2008’s “Ip Man” is one of the best martial arts movies you’ll see in the last 10 years, a film that all but cemented Donnie Yen’s crown as the new kung fu king of Hong Kong cinema. 2010’s “Ip Man 2” is a get rich quick scheme, and that’s me being very generous. The film’s one big success story is that it actually allows star Donnie Yen to expand on his acting chops. Somewhat. I’m not saying Yen has become Tony Leung or Chow Yun Fat overnight, but he seems to have understood that his character has aged since the first movie, and it shows here. Then again, who the hell watches a Donnie Yen movie for acting? Don’t get me wrong, there are a couple of entertaining bits here and there, but overall, the sequel is 110 minutes of rehashed plotlines and wasted opportunity. When Donnie Yen fighting 20 guys in a fish market makes you yawn, something is very wrong.
After the events of the first movie, Ip Man (Donnie Yen) travels to Hong Kong with his family, including young son and pregnant wife (Lynn Hung). Ip, as I like to call him, is intent on opening his school and propagating Wing Chun to the Hong Kong masses. Alas, he faces difficulties, and never you mind that this is the same guy who famously and nearly single-handedly defeated the Japanese Army (if the first movie is to be believed), but no one in Hong Kong even knows who he is. Wha…? You would think his exploits would get around, but apparently not so much. In any case, our hero is stuck in neutral (or as the kids call it, he’s dirt poor), with his pregnant wife henpecking him to, you know, become successful or something. He’s opened a rooftop school, but has no students. It’s so bad, the lady downstairs uses his school to hang her laundry.
source by beyondhollywood