Film

The Grandmasters (2011)

Director: Wong Kar-wai

Synopsis

Hong Kong maestro Wong Kar-Wai returns to the martial arts genre for the first time since 1994’s ‘Ashes of Time’ with this story about Ip Man, the martial arts master who trained Bruce Lee. Known for enjoying extended post-production periods and tinkering with his films right up to the point they’re screened (the film went into initial production in 2009), festival prognosticators have been mooting the arrival of ‘The Grandmasters’ for over a year now, but we’ve not heard or seen a peep. The few stills that have been released suggest that, true to form, it’s going to be another hyper-stylish affair, and Wong regular Tony Leung Chiu Wai has been cast in the lead role. Wong is a Cannes competition mainstay, so if he’s finished it, expect the film to drop in May 2012. Hopefully it’ll atone for his lacklustre American road movie, ‘My Blueberry Nights’ which he took there in 2007.