Ip Man 2 (2010) Review: Wing Chun Meets the Empire

Is Ip Man 2 worth watching?

Yes. Ip Man 2 is a satisfying, often thrilling sequel that matches the original’s fight choreography and adds Sammo Hung as a formidable screen partner for Donnie Yen. Wilson Yip keeps the tone warm and the action crisp, and the showdown between Yen and Hung is one of the franchise’s highlights. The reservation is that the story closely follows the template of the first film, swapping one set of foreign villains for another, and its politics are painted in very broad strokes.

What is Ip Man 2 about?

Ip Man 2 picks up after the events of the first film, with Ip Man (Donnie Yen) arriving in Hong Kong with his wife (Lynn Hung) and young son in search of a new start. Money is tight, so Ip sets up a small Wing Chun school on a rooftop and begins taking students, starting with a hot-headed young fighter, Wong Leung (Huang Xiaoming).

He soon discovers that teaching martial arts in Hong Kong is a business with rules. The local masters, led by the Hung Gar expert Hung Chun-nam (Sammo Hung), expect newcomers to prove themselves and to pay their dues, while the colony’s corrupt British police officers take their own cut. When a brash British boxer arrives to fight in a prestige exhibition, Chinese martial arts and national pride are put on the line. Wilson Yip directs this Hong Kong-Chinese co-production, mainly in Cantonese, and it runs 108 minutes.

Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung at full stretch

The film’s centrepiece is the meeting of two generations of martial arts stars. Sammo Hung, who also choreographed the action, gives Hung Chun-nam a gruff, weary authority, and his rivalry with Ip evolves in ways that are more interesting than the usual hero-versus-villain setup. Their fight on a wobbling tabletop, surrounded by other masters, is a showcase of precision and wit, with Wing Chun’s close-range speed set against Hung Gar’s powerful stances.

Donnie Yen remains ideal as Ip Man. His calm, courteous persona, a hero who fights reluctantly and apologises afterwards, gives the franchise its gentle centre, and he makes the lightning-fast Wing Chun strikes look effortless. The early fights, including a chase through a fish market, have a scrappy, playful energy that keeps the first half lively.

The boxing ring and its politics

The second half shifts from rivalry between schools to confrontation with colonial power. The British characters, particularly the police superintendent and the boxer known as Twister, are drawn as cartoonish bigots, and the film’s appeal to national pride is unsubtle. As melodrama, it works: the stakes are clear and the climactic bout is staged with rousing energy. As history, it is far from nuanced, and the villains lack the menace that made the first film’s wartime setting so charged.

The boxing sequences are nonetheless well conceived. The film makes clever use of the difference between Western boxing and Chinese martial arts, turning the final fight into a contest of styles as much as fists.

Familiar in shape

Viewers who loved the first Ip Man will notice how closely the sequel follows its structure: a period of hardship, a series of escalating challenges, then a public battle against foreign arrogance. Wong Leung’s arc and the domestic scenes with Ip’s wife are handled efficiently but rarely surprise. The film is a strong sequel rather than a deeper one.

Who should watch Ip Man 2?

It is essential for fans of the first film, of Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung, and of classic Hong Kong kung fu cinema. It is best watched after the original, though it stands on its own. The violence consists mainly of stylised, bloodless martial arts, with one brutal boxing sequence, making it suitable for teenagers. At under two hours, it is an easy and energetic watch.

For more of Yen and Yip in action:

• Ip Man, the original film, which sets up Ip’s story in wartime Foshan and remains the strongest entry.
• Ip Man 3, which brings a rival Wing Chun master and a more personal story to the franchise.
• Flash Point, Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen’s hard-hitting contemporary cop thriller.

The verdict

Ip Man 2 is a lively, well-crafted sequel that delivers exactly what fans want: elegant Wing Chun, a great rivalry with Sammo Hung and a rousing final contest. Its broad-brush villains and familiar structure keep it slightly below the original, but it remains one of the best martial arts sequels of its era.

Rating: 4/5