Wing Chun Movies and Films
Article by Dan Knight added on 25 Jul 2013. Last updated on 27 Jul 2013.
Synopsis of the best Wing Chun Kung Fu films
This page reviews Wing Chun movies and films. We will explore and rate some of the ways Wing Chun Kung Fu has been portrayed in the cinema. It's worth mentioning that films like Ip Man have been instrumental in spreading Wing Chun over recent years. The below graph represents the popularity of the search team Ip Man in search engine Google. As you can see the two giant spikes and subsequent rises in popularity coincide with the releases of the Ip Man and Ip Man 2 films. This very website receives large spikes in traffic every time Ip Man is aired on public TV in the UK.
Ip Man (2008)
Availible on Amazon
Kung fu movie star Donnie Yen gives one of his best performances as the eponymous Ip Man, the man who taught Bruce Lee. Focussing on Ip Man's life during the Sino-Japanese war this is a attractively filmed period epic in the Once Upon A Time in China mould. Fellow martial arts legend Sammo Hung arranged and choreographed most of the fights, creating a spectacular cinematic portrayal of Wing Chun. This film is a huge hit in Asia, at the Hong Kong film awards it picked up Best Film and Best Action Choreography from a total of 12 nominations. The film offers a reasonably authentic view of Wing Chun, although much of the fighting has been made more flamboyant to please a general audiance. Liberties have been taken with the authenticity of the story, whilst Ip Man did fight a challenge fight in Foushan and then get asked to teach the Japanese army and thus flead to Macau and later Hong Kong, this film shows Ip Man getting into many more fights through the journey. This is a thoroughly enjoyable film for non Wing Chun enthusiasts and practitioners alike.
Movie Director: Wilson Yip
Staring: Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, Simon Yam, Lam Ka-Tung, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi.
General Public Rating:
4/5 stars
34,000 users on IMDB.
Our Wing Chun based rating:
Cert:15 | 107 mins | 2008
Ip Man 2 (2010)
Availible on Amazon
Ip Man 2 follows on from where the first film left off. Ip Man, again played by film star Donnie Yen, has moved to Hong Kong to continue his life after leaving Foushan. The film provides great action and lots of good fight scenes again portraying Wing Chun in a reasonably authentic light. Whilst the storyline is interesting for both non Wing Chun enthusiasts and enthusiasts alike, it is almost entirely fiction. Whilst some of the events in the film are dramatisations of Ip Man's life much of the film, like the staged fight with the western boxer "Twister" is complete fiction. Much like the first film, Ip Man 2 was, rightly, considered a great success and comes highly recommended.
Movie Director: Wilson Yip
Staring: Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, Huang Xiaoming, Lynn Hung, Kent Cheng.
General Public Rating:
4/5 stars
73,000 users on IMDB.
Our Wing Chun based rating:
Cert:15 | 109 mins | 2010
The Legend is Born: Ip Man (2008)
Availible on Amazon
This film is not part of Wilson Yip's trilogy. It is a separate stand alone film about Ip Man's life. The film focuses on Ip Man's early life and the story of how he learned the martial arts style of Wing Chun. The films shows how Ip Man originally learned from Chan Wa Shun and later, after moving to Hong Kong learned from Leaung Bik. In this film Ip Man is played by Dennis To, and Leung Bik is played by Ip Man's eldest son Ip Chun. This film is a great watch and, whilst again loosely based on Ip Man's life it is spiced up with some great fight scenes and cinematography. The film has not been quite as well received as Ip Man but it is never the less well worth a watch.
Movie Director: Herman Yau
Staring: Dennis To, Ip Chun, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Louis Fan, Huang Yi.
General Public Rating:
4/5 stars
15,000 users on IMDB.
Our Wing Chun based rating:
Cert:15 | 100 mins | 2010
The Prodigal Son (1981)
Availible on Amazon
Alegedly the first ever Wing Chun film. In this film a rich man's son believes himself to be the best kung fu fighter in Canton. Unfortunately, his father, anxious for his son's safety, bribes all his opponents to lose. After a humiliating defeat at the hands of an actor in a traveling theatre company, the son resolves to find a better teacher. Enter Wing Chun's Leung Jan and some furious kung fu battles and slapstick comedy ensue. The martial arts styles used are loosely based on Wing Chun and the polt is set around the time of Leung Jan. The Wing Chun enthusiast may feel slightly disappointed. However if old Kung Fu films are you thing, this is worth a watch.
Movie Director: Sammo Hung Kam-Bo
Staring: Yuen Biao, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Ching-Ying Lam, Frankie Chan.
General Public Rating:
3/5 stars
1,700 users on IMDB.
Our Wing Chun based rating:
Cert:18 | 104 mins | 1981
Wing Chun (1994)
Availible on Amazon
This film is designed to portray the life of Yim Wing Chun, whom the martial art is named after. Wing Chun is a woman living in a remote village often pillaged by robbers. When Wing Chun finally loses her cool and defeats them, her heroic actions stir up even more trouble in this male-based society of the time. The film is a stereotypical old fashioned Kung Fu film. The martial arts styles used are not really based on Wing Chun which lead the Wing Chun enthusiast to feel slightly disappointed. However if old Kung Fu films are you thing this is defiantly worth a watch.
Movie Director: Woo-ping Yuen
Staring: Michelle Yeoh , Donnie Yen, King-Tan Yuen.
General Public Rating:
3/5 stars
2,000 users on IMDB.
Our Wing Chun based rating:
Cert:12 | 93 mins | 1994