Produced by Ng See-yuen
Wong Kar-wai

Written by Wong Kar-wai

 

Tony Leung
Zhang Ziyi
Chang Chen
Cung Le
Zhao Benshan
Xiaoshenyang

 

“The Grand Master” will center around legendary martial-arts masterIp Man (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), who had several students who would later became martial arts teachers in their own right, including Bruce Lee.

 

Saying that Wong Kar-wai’s latest film is‘hotly anticipated’ is perhaps understating the expectation that surrounds it. Not only has the film’s release been delayed by lengthy post-production tinkering (not to mention a failure to launch last month), but, as the follow-up to 2007’s dismally received My Blueberry Nights, it’s down to The Grandmasters to prove that Wong hasn’t lost his touch.

Little has been revealed of the plot, but we know it is an action-drama based on the life story of Wing Chun martial art grandmaster Yip (Ip) Man, who trained Bruce Lee – the same figure played by Donnie Yen in 2008’s Ip Man.

 

Kung fu biopics aren’t Wong’s usual territory, but judging from early footage The Grandmasters is more adrenaline-fuelled than his other works. Some Wong hallmarks remain: thoughtful camerawork that refracts the most delicate of details into the sublime (raindrops feature heavily in the trailer), masterful use of colour and light, abstract pacing and provocative, moody soundtracks.

And, of course, it wouldn’t feel like a Wong Kar-wai film without Tony Leung – in The Grandmasters he plays Ip Man himself. Shot in Asia with a Cantonese script, we’re eager to see whether, from this more familiar footing, The Grandmasters can restore Wong’s reputation as one of Asian cinema’s premier auteurs.