The first third of the film, with a brisk and humorous plot, brought out a group of sentient beings from Chinese folk martial arts on the eve of the War of Resistance Against Japan. Foshan, which was known as the hometown of martial arts at that time, became a trend to learn from teachers and learn from skills. In this short space, there are those who are obsessed with martial arts, those who use martial arts to support the facade, and those who use martial arts to conquer others. The protagonist of the story, Ye Wen, among the bustling warriors, is a first-rate master who loves martial arts but has no contention, is introverted and modest, and is also a rich child who loves his family and "respects his wife". In this context of life, martial arts practice is purely a way of daily life, showing the wild and harmonious interest of grassroots. The threat posed by the Northern School of Martial Arts represented by Jinshanxun was the most intense scene of the drama conflict, but it was also dusted off by Ye Wen's feathers, and was dispelled in the most common way, and was reveled in the star chasing of many warriors. The curtain of comedy fell in the middle.
The textbook opened the page of national tragedy. Biographical films often use the passage of time and the changes of the times to create a turning point in the fate of the characters, and Ye Wen and his peers have fallen into a useless situation without preparation. In the age when weapons were stronger than martial arts and iron cavalry trampled on martial arts, the anxiety, hesitation, pain and helplessness of the warriors made them embark on a different path of pursuit. But it is also at this point in the development of the story that exposed the inadequate screenwriting standards of Hong Kong movies. Jinshan’s role positioning was a failure. This reckless and honest northern man earlier became a bandit, not to mention, but also betrayed Ye Wen to the Japanese army inexplicably. )-This sudden change in personality and the disappearance of the characters are also reflected in the experience of the Wu Chi Lin brothers, so I won't repeat them here. Such a bad secondary line design makes the ecological display of a group of warriors almost turn the film into a Hollywood-style version of personal heroism.
Fortunately, we can also take a look at Master Liao's performance. This rich-looking middle-aged man can be regarded as the third figure among Chinese martial arts masters. With an arrogant heart and a little civic habit, he now wants to compete with the Japanese for three meals a day. His situation is also something other warriors have to face. The high-mindedness of "don't bend for five buckets of rice" was transformed by these "crude people" into pragmatic and adventurous actions that can beat the Japanese and have the opportunity to fill their stomachs. Master Liao eventually died under the sneer of the Japanese, and indirectly from his impetuous and quick-witted character defect. His death has aggravated the loss of martial arts practitioners in pursuing utilitarianism: no matter how good martial arts are, they can't survive a single shot. What do martial artists do?
Ye Man knew this well, and felt at a loss and lost because of this. With his excellent skills, he could only dig coal in exchange for a piece of roasted sweet potatoes, but he could only watch the tragic death of his compatriots and was unable to rescue him. When he said to his wife "I am very useless", his eyes were desperately dying. This is where the movie touches me the most. It also indicates that Ye Man will return to the stage with confusion and play a heroic role that he shouldn't have played. Seeing this, it is natural to look forward to watching Jet Li's version of "Huo Yuan Jia": whether the folk martial arts master who has gathered national hatred will let us experience the rise of patriotism again with a hearty and tragic martial arts Spiritual baptism?
However, "Ip Man" is not the "Huo Yuanjia" of the Anti-Japanese War after all. The night before the decisive battle, he seemed to untie many knots that he could not untie: Should he practice martial arts with one heart or respect his wife and children? Should I take care of myself alone or pass on what I have learned? Should I die for the country with my own body, or should I not bear it? What is the value of Chinese martial arts? What is the ultimate goal of Chinese martial arts? What is national justice? What is national ethics? In an era when everyone is unable to control their own destiny, how will the essence of martial arts work? ... In the movie, Ye Wen's own answer is Confucian "benevolence." But I think that the word "ren" is not enough to satisfy him, because after easily defeating the Japanese, the film gave a sensational slow motion. We saw that Ye Wen was still at a loss at this time, facing the same cheers. Compatriot, what would he be thinking?
The video is too late to give the answer. Shots, crowds, rescues, fleeing... A few lines of subtitles accompanied by historical photos explain the history of the master's second half of his life, which is widely used as apprentices, and Guangda martial arts. What is a warrior? Apart from bringing us a wonderful performance of Wing Chun, "Ip Man" also throws us this serious existential proposition. Our traditional martial arts was taken by Hollywood to create the "King of Kung Fu" using Wia and computers, and domestic directors who like to "take the doctrine" have made many blockbuster films that burn money. When martial arts became stunts and gimmicks, the Zhang Che era hurriedly retired from the film in which men used martial arts to show their passion and chivalry. Today, "Ip Man" has artistically recreated the image of a great master who loves martial arts like life, and tries to awaken our true memories of Chinese martial arts. In this sense, "Ye Wen" deserves to be called the best kung fu film in recent years.
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