Director: Li Li-Ming
Notable Cast: Zhao Wen Hao, Mou Feng Bin, Hao-xuan Li,
Shao Xia
As an individual that grew up in the boom of direct to home
video market, I definitely do not have qualms with low-budget cinema that aims
to exploit specific trends or topics. This is why I wrote an article on the
Ipsploitation genre over at 36 Styles in defense of Ip Man: Kung Fu Master.
A defense that has certainly earned me some criticism. You’re welcome to weigh
in yourselves by following this LINK. Still, for the most part, I’m all for a
‘cash in' in the cinematic sense and I think it allows for some intriguing
watches for the more curious folks exploring genre films.
The director of the previously mentioned Ipsploitation film,
Li Li-Ming, had a previous run at the genre with the film Ip Man: Crisis
Time. For those who have seen Kung Fu Master and thought it was a
total ‘in-name-only’ cash grab at snagging some bucks from fans of the Wai Son
Yip and Donnie Yen franchise, boy, are you in for a ride with this effort. Ip
Man: Crisis Time is barely a film in any relation to the cinematic
character representation of Bruce Lee’s teacher, but it’s surely a film
converted into an Ip Man film at some point after its initial creation.