Ip Man

Possible Spoilers Ahead :)

Ip Man, or otherwise known by his online person, I.P. Man; tells an amazing story in more ways than I thought the filmmakers could.

In any kung-fu flick, we all know that the hero/heroine would (eventually) beat the nonsense out of the last boss, whoever he/she may be. We have also come to expect that Chinese kung fu films would seem otherworldly if they didn't have to use the seemingly pre-packaged sound effects for punches and kicks that make them so believably satisfying. I like kung-fu films for their choreography, but with Ip Man I actually managed to see beyond the slick parrying moves and rolling punches to catch hold of what the filmmakers were really trying to express. Or at least, I think they were trying to. Makes my movie ticket much more worth it :P

Ip Man as a martial arts exponent stands for amazing because he is simply really good at it. But Ip Man as a man, on the other hand, stands for awe-inspiring because of the way that he exerts his self-control. The true mark of a man lies in self-control they say, and Ip Man showed that he has loads. Truckloads, probably. The way the film choreographers pit him against 10-20 people at the same time and yet have him show constant restraint while fighting clearly illustrates that . Many a time he would land several punches on an opponent, only to hold back when delivering the last blow in order to soften it. When he picked up knives, they were immediately turned to the relatively harmless blunt side. And even with his hardest moves, no one is really seriously injured. To me, that is the epitome of self-control: knowing how to exercise your powers and abilities with just enough conscious judgment tempered in to avoid hurting others.

He reminds me of characters like Kenshin and Superman. People who can kill in the time it takes me to blink. Both Kenshin and Superman know that they are powerful, but yet they strive very hard to never let it cloud their judgment. Too bad the same can't be said of many people in positions of power today.

In a world of relativity, Ip Man's strong personal principles offer an interesting contrast of how bad we have become at taking our stand on everyday issues like war and injustice. He stood for what he believed, and that was a stirring moment in the film for me.