Plot: What’s it about?
The Grandmaster tells the story of the IP Man who trained Bruce Lee. I would’ve loved to see the story of Lee being trained, but that’s not the case here. Tony Leung plays the IP man and the film was written and directed by Wong Kar-Wai. We begin the in 1930’s and the film eventually flashes forward several years. I didn’t keep count of the times the film jumped around, but it did so quite often. It’s literally all over the map, but if that’s the story it has to tell then so be it. I can’t say the story did much for me. It probably sounded a lot better on paper, but visually speaking, the film definitely makes an impression. I would still love to see a film about Bruce Lee and his training. Obviously, a martial arts themed film like this would require well choreographed fight sequences, and indeed, this film has many. I remain unmoved by most of what I saw here, but I know there’s an audience for this kind of film. I’m just not one of them. Somewhere between every crunch and slow motion edit, the film just lost me. I wasn’t really involved with the story in any way so that left the action scenes to meet my needs. They are well staged, but became overbearing after a while.
I did some research and learned that this film was in development for several years and the editing alone took over a year. The U.S. Version was apparently cut down a bit as well. This all the more proves why the final film feels so scattered and disjointed. I can’t say I care to see the longer cut of the film, but it might make for a more complete experience. In the film’s defense, it does give a nice insight into the grandmaster himself. He’s clearly a man of strict standards and the scenes of him in training do make a nice impression. Still, that’s about the highest praise I can offer the film. I admire the action sequences and can appreciate the story behind the film, but at the end of the day it did little for me.
Video: How’s it look?
One thing must be said: This film looks quite nice in HD. The transfer is nearly flawless as it heightens every punch and quick with clear precision. The colors are deep and strong with some scenes darker than other due to their natural setting. I noticed little hairs on some of the actor’s ear and neckline. Pores came through strong and droplets of water in some of the fight scenes showed nice detail. There were veins that could be seen coming through one of the character’s forehead in a few scenes. This transfer is AVC encoded with a 2.35:1 ratio.
Audio: How’s it sound?
There are two tracks to choose from here: A DTS HD Mandarin track and an English Dolby Digital track. The DTS is the one reviewed here, but I sampled both tracks at times to compare. The Mandarin track definitely made more of an impression. It just sounded more alive and active then the English track. With a film like this you want the soundtrack to meet your needs and this does. Every punch and kick comes across nice and clear. When a punch is delivered it makes quite an impact. The rear channels heighten the action as well with little details that go a long way. A sequence that’s fought in the rain is one of many examples where the track displayed a nice balance and made good use of the surrounds. The English track seemed more restrained and lacking in its impact. There will be some that prefer to hear the film dubbed in English and that’s fine, but the DTS track is the ideal version.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- The Grandmaster: From IP Man to Bruce Lee – Is a nice behind the scenes where we get interviews with various actors discussing martial arts and the IP man as well as Bruce Lee. There’s some on-set footage here as well.
- The Grandmaster according to RZA – If you care to hear RZA’s thoughts on the film then now’s your chance.
- Behind the scenes – Broken into several smaller parts (7 to be exact) detailing several aspects of the production.
- A conversation with Shannon Lee, daughter of Bruce Lee – This was my favorite feature on the disc. It gives a brief history of Bruce Lee and discusses his Caucasian heritage and his other hobbies as well. It’s short (6:55), but it’s well worth watching.
- Previews
