There is no rubric to determine what makes a good martial arts movie. Can a movie survive based on the action alone? Or are the story and characters what make a movie great? Consider the films Ip Man and The Raid: Redemption while keeping questions like this in mind. One relies much more heavily on story while the other is a nonstop action showcase. Ip Man was made in China. A country with nearly a century of film legacy and origin of some of the greatest martial arts movies ever made. The Raid: Redemption, while not the first martial arts film from Indonesia, is the film that put the country on the map for action films. One film was built with legends of the industry while the other was crafted together by plucky upstarts on a budget. Both films feature some of the best fight scenes ever put to screen, but do so with a different approach.
Why do both of these movies garner so much praise? Are they deserving of the hype around them?
Casting
Ip Man
Let’s take a look at casting first. Donnie Yen plays the titular character of Ip Man, an actor who by this point in his career has proven himself deserving of his legendary status. He is surrounded by a very talented cast of actors and martial artists. Actors like Simon Yam, Lynn Xiong, and Louis Fan. The only member of the cast still getting his career going was Xing Yu, a former Shaolin monk who has been in movies such as Kung Fu Hustle and Flashpoint. Before this Wilson Yip directed Donnie Yen in Flashpoint, SPL: Kill Zone, and Dragon Tiger Gate. The team was three for three with no stop in sight.
The Raid: Redemption
The Raid: Redemption features a bunch of unknowns and is directed by one as well. Iko Uwais is a major star on the rise now but it was this film that got him off the ground, however, it was not his first film. His costars include Yayan Ruhian, who before meeting Gareth Evans traveled Indonesia teaching Pencak Silat, and Joe Taslim. Since this film, Joe Taslim has starred in the Fast & Furious franchise, the Star Trek franchise, and played the lead role in The Night Comes for Us, one of the best action films of last year. This was only Gareth Evans third film, but it was his second film working with Uwais and Ruhian. This film did not have the benefit of two decades of legacy.
Plot Comparison
Ip Man
Next, how do the stories compare? There are very few complex plots in the world of martial arts cinema. These two films do not do too much to break that trend. Ip Man takes place in the 1930s in Foshan, China. The story is split into two parts. For the first half, Foshan is a peaceful city where Ip Man lives with his wife and young son. In the second half, China has been invaded by Japan and the Japanese General is searching for martial artists to prove that his Japanese style is superior to Chinese Kung Fu. The best parts of the story are told through the different characters. In the first half of the film, all of the relationships are established while in the second everyone must adapt to Japanese occupation in their own way.
Some characters work closely with the Japanese, some struggle to survive, others defy the Japanese in frustration. It is how Ip Man responds to his friends and neighbors’ struggles that push the story forward. And some of their deaths which lead him to take action.
The Raid: Redemption
How does The Raid: Redemption differ in plot? The entirety of the film takes place in one apartment complex. A squad of 20 SWAT team members infiltrates the building in an effort to take down the drug lord, Tama, on the fifteenth floor. The mission becomes survival once they are discovered. The audience is introduced to Rama when he wakes up, trains, prays, and kisses his pregnant wife before leaving. He is the driving force of the film as he pushes on to return to his family while he contemplates finishing the mission. The story lends itself to a few horror elements. There are moments where characters are exhausted from a fight and if found they are guaranteed to die.
There are other characters on both sides with different intentions. Bowo, Jaka, and Dagu are cops fighting alongside Rama. Andi who hides his intentions from both sides. Finally, Mad Dog is a relentless killer for Tama hunting down as many cops as he can. Mad Dog isn’t alone as any tenant in the building who kills a cop gets to live there for free.
Martial Arts
Ip Man
The fight scenes in Ip Man use very traditional styles of Kung Fu and Wushu. For the first half, all of the fights are exhibitions with little consequence. They are extremely fun but in terms of plot purposes, the fights in this part of the movie don’t really push the story forward. This may just be because the shift in the middle of the movie makes everything in the first half little more than character introduction. Ip Man features one of the most famous fight scenes in recent film history. The fight where Ip Man takes on ten black belts solidified this movie as an instant classic in the eyes of everyone who saw it.
Donnie Yen is a legend for a reason. He gave a physicality to the character that no one portraying Ip Man has been able to do. This came in the form of Donnie Yen’s incredible speed. Donnie Yen learned Wing Chun specifically for this role and it looks like he’s been practicing it since he was a child. There have been a number of films focusing on Ip Man, but Donnie Yen’s portrayal is the one that everyone will remember in the future as the quintessential Ip Man. That is all thanks to the film’s incredible choreography his indistinguishable skill and flair.
The Raid: Redemption
The Raid: Redemption, on the other hand, takes the traditional style of Pencak Silat and adds a tactical and aggressive twist to it. Nearly the entire cast is a martial artist deserving of praise. Iko Uwais is the perfect lead with unquestionable prowess. Joe Taslim’s judo pairs brilliantly against Yayan Ruhian’s Silat. And even Eka Rahmadia and Donny Alamsyah shine in their individual scenes.
Gareth Evans has full respect for the space his performers need when performing these fight scenes. There are cuts but only when necessary or to make the tight corridors of the building feel claustrophobic. He finds exciting new angles to shoot impressive choreography and understands just how long to hold on an impressive shot. The film was made for the fight scenes. So when the action starts it hardly lets up. When there is time between fight scenes Evans fills the scene with tension in other ways.
While the final fight of this film is near perfect it is hard to pick just one fight from the movie that stands above the rest. In Ip Man the fight in which Ip Man takes on the black belts is undoubtedly the highlight of the film. But in The Raid: Redemption each fight is structured with different risks and environments despite taking place in one building. Every enemy comes with a different weapon. Different rooms mean different furniture and surroundings to interact with. The fights are so diverse that many people can watch the film and not agree on which fight was the standout.
Conclusion
I absolutely hate it when people refer to martial arts films as Kung Fu movies. Ong Bak is a Muay Thai movie. 13 Assassins is a samurai movie. I bring this up because both Ip Man and The Raid: Redemption are clear examples that no two martial arts movies are alike in every way. Ip Man is yes, a Kung Fu movie and The Raid: Redemption is a Silat movie. Both of them are full of different reasons to watch. Donnie Yen is so charismatic that I would watch him watch paint dry. Yayan Ruhian as Mad Dog is so blisteringly frantic that I would watch a movie of just him walking the halls of the building looking for victims.
I would never try to tell somebody that the fight in the drug lab in The Raid: Redemption is better than the black belt fight in Ip Man. These are both excellent films serving different purposes. Both directors presented finished products that fans will cherish for decades. Picking between these two films is a struggle that I would not wish on anyone. Except for maybe Wahyu, to hell with that guy.
What do you think? Which film deserves the top spot? For more info on each movie, click the links for the full reviews for Ip Man and The Raid: Redemption.
If you like what I have to say about these movies check me out on Youtube at Martial Arts Film Freak.
Voting will be open until 6 pm EDT on 4/14/19.
Ip Man Vs. The Raid
- Ip Man (53%, 9 Votes)
- The Raid: Redemption (47%, 8 Votes)
Total Voters: 17
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