A few months ago we brought the domestic teaser for Wong Kar-Wai’s martial arts biopic THE GRANDMASTER and now a brand new full length trailer has been released. In typical biopic fashion, the phrase “based on a true story” is uttered which is somewhat hard to believe with the CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON style theatrics on display. With fight choreography by Yuen Woo-Ping (KILL BILL, THE MATRIX) and the visual mastery of Wong Kar-Wai, this seems like a must see.
The story told in this film has been made before in several movies with the title IP MAN, but this is the first that purports to be the full story of the Kung Fu master who trained Bruce Lee. Tony Leung plays Ip Man in THE GRANDMASTER alongside Zhang Ziyi who looks to be no older than when she starred in CROUCHING TIGER.
THE GRANDMASTER is an epic action feature inspired by the life and times of the legendary kung fu master, Ip Man. The story spans the tumultuous Republican era that followed the fall of China’s last dynasty, a time of chaos, division and war that was also the golden age of Chinese martial arts. Filmed in a range of stunning locations that include the snow-swept landscapes of Northeast China and the subtropical South,
I am definitely suckered in by how gorgeously filmed this movie looks. As a fan of 2046, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, and CHUNGKING EXPRESS, this is a must see. I am still waiting for a studio to really give Wong Kar-Wai another English language project (his first was MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS) so audiences who shy away from subtitles can be in awe of his craftsmanship.
Already a hit in China, THE GRANDMASTER opens in the US on August 23rd.
