The story by Edmond Wong did not demonize all the villains, often adding a dash of empathy and sympathy to the likes of the Japanese General Miura (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi), a highly skilled exponent from the North called Zhao (Fan Siu Wong) as well as Lam's translator character who is deemed as a traitor for being in the service of the Japanese. But with its array of charismatic supporting cast with the likes of Simon Yam as Ip Man's best friend and industrialist Quan, and Lam Ka Tung as a cop turned translator, there are little nicely put sub plots which seek to expand the air of respect that Ip Man commands amongst his community. More often than note, martial arts become a unifying force, and this aspect of the narrative might seem to be a walk in the usual territory. Witth this historical setting, at times it does seem that there is an air of familiarity with the type of stories told, with how the Japanese Imperial Army had made life really miserable for the Chinese, and how the Chinese being fragmented in spirit, fail to unite during dire straits. The bulk of the story gets set in the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war, and it's not all fight and no story. His humility is his virtue, and his style is never violent or aggressive, which often gets assumed and mistaken for being effeminate, since Wing Chun after all was founded by a woman. Ip Man, an aristocrat who spends most of his quality time developing and perfecting his brand of martial arts, will take them on behind closed doors, so as not to damage his opponents' reputation nor embarrass them in public. With each new school, the master will pay their respects to Ip Man and to challenge him to a duel. In this bio-pic, Ip Man, one of the earliest Wing Chun martial arts exponents credited to have propagated its popularity, gets portrayed as the best of the best in 1930s Fo Shan, China, where the bustling city has its own Martial Arts Street where countless of martial arts schools have set up shop to fuel the craze of kung fu training. And thank goodness for Donnie Yen still being around to pick up from where the genre left off, and presenting a memorable role which he truly owned, with Ip Man being the first cinematic rendition of the Wing Chun martial arts grandmaster. While Li lays claim to three of such roles in the iconic Wong Fei Hung (in the Tsui Hark movies), Fong Sai Yuk and Huo Yuan Jia in Fearless, after which he felt he had to hang up his martial arts roles because he thought that he had communicated all that he wanted about martial arts through these films. Unquestionably Yen taking care of business.It's been some time since we last saw a biopic on one of the Chinese's martial arts folk heroes, with Jet Li's Fearless being the last memorable one to hit the big screen. What’s more, he ensures that his rivals are out like a light… to their detriment, and our pleasure. What’s more, kid, it doesn’t get more fierce than this! Truly, Yen’s clench hands move like automatic rifle projectiles. I would not joke about this! Not just infusing humankind and great portrayal, Yen likewise exhibits his mercilessness with regards to battling. All things considered, after this I figure he might just be the following Bruce Lee. At that point in “Flashpoint”, I was dazed by his moves, and thought he was the following Jet Li. Yen grabbed my eye subsequent to seeing him in “SPL”. The heading by Wilson Yip is smooth and grasping as usual, and he likewise gives the film a decent sepia tone to offer inclination to the film. Amazing kung fu star Sammo Hung splendidly arranges the battle scenes to flawlessness, and it would appear that he won’t hinder at any point in the near future. This isn’t an activity film, it’s a kung fu motion picture. Individuals are getting beaten, hand to hand fighting duels are occurring, and blood is spilled. The battle scenes here are apparently Yen’s best up until this point, and the best in over 10 years.