Hall of Fame: Ip Man
The man born as Ip Kai-man in 1893 is arguably a more famous and well-known name in the United States now than he was in his native China at his death in 1972. The stories and legends of Ip Man that have filled the theaters and television screens have captivated audiences to the point that it is difficult for any martial arts fan to scroll through their favorite streaming service and not run into one of these films. Even now, there are no less than six different Ip Man films on Netflix. For that reason alone, I think it’s time to show this character the respect he deserves.
By the time you finish this article two more Ip Man films will go into production or be released and I think the character has grown well beyond his accomplishments in real life. That isn’t to say that he wasn’t an incredible martial arts master who passed on a great deal of knowledge to his students, including Bruce Lee. But no amount of teaching deserves more than a dozen movies and television series over the past decade.
Donnie Yen took on the mantle of Ip Man in 2008’s Ip Man and stormed out of the gates with a movie so badass that any man with Chinese blood should have been chomping at the bit to play the role. He kicked the crap out of the Japanese occupiers in the 1930’s and while the film plays pretty fast and loose with real life, it kicks so much ass in the action department that I couldn’t care less. Donnie Yen returned two years later to deal with Ip Man’s migration to Hong Kong in the late 1940’s. In the second film, he also beat the tar out of Darren Shahlavi (RIP). Shortly after, Yen would comment that he was done with the character but would later return for two more films.
It wasn’t just Donnie Yen who brought the character of Ip Man to the screens. He’s been aged and de-aged in films not starring Yen and played by everyone from Dennis To to Tony Leung and Anthony Wong. Each era of Ip Man’s career getting a slightly older actor to portray him. Having watched these films, it’s clear to me that many liberties have been taken with the character but that his philosophies and principles are at the forefront of each film. Ip Man isn’t the type to pick a fight or to rush foolishly into hand to hand combat. His calmness under intense pressure throughout the film series and television show is probably nothing compared to receiving this honor. Welcome to the Bulletproof Action Hall of Fame Ip Man!
