A stylized biographical film based on the life of Wing Chun teacher Yip Man. Yip Man would go on to influence millions through the spread of Wing Chun and his early teaching of influential martial arts star and icon Bruce Lee. The story is set in Foshan and is seen as a hub for Chinese martial arts.

Yip Man is a respected martial arts master but doesn't have a school or teach. He runs off a group of rowdy Northern Chinese stylists though. Yip Man is a wealthy man but reduced to poverty by the occupation of the Japanese Army. He ends up working in a coal mine and only fights against Japanese opponents when he realizes that some of his neighbors have been taking fights against Imperial Japanese Army trainees for an extra rice ration.

It's extremely patriotic, almost to the detriment of the film itself. The Japanese are virtually faceless, depicted mainly as bullies, war mongers, and instigators while 1994's Fist of Legend, a very similar film, does the Japanese some credit by showing them with more honor.

Still some incredible fight scenes by the venerable Donnie Yen, who at was then 44-45 makes guys like a prime Van Damme or Seagal look pedestrian by comparison, witnessed in a brutal match with Yip Man against 10 karate practitioners. 7/10