THE Ip Man The franchise is one of the most popular modern martial arts series, which tells the life story of the true great master of Wing Chun, Ip Man. These films were only loosely based on Ip's real life, as it was unlikely that the real man regularly faced the sinister villains portrayed by martial arts cinema legends like Sammo Hung, Mike Tyson and Scott Adkins in the films. However, the Ip Man The films largely followed Ip's life story from his 40s in conflict-ridden China until his death at age 79 in 1972.
Martial arts icon Donnie Yen powerfully portrayed Ip Man throughout the series. Although Yen was a similar age to Ip in the first installmentthe kung fu star continued to tell the story of Ip's life as he reached his 70s and beyond. Every film in Ip Man The franchise portrayed different facets of the grandmaster's fascinating story as he struggled to overcome adversity during the war, rebuilt his life again when his family emigrated to Hong Kong, faced down underground gangsters, and suffered the challenges of poor health as he entered old age. .
Ip Man was already in his 40s at the start of the first film
Donnie Yen was approximately 43 years old when Ip Man was released in 2008
Although the real Ip Man learned martial arts as a child and became a Wing Chun teacher at age 20, the biopic Ip Man skipped the first part of his life and introduced him to the public in Foshan, China in 1935. By this time, Ip Man was already 42 years old and had gained a reputation as a mild-mannered martial artist. While Ip Man tried to live a peaceful, non-violent life, troublesome challengers often forced him to show off his incredible kung fu skills.
Ip Man took viewers on a harrowing journey through the Second Sino-Japanese Warwhich saw Ip Man's home taken over by the Imperial Japanese military and his livelihood destroyed as he worked in a coal mine to survive. Being a conflict that only ended in 1945, the first Ip Man the film explored the rest of the grandmaster's 40 years and the challenges he faced due to the actions of imperial forces. At 43, Donnie Yen was the perfect age to portray Ip Man during this difficult time when, despite his martial arts skills, he was still in great pain.
The Grand Master of Wing Chun was 52 years old at the beginning of Ip Man 2
Donnie Yen was younger at 45 when the second film was released in 2010
IP Man 2 began after the Wing Chun master escaped Japanese-occupied Foshan and moved to Hong Kong in 1950. That's when 52-year-old Ip Man embraced his teaching talents and opened his own Wing Chun school. However, despite his skills, he did not have a strong reputation in Hong Kong and had difficulty finding students. Although Ip Man's move with his family was a sign of a new beginning for his life, he soon faced opposition from other martial arts masters such as Hung Chun-nam (Sammo Hung), who wished to hinder his school's success.
IP Man 2 was released in 2010, just two years after the first film, and despite a significant time jump for the protagonist, Donnie Yen was only 45 years old when he debuted. However, Yen portrayed Ip Man with care and grace, perfectly imitating his cheerful mannerisms and intense commitment to his craft. The success of both Ip Man films meant that although Yen was beginning to play the character in periods well ahead of his ageaudiences still wanted to see more of the ongoing story of Ip's extraordinary life.
Ip Man was in his 60s for his third outing
Donnie Yen turned 50 the year Ip Man 3 was released in 2015
Five years passed between the release of IP Man 2 and Ip Man 3, but the time jump in the film was almost a decade, as it covered Ip Man's life in 1959. In this year, the real Ip Man was 66 years old, and the film showed him living a quiet life with his wife and family, teaching Wing Chun for a small group of eager students. Ip Man 3 it even started with a young Bruce Lee asking to become Ip Man's student. Ip told Bruce that he was very young at the time, but he later became Ip's most famous disciple.
Donnie Yen was significantly younger when he played Ip Man for the third time, as he turned 50 in 2015. Aging was a prominent theme in Ip Man 3as the grandmaster's wife, Cheung Wing-sing (Lynn Hung), faced serious health complications. Ip Man 3 it ended in 1960, when the martial artist was 67 years old, with the heartbreaking news that Wing-sing had succumbed to cancer and passed away.
Ip Man 4 looked at the late life of the martial artist at age 70
Donnie Yen was 59 when the fourth Ip Man film premiered in 2019
Ip Man 4: The End began in 1964 when Ip Man traveled to San Francisco seek study opportunities for his son and support his student Bruce Lee in the International Karate Tournament. By this time, Ip Man was 71 years old and was diagnosed with throat cancer due to his chronic smoking history. Ip Man 4 saw the great master come face to face with discrimination and prejudice in the United States when a corrupt and racist American Marine named Barton Geddes (Scott Adkins) insulted and terrorized those who practiced Wing Chun.
Donnie Yen was already approaching 60 during Ip Man 4 but was still significantly younger than his character. Ip Man 4 took audiences to the end of Ip's life, when an epilogue set during his funeral revealed his death in 1972, aged 79, from throat cancer, just seven months before Bruce Lee also tragically died. While Ip Man 4 was marketed as the final entry in the franchise, an upcoming Ip Man 5 was announced with Yen returning to the role, and it remains to be seen what period of the great master's life this fifth episode will explore.