Ip Man 2 (5 Stars)

This is a film in two acts. The first half shows Ip Man's struggle to be accepted by the other martial arts teachers in Hong Kong in 1950. The second half shows the battle between the martial arts clubs (led by Ip Man) and a boxing champion who mercilessly beats his opponents to death. What links the two halves is the overshadowing cruelty of the English oppressors. Hong Kong had been under British rule from 1841 to 1941, when it was conquered by Japan. After World War 2 the British returned, but their rule was much more dictatorial in the early years. The hatred that the Chinese population felt for the British is well portrayed in this film.

It's good that I'm not a patriot, or at least I'm not a blind patriot. I don't know any other film that's as anti-British in its sentiments as "Ip Man 2". It's a brilliant film. A few years ago I read an interview in which Donnie Yen said he considered it to be his best film. I wonder if that's still his opinion today. He's made a lot of exceptionally good films. I find it difficult to say which of his films I like the most. "Ip Man" is also a brilliant film, though different to its sequel. "Ip Man" is more historically accurate than "Ip Man 2". The first film was intended to be a biopic, complete in itself, whereas the second film is an action sequel tagged on. The second film shows the atmosphere of the years of British rule, rather than giving precise details.

Darren Shahlavi
5 August 1972 – 14 January 2015

The boxer in the film, Taylor "The Twister" Milos, is a fictional character, based on a combination of boxers that Ip Man faced in the 1950's. He's played by the British actor Darren Shahlavi, who frequently played the bad guy in action films during his short career. I'm always shocked when I hear of people dying young, especially people who seemed to be fit. He died of a heart attack caused by atherosclerosis, a disease that causes narrowing of the arteries. There are generally no symptoms, so he was unprepared for his death.

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