Asia. He was the sifu (teacher) to actor Bruce Lee, who would later bring kung fu to the world.

The story begins in the mid-1930s in Foshan, Guangdong, where Ip is already recognized as the finest kung fu master in the city despite not having a single student. When a gang of bullies goes around threatening and defeating the other kung fu masters, Ip steps up and beats them down effortlessly.

When war breaks out a few years later, Ip keeps a low profile, taking on menial work just to survive. But when his friends start to get killed by Japanese karate fighters in fights organized by the Japanese army, Ip decides to take part in a fight in order to salvage the pride of his Chinese compatriots�

Directed by Wilson Yip (Dragon Tiger Gate) and featuring fight choreography by Sammo Hung, Ip Man is rousingly good entertainment. The film is surprisingly well-crafted, as it mixes solid action sequences with often heartfelt drama. As Ip Man, Donnie Yen supplies an unexpected dignity and depth to what could have potentially been a caricature role. We recommend this film highly to fans of actioners.