Wong Kar-Wai's "Grandmaster" is now playing in theaters. I found this to be such a great film that it's now my second favorite film of the year. Most of the negative criticism seems to suggest that the narrative is messy and unfocused. I didn't think this was true at all. In fact, the film was very clear and understandable as long as you were willing to pay attention. One reviewer, for example, was confused about the significance of a button from a coat. The significance was so blatantly obvious that it seems to me that this reviewer did not watch the movie. It strikes me that many such reviewers were hoping for something more mainstream along the lines of the other recent films about Ip Man, namely, "Ip Man" and "Ip Man 2." Those films aren't bad, but "Grandmaster" is not a mainstream martial arts film. For martial arts and action fans, "Grandmaster" may be too finely paced, lack enough explosions, and fetishize the wrong things during fight scenes (raindrops and snow over fight moves). Other times, it seems even Wong Kar-Wai fans don't appreciate it because it's not "Ip Man: In the Mood for Love." However, for those looking for a Wong Kar-Wai film that isn't a repeat of what he's done before, "Grandmaster" is the treat we've been waiting for since 2004. As fans know, Wong Kar-Wai has never been a narrative story-teller. For him, mood and atmosphere reign. Though there are some minor flaws in it and is by no means his best, the film is better than most films that have come out this year.
The film tells the story of Ip Man (played by the excessively charismatic Tony Leung), the eventual teacher of martial artist and film star, Bruce Lee. The opening fight sequence is perhaps the most beautiful fight scene I've ever seen (even more beautiful and breath-taking than the scenes in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"). Ip Man takes on numerous fighters, including Iron Shoes, in the streets of Foshan as it pours down rain on his signature hat. Then the story begins. A grandmaster from the cold north travels to the south to announce his retirement and a fight that will compare northern and southern fighting styles. The masters of the south are emphatically unanimous in their selection of Ip Man as their representative fighter. They spar with him in different styles. He also competes against the grandmaster himself in a battle of wits. When he "defeats" the grandmaster, the grandmaster's daughter, Gong Er (played by the beautifully deadly Zhang Ziyi), asks Ip Man if he will allow her to attempt to restore her family's honor. He agrees. A beautiful fight between the two in a brothel ensues. During the fight, the two almost kiss; it's a really fantastic shot. Wong Kar-Wai's camera gets in close and shows angles of fights that I've never seen in all my years as a martial arts film fan. She restores her father's honor by beating Ip Man because Ip Man makes the mistake of trying to help her from falling down a staircase. She and her family travel back north. Ip Man and Gong Er begin a long-distance romance of sorts. Ip Man plans to travel north to see her by buying a heavy coat. His plans are interrupted by the war with the Japanese. The two go about their separate lives, but never forget each other.
Later in the film there's a story-arc with Gong Er as the central character. It depicts what happened in her life during the war. If the first fight sequence in the film is the most beautiful fight scene I've ever seen, the fight scene at the train station in Gong Er's story-arc is a very, very close second. Gong Er's story, told in flashback, might be the best part of the film. In fact, Zhang Ziyi upstages Tony Leung with the little story-arc she is given. It seems Wong Kar-Wai's sensibilities are attracted to Gong Er's story more so than Ip Man's story. If I have any criticism, it's that the film is not long enough to explore Ip Man's life in a way that provides for emotional resonance with the character. However, it manages to do so with about 30mins of Gong Er's story. I suppose, I would have liked to see more or nothing at all of the fight scene between Ip Man and Razor as well. But that's really a small criticism. Overall, the film is worth watching on the big screen, if only for the cutting-edge, glorious cinematography that Wong Kar-Wai has always been known for. Each scene is exquisitely crafted and goose-bump inducing. Check it out in theaters soon, and I'll keep my eye out for when the Hong Kong cut will be available stateside. Perhaps it was even better before Harvey (Scissorhands) Weinstein got his hands on it. As a final note I should say that the fight choreographer here is the same fight choreographer for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "The Matrix." So, if everything I said above wasn't enough to entice you, that should do it!
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