"The Grandmaster"

By Matt Duncan
Coastal View News

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Ip Man (Tony Leung Chi Wai) is a Kung Fu master. I know for sure he could beat me up. Actually, it wouldn’t even be a fight. I would land zero punches; I would cause zero stress. I can only imagine lying flat on my back with a bruised kidney and absolutely no clue what just happened.

We get an even better sense of the Kung-Fu-godliness of Ip Man right off the bat in “The Grandmaster”. There are about 20 guys looking for a fight. They surround Ip Man. But, of course, the throng of fighters lacks the good sense to just mob their victim all at once. So, one-by-one, Ip Man mops the floor with each and every one of them.

Now that we know to be impressed by Ip Man we can get on with the story. Ip Man is rich and happy. He has a nice family tucked away in southern China. Ip Man spends his free time beating up on anyone who wants to fight him. But he does it in a way that is sort of gentle, even kind. Ip Man is a good man livin’ the good life.

Then everything gets shaken up. A rivalry threatens Ip Man’s honor, as well as his family. A war with Japan rends the countryside, tearing Ip Man from the life that he loves. And even when the dust settles, Ip Man has to start anew in less than ideal circumstances while still dealing with the pain already inflicted upon him.

Ip Man has an advantage, though. He knows how to cope with pain. Many of those around him are not so lucky. Some are consumed by vengeance. Others who are obsessed with their status fade into oblivion when the times change. Scene by scene, we see how different people with different dispositions deal with others, respond to hardship, and confront their enemies. Each person has to find his or her own way.

In many ways “The Grandmaster” is pretty unoriginal. The characters are archetypes: There is The Greedy Person, The Vengeful Person, The Strong, Silent Warrior, etc. We learn about these characters mostly through the way they fight (which, I should admit, is tremendously entertaining). Indeed, most of the important lessons occur right before, right after, or during a fight. This makes the plot feel a bit attenuated and impressionistic. It doesn’t always seem like it matters what happens next.

Nonetheless, there are some ways in which “The Grandmaster” stands out. Here is one small detail: Feet. Filmmaker Wong Kar Wai spends a lot of time—particularly during the fighting—focusing on people’s feet. It turns out you can tell a lot about a person by his or her feet. Not by how his or her feet actually look (We don’t see any bare feet, thankfully). But by what they do, and by how they are positioned. Do they thrash indiscriminately at anything that moves? Or are they disciplined and careful? Are they positioned in a defensive stance? Or are they poised for attack? Do they seem relaxed and in harmony with the ground below? Or does it look like their very presence is assaulting the floor? You can tell a lot about person by his or her feet, I learned. And focusing on characters’ feet is a neat way to get to know them. Sometimes a face just won’t do.

So while “The Grandmaster” is in some ways rather pat, in other ways it shows off a special richness. Combine that with beautiful cinematography and great musical selections, and “The Grandmaster” makes for a pretty good movie.