You may have seen Ip Man on the film festival circuit this year as well as last year. Today, Ip Man gets released on DVD. Here’s a synopsis of the film:

Ip Man is the award winning film adaptation about the life story of Ip Man, the grand master of the Wing Chun style of kung fu and sifu (master) of legendary kung fu superstar Bruce Lee.

Set in Foshan, China, during the Sino Japanese War, Ip Man vividly brings to life the brutality of the infamous Japanese occupation, where once proud men are forced to fight till their death for a precious bag of rice. Defined by courage and humility, one man rises to the fore, Grandmaster Ip Man (Donnie Yen), whose matchless fighting skills are revered all over China. Upon refusing to teach his beloved fighting art to the invading Japanese soldiers, he is forced to fight for the honor of his country in a series of battles that will culminate in a kill or be killed showdown with General Miura (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi) Japan’s greatest fighter.

The film is action packed from beginning to end with award winning action choreography. Under the tutelage and direction of Sammo Hung, Donnie Yen studied Wing Chun martial arts. It was amazing to find out that Donnie Yen learned Wing Chun from scratch in a short time frame to portray Ip Man as accurately as possible. Additionally the set design is stunning. Not only is Ip Man’s home in the 1930s incredibly detailed, but a functioning 1930s cotton mill was also recreated. If you get the collector’s edition, you’ll get over 2 hours of bonus footage (mostly interviews from the cast and crew including Ip Chun, son of Ip Man). Currently, Ip Man 2 is making its way around the film festival circuit.

Pick up Ip Man at Amazon.

Ip Man Trailer

We were given an advanced copy of the Collector’s edition of the DVD by the distributor.