Ostensibly a biopic of Ip Man (Tony Leung), The Grandmaster is more accurately likened to a broad-brushed landscape that explores the era in which Ip Man was at the height of his pugilistic powers. Beyond Ip Man`s entanglement with the Gong clan and their style of kung fu, there`s little central narrative to ground the film. Indeed, the latter half of the film seems to focus more on rival martial artist and love interest Gong Er (Zhang Ziyi) than the Man himself. This may prove disconcerting to some viewers, particularly those unacquainted with Wong`s tendency towards fragmented narratives.
Regardless of whether this fragmentation proves detrimental to the film, it`s also essential to it. The Grandmaster moves with the sort of surrealism one finds in a dream, linked by emotional progression rather than chronology. This, coupled with Philippe Le Sourd`s stellar cinematography, lends The Grandmaster a poetic resonance seldom seen in films of its genre.
Likewise, the pugilism on display in this film is not the self-contained, adrenaline-pumping spectacle one normally expects to find in martial arts flicks. Rather, the martial art sequences – like the rest of the poetic visuals – are meant to underscore Wong`s oft-visited themes of loss and transience, embodied in this case by the characters of Ip Man and Gong Er.
If you`re the sort that needs all plot loops plugged before you can enjoy a movie, The Grandmaster is more likely to infuriate than enchant. Likewise, martial arts fanatics looking for a Donnie Yen type of outing are bound to be disappointed. Taken on its own merits, however, The Grandmaster is a beautifully wistful film.
Summary: A languid roundhouse kick of a movie
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Raphael Lim