Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

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.International megastar Donnie Yen reprises his iconic role as the real-life kung fu grandmaster Ip Man in this martial arts spectacular. After escaping the Japanese occupation of his hometown of Fo Shan, China, Ip Man and his family have arrived in Hong Kong, which is living under the iron fist of British colonial rule. Ip wants to support his family by opening up a martial arts academy to teach his unique Wing Chun style. But a corrupt cabal of Hong Kong martial arts masters, led by Hung Chun-nam (the legendary Sammo Hung), refuses to allow Ip to teach until he proves himself - and prove himself he does, in an intense series of fights against the masters showcasing a dazzling variety of martial arts styles, culminating in a highly anticipated brawl between Ip and Hung atop a rickety table. But even after gaining the respect of the masters, Ip's troubles are far from over. Hong Kong under British rule is a world of corruption, and when a Western- style boxer named Taylor "Twister" Milos comes to town to entertain the British upper-class, and insults both Chinese martial arts and the native citizens in a horrifically violent way, Ip must step up and fight for the honor of both his kung fu and the Chinese people. Forced by honor to enter a brutal "King of the Ring" boxing match against Twister, it's East versus West in an amazing, knock-down drag-out fight to the finish, the likes of which have never been seen on-screen before. Presented in the original, un-dubbed and uncut, international version that's been breaking box-office records across Asia, Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster is a throwback to the golden age of Hong Kong martial arts cinema that will delight kung fu fans and newcomers alike.

Firstly, I think some people will look at any martial arts film, even one based on a real person's life, and say "What does the story matter? As long as there's good action!" Even if that's you, do not waste your time on this film.Donnie Yen is amazing, and Sammo Hung is also a legend, they both do great work. There is ONE scene with them that is worth looking up on Youtube. However, there are many other scenes in the film that focus on other martial artists, or more likely actors who TRY to do martial arts. The quality level just isn't there. There is a lot of use of wire-work, and lots of quick editing to make it look like there is power and speed to the fights when actually there is none (even for some of Yen's moves). There is even a fight in the movie with a character wearing boxing gloves, and this is portrayed as not making him any slower or less-damaging to the other fighters. Not only is it a fair fight, he's even MORE powerful than them. Most of the fights are just ridiculous, not close to the level of the first Ip Man film.Another comparison to be made to Ip Man 1 is that these films both claim to tell a story based on Ip Man's life. Now, while the first film showed Ip Man doing manual labor and having a public fight with a Japanese general (which weren't true), the film was at least based on truths from the real time period. Many Chinese were impoverished, were victims of Japanese brutality and atrocities. It was modern Chinese propaganda, but it had a historical basis.Ip Man 2 is just blatant propaganda. Ip Man did move to Hong Kong and open a school. There was a boxing match between his STUDENT and a Russian boxer. And.....those are pretty much the only parts of the film that have any basis in reality. Every British person in the film is only interested in exploiting the Chinese and keeping them making money for them. I actually looked online to find any basis for this and couldn't. All the main roles are such one-dimensional, raging, racist assholes that it's hard to believe they wouldn't be killed in their sleep their first night in Hong Kong. The Chinese characters, on the other hand, do some pretty horrible things to each other, and show zero concern for the lives of other Chinese. But the message in the film is that if you unify against non- Chinese, then you prove your worth and all will be forgiven.This is a 2 hour piece of propaganda, plain and simple. "Hong Kong, don't fight China! Our real enemy is the foreigners who hate our skin color and history! It is what binds us together, so ignore any oppression by Chinese in power, and instead tell the foreigners that they must respect us!"The EndP.S.- For a good Yen/Hung film, watch S.P.L! It has awesome fights AND an actual plot!

While watching this movie I barely kept myself from calling the paramedics and telling them I need an ambulance NOW - I am in mortal danger of dying from a boredom stroke in the central cortex.Where to begin... The movie looks good as far as camera-work goes, choreography is decent, but so much for the little that is good about this "movie".The current review that is on the film's main page speaks of "a good ol' fashioned moral tale and lots of exceptional fight sequences that will leave you breathless." Let me decrypt this for you: "moral tale" means "stereotypical corrupt western capitalist corrupting poor Chinese" and "people rising up against capitalist injustice" and "underdog kung- fu teacher becoming an everyday hero" and "poor people suffering under this and that". Yes, believe me, all that is contained in this cryptic pair of words. Or - to put it even more clearly - it is a classic genre of commie Chinese propaganda with the usual dash of nationalism. The "exceptional fight sequences" is not cryptic however, it is a lie. This movie is no better or worse than your average kung-fu movie. It is just that - tasteless, standard issue fighting flick that has nothing to show for. Not saying the fighting is bad, but it is just so flat and generic that watching this movie is like drinking tap water - you know it is tasteless, and you should thus not expect anything from it. The plot is also just as predictable - you got your basic underdog hero, the fight start up gradually, taking on bigger and bigger enemies, and eventually climax in the "good vs evil" fight at the end. Add to that the above mentioned "twists" and some usual afternoon soap drama and a bit of tearjerking, and that's it. There's nothing that is really a buzzkill about this movie, but that's only because these is no buzz to be killed. If there's anything that's putting nails in the coffin of Chinese cinematography then it's useless nonsense like this movie. I'd rather watch a perfectly honest North Korean propaganda film praising the Fat Leader instead of watching more of the modern trash that China produces, at least North Korean movies are so bad they are of bottom-of-the-barrel-bad category that they become fun again, like Bad Taste.For real, good old-school kung-fu movies that do not try to shove down your throat the age old Chinese communist propaganda, or that don't bore you to death with completely stupid and stock plot, better watch some of Jackie Chan's work from the early 80's to mid 90's.

I don't think I have seen the film that this is a sequel to, so early on I was a little lost with the flashback montage in the credit sequence and I felt a little unsure of some of the characters. Within about 5 or 10 minutes though this really doesn't matter because mostly the film is happy with very basic motivations and plotting, in favour of frequent fight sequences. The overall plot sees Ip Man coming to Hong Kong to continue the spread of his teaching but coming up against resistance from other schools in the area and the interference of a corrupt British chief. Although we also have money problems, a pregnant wife and relationships from the first film, that is pretty much all you need to know.This is undeniably a disappointment – not so much because I wanted lots of dialogue and character development, but more because the moments of the film where we do have them tend not to work particularly well because they are just lip-service and not done well. How much of a problem this is though is minimised by just how much action there is and also how good it is. Whether it is an intense fight in a fish market against a gang of others, or the one-on-one boxing match of the finale, all of the fight sequences are exciting and very well choreographed. Although it has pace, the editing is not so frantic and rapid that it masks the action and it is impressive to see all the moves and skills of the performers. Donnie Yen is impressive in all of them.Where Yen is less effective is in the acting side; the film doesn't give him much to work with and he also plays it very quiet and still, respectful perhaps but he is a lot less of a presence when he is not fighting. Fortunately others are more lively in terms of performances and the film benefits from plenty of nice characters and light comedy from the other masters and the students. Sammo is solid in all regards and he gets some good action too.Yip Man 2 may carry characters and story from the first film, but very quickly it gets down to the action and pretty much delivers action sequence after action sequence, all of them engaging and intense. The lack of character and development is a weakness, but the strengths do more than carry it through this.