The Grandmaster (一代宗師). [Hong Kong cut]. 2013. Hong Kong/China. Directed by Wong Kar Wai. Action direction by Yuen Woo-ping. With Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Zhang Ziyi, Zhang Jin. DCP courtesy Block 2 Distribution LTD. In Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese; English subtitles. 130 min.
Wong Kar Wai’s The Grandmaster traces Wing Chun master Ip Man (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) through the upheavals of 1930s–’50s China and his encounters with rival martial artists, including the headstrong Gong Er (Zhang Ziyi). Beneath its martial arts surface, the film is a meditation on personal loss and unfulfilled love—recurring themes in Wong’s cinema. Yuen Woo-ping’s choreography gives distinct physical languages to various martial arts forms. Leung trained intensively in Wing Chun, while Zhang mastered Baguazhang’s intricate footwork. The choreography treats combat as intimate narrative poetry; an iconic battle between the leads becomes a sensual, restrained dance in which emotional tension eclipses raw violence.