The Grandmaster

Name: The Grandmaster
Genre: Action, Biography, Drama
Released: August 23, 2013
Duration: 108 min
Rating: 73
Cast: Benshan Zhao, Chen Chang, Cung Le, Hye-kyo Song, Jin Zhang

2013

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 37 Critics

See All

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 92 Ratings

See All

6.7

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6.7	Your Score
6.7	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 92 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Movie Details & Credits

Weinstein Company, The | Release Date: August 23, 2013

Starring: Benshan Zhao, Chen Chang, Cung Le, Hye-kyo Song, Jin Zhang, Qingxiang Wang, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Ziyi Zhang

Summary: The Grandmaster is an epic action feature inspired by the life and times of legendary martial-arts master Ip Man. The story spans the tumultuous Republican era that followed the fall of Chinaâ

Director: Kar Wai Wong

Genre(s): Action, Biography, Drama

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 108 min

See All Details and Credits

Awards & Rankings

26	#26 Most Shared Movie of 2013

Watch Now

Stream On

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

The New York Times - Manohla Dargis

Aug 22, 2013

The Grandmaster is, at its most persuasive, about the triumph of style. When Ip Man slyly asks “What’s your style?” it’s clear that Mr. Wong is asking the same question because here, as in his other films, style isn’t reducible to ravishing surfaces; it’s an expression of meaning. Read full review

Miami Herald - Rene Rodriguez

Aug 29, 2013

The Grandmaster sets aside traditional story structure in its last 15 minutes and becomes one of the filmmaker’s free-form visual poems, suffused with melancholy and compassion. Read full review

Empire - Kim Newman

Dec 1, 2014

It may not be much more than six of the most imaginatively staged and filmed fight scenes in the cinema, but that’s almost certainly enough to recommend it. Read full review

Christian Science Monitor - Peter Rainer

Aug 23, 2013

Tony Leung plays Ip Man, the real-life kung fu innovator who most famously trained Bruce Lee. His life takes in the upheavals in China from the 1930s through the ’50s, including the Japanese occupation. Read full review

The New Yorker - David Denby

Sep 6, 2013

A superb martial discipline has ended in a commercial movie genre--not the worst fate in the world, but the comic irony of it is of little interest to a director bent on glorification. [9 Sept. 2013, p.90]

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) - Liam Lacey

Aug 22, 2013

There are sequences in Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai’s new film, The Grandmaster, that are as gorgeous as anything you’ll see on a screen this year, or perhaps this decade. Read full review

New Orleans Times-Picayune - Mike Scott

Aug 30, 2013

The end result feels like only half a movie. That half -- the technical half, with Wong's stylistic flourishes and the film's lush technical elements -- is a heck of a film. The rest of The Grandmaster, however -- the storytelling -- is anything but grand. Read full review

SEE ALL 37 REVIEWS

Write a Review

User Reviews

sfzendog

Nov 28, 2013

There's no accounting for taste, I know, but the next-to-last scene between Tony Leung and ZiYi Zhang should be required for any actor. (I am a professional actor.) So much feeling and information passes between these two people without a hint of "selling"---doing nothing more than actuallyThere's no accounting for taste, I know, but the next-to-last scene between Tony Leung and ZiYi Zhang should be required for any actor. (I am a professional actor.) So much feeling and information passes between these two people without a hint of "selling"---doing nothing more than actually inhabiting the deepest feelings. It's a tour de force. Personally, I love the movie, but I can't imagine anyone walking away from such a scene and not being moved. It's hard to shake the feeling that a reviewer who called this stupid is not revealing more about themselves than they intended.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

figgle20

Aug 30, 2013

Definitely the best one among numerous martial arts films! This movie is more than Kung Fu. It is a sound story introducing a fundamental spirit of Chinese culture. Stronger on Kung Fu does not necessarily mean a stronger image. It is vision and breadth of mind.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

MarcDoyle

Aug 27, 2013

It's an absolutely beautiful film beautifully shot, engaging story, and elegant action sequences. Ziyi Zhang is phenomenal in portraying her story of loyalty and commitment. I was enthralled throughout.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

LeZee

Feb 3, 2014

I think Yip man role spared no one among Chinese and Hong Kong actors. For the past few years movie based on Yip man get released every year. Especially the directors and producers are very enthusiastic to make a movie about this man. They are trying to pick the story from what the earlierI think Yip man role spared no one among Chinese and Hong Kong actors. For the past few years movie based on Yip man get released every year. Especially the directors and producers are very enthusiastic to make a movie about this man. They are trying to pick the story from what the earlier movies had failed or missed to tell. In such perception this is done. I am very much surprised to see this movie to get nominated for the upcoming OSCAR (2014) ceremony. Is this movie really worth for that honour, well that is why I am here to brief in this review.

Truly, I am not understanding the motivation of director and writer what they wanted to tell about Yip man. It was not actually a complete Yip man story. A tale fairly balanced between a charcter called Gong Er and him with the backdrop of Sino-Japan war. Technically it was very stylish and rich, but storywise it is a vastly letdown. When movies are based on someone's real life, filmmakers can change a few things to suit cinematically. That means they should not bore the audience with unimpressive and uninspiring scenes. Yeah, I did not find one single portion of the movie that attracted me.

They showed stories that happened between 1930 to 1972. Over 40 years of span in the movie what I saw was the pieces of stories without exciting ones. Honestly, I think Donnie Yen's 'Ip Man' movie series were the best so far. The American Academy Award people had failed to grab those golden opportunities and now they are holding this movie's tail. Without any doubt Danish drama 'The Hunt' going to win the OSCAR and soon everyone will forget this movie.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Harryameen

Jul 15, 2014

The grandmaster is the biographical movie about the legendary Ipman- thats what the trailer and synopsis tells.But in fact the story revolves around Gong -Er the last daughter of the Gong family and Ip man is a mere supporting cast.The movie's visuals are exemplary.Each scene in the movie isThe grandmaster is the biographical movie about the legendary Ipman- thats what the trailer and synopsis tells.But in fact the story revolves around Gong -Er the last daughter of the Gong family and Ip man is a mere supporting cast.The movie's visuals are exemplary.Each scene in the movie is like a painting.Although well shot,the movie is overdrawn and filled with actors who brood all the time.There is no humor in this movie.The narration is confusing and muddled.With 2hr duration,this film is outrageously long.I won't recommend this film,just watch the fight scenes from youtube or vimeo because those are just beautiful.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JoshEyre

Sep 3, 2013

I was expecting a lot more with, both, the critic and user reviews, but people are obviously still drawing some smokey parallels between the artistry, of both film and story, of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" to "movies" like "The Grandmaster". Let's just say that "The Grandmaster" isI was expecting a lot more with, both, the critic and user reviews, but people are obviously still drawing some smokey parallels between the artistry, of both film and story, of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" to "movies" like "The Grandmaster". Let's just say that "The Grandmaster" is stuffed full of slow motion kung fu choreography and long glances between Ip Man and Lady Gong, but it's less of a film than empty kung fu porn interspersed with a vignette of family revenge. Ip Man isn't really a character in this movie, but an avatar to join the kung fu porn from scene to scene. Then he disappears for nearly half of the movie so Lady Gong can do her thing. So, calling this movie "The Grandmaster" is problematic, because the only coherent story in this film isn't really about Ip Man, or even the Old Grand Master, but his daughter rescuing the honor of her family from the punk who her father, the old Grand Master, gave his fighting legacy to. Ip Man's story in the movie is so lightweight, that it feels secondary, if even a story at all. In the end, you leave wondering what the point of the movie was at all. Now, movies don't always have to have some super precise and epic story, but we are supposed to care about the path that Ip Man took to Grandmaster, at least that's what I thought was the point, and the writers spent barely any part of the movie telling that story in anywhere near an effective manner. Ip Man was underdeveloped. The love story was underdeveloped. The history was not woven into the story effectively. I love artistically executed films, but Wong Kar Wai has become a master of style over substance. This movie tries to do 2 things that could have their own story, one of Ip Man's path to Hong Kong, and the other of Lady Gong's quest to recover her father's legacy. It only tells one of these stories decently (Gong's) and the other it completely fails. So, we basically have a 2 hour movie with about 30 minutes that really grabs you. This is not a good movie. Don't let the decent score fool you. Everyone who I went to see the movie with agreed... If you want to see a movie about Ip Man, see "Ip Man". If you want to see a beautiful kung fu movie, see "Crouching Tiger". "The Grandmaster" is chaff.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

Motcritic

Dec 2, 2013

I just don't like this movie, the word that I would use to describe it is: Ridiculous.
I can't place this movie anywhere, I don't know if it was supposed to be like it is, or if it is a failed attempt at something else, I didn't like it from start to end, it lacks everything, nothing reallyI just don't like this movie, the word that I would use to describe it is: Ridiculous.
I can't place this movie anywhere, I don't know if it was supposed to be like it is, or if it is a failed attempt at something else, I didn't like it from start to end, it lacks everything, nothing really to be salvaged, even the action sequences looked... let's say, not good.

I saw it when it came out so I don't remember how good it was in each category, but the movie genre says it is an:

Action
Like I said, didn't saw anything special about the action sequences, looked like implausible martial arts choreography.

Biography
Seriously? This is at least an insult to the viewer intelligence, claiming this to be even remotely biographical is criminal.

Drama
Pure boredom between bad martial arts action sequences.

I can't see a reason to watch this movie, I can't see myself in any type of mood that would had allow me to enjoy this bad piece of cinema.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

SEE ALL 27 REVIEWS