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The Grandmaster
The movie is inspired by the life and times of the legendary kung fu master, Ip Man. The story spans the tumultuous Republican era that followed the fall of China';s last dynasty, a time of chaos, division and war that was also the golden age of Chinese martial arts.
21 December 1941, China
23 May 1974, Hong Kong
22 November 1981, South Korea
12 December 1960, Hong Kong, British Crown Colony
27 August 1971, Hong Kong
9 February 1979, Beijing, China
June 28, 2016
The Grandmaster thrives on the raw talent of its author.May 10, 2016
Wong's touch remains deft, his whims trustworthy, and his indulgence is still carried over from the screen and becomes our own.August 30, 2013
Wong Kar Wai is an expressionist master. A master of character - deep, rich, truthful character - especially in The Grandmaster, he is not.April 09, 2015
The narrative structure is a little shaky at times, and it perhaps inhabits too many genres to be fully successful in any of them, but my goodness it's compelling.July 14, 2016
Wong Kar Wai's latest film is by turns elegant and frustrating, beautiful and hard to track, sumptuous and spartan.March 02, 2016
Eventually, the story becomes as much an atmospheric lament about what has been lost, as it is a kinetic celebration of how kung fu adapted to the changing times.August 31, 2013
The Grandmaster blends right in with Wong's body of work, a gorgeous meditation on the importance of sorrow and lament. This one just happens to have kung fu, too.June 18, 2016
Kung fu masters kick dents in iron railings. These 'magical' things are artist renditions of the super-normal abilities that can be developed through years of practice.August 30, 2013
"The Grandmaster" can feel stiff at times, and something is doubtlessly lost in translation. But the precision and magic of Wong Kar Wai's camera is so captivating it doesn't matter.August 30, 2013
It ranks with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero and House of Flying Daggers as one of the most elegant and beautiful martial-arts films to play American screens.January 03, 2014
The movie's problems are, in part, those of a great artist trying something new. It's a fine mess.August 30, 2013
You leave this deeply flawed, deeply beautiful film with no doubt that you've seen an indisputable cinematic grandmaster in action.