Leaving A Legacy

IP MAN (2008)

Directed by Wilson Yip, Action Director: Sammo Hung

Starring Donnie Yen, Lynn Hung, Simon Yam, Hiroyuki Iikeuchi, Fan Siu Wong, Lam Ka Tung and Wong You Nam

Lost in the ashes of time, but not forgotten, a hero is resurrected on screen, very enigmatically and cinematically, simply due to the relentless effort by a team of people who truly believe and love the spirit of martial art of Yong Chun. Mesmerized by the charismatic performances (and agility) of Donnie Yen, I was indeed glad that I was urged to go watch this film quite a number of times. I love the subtlety of Donnie's emotional delivery, the simplicity of its comedic moments, and the rooted frustration of a silent hero beneath. What does it really take to be a true hero of the nation? But more importantly, a hero of the people? The character of Ip Man represents that spirit of being a Chinese, being a Chinese martial art kungfu fighter, who not only fight to uphold the peace of the community, but to uplift and defend the morality and spirit of a unified Chinese nation - the ideology and mentality of BEING a Chinese. Of course, it is not to say that we have to be a kungfu fighter in order to be CHINESE, but rather, the spirit of BEING who we truly are. I have always been led to believe that I am not Chinese enough, but at times, it makes me wonder, what does it take or mean to be a Chinese at this time, age and place? Our history? Our language? Our beliefs and culture? Food and religion? Calligraphy? Way of life? or maybe it is a culmination of a bit of everything? What about being a MALAYSIAN CHINESE? It got me thinking...nonetheless, it is a film full of hope, in spite of it all, the sufferings, torture and humiliation that they had to endure during those period of time. I could almost feel the anger and anguish. Definitely a film that makes a mark in 2008, for me. ASSEMBLY evokes a whole different feeling and emotion, nonetheless, equally true and right to the core. A human story cleverly disguised beneath a war film, Feng Xiaogang skillfully carved the path and journey of a soldier (captain in the 9th company) who strives to bring back honour and dignity to his fellow perished comrades of 46, after years of guilt and sufferings of civil wars and the denial of a government to acknowledge their contribution and sacrifices. Heart felt indeed. A legacy left behind by these Chinese heros of history in time, a lesson to be learnt and appreciated by our new generation of CHINESE. What have we done to leave our own legacy behind, I wonder?