One of Hong Kong's prime action directors of the 21st century. Through the years Yip has made some stylish action films with broad international appeal, but had to go through a phase of cheesy horrors and bad comedies to get to that place.
Movies
Kill Zone is a modern martial arts classic.
A cool, fun and action-packed manhua adaptation. Hong Kong doesn't have a strong comic book culture and it's clear Yip struggled a little, but he makes up for it with superb action choreography and amusing over the top styling. If you can get past the cheesy dramatics propelling the story, there's a lot of fun to be had here.
If you think you can handle an update of A Chinese Ghost Story bathing in CG visuals, this one is definitely recommended, otherwise you best stay clear.
Ip Man turned out to be an extremely solid entry in the ever growing list of Yip and Yen collaborations. If you liked Fearless, you will probably like this one too.
I'm a big fan of the first SPL, the second one was a tiny letdown. Luckily Yip returned to elevate the series back to its original level.
Visually a little better than the first film, awesome fight sequences where Yen is allowed to shine and a fully satisfying finale where the final blow caused a big fat inner "Yeah!".
Wilson Yip did well to wait a couple of years before making this third instalment. Yip Man 3 is a worthy successor, in every way possible.
Wonderful cinematography, lush sets and two strong actors make this film. You have to wade through a few mushy parts, mostly in the beginning, after that it's all good.
A fine ending to the series, though not quite as good as the earlier entries. The move to America isn't doing the film any favors and the bad guy lacks charisma. Luckily Yen is impressive and Yip's direction is solid as ever. But this fourth part isn't really pushing the boundaries anymore, which is why it felt just a little lazy at times.
Early Wilson Yip, in which he is clearly learning the tricks of the trade. Not as great as his later films, but the potential is already there. Lai and Chan are a fun central duo, the heists are inventive (though often a little silly) and the pacing is perfect. Pretty good filler this one.
The Flying Heroine: Little White Dragon
A very early Wilson Yip romcom. Not really the genre you'd expect from Yip, but like most Hong Kong directors he found his calling by trying out whatever genre he could get his hands on. '97 was a bad year for Hong Kong cinema though and Yip wasn't really skilled enough yet to rise to the challenge. Lam and Wong are two teacher who have lost their passion to teach. They keep each other occupied, but their students show little respect for them. Until Cathy joins the teacher squad, a young teacher full of drive and will to make a difference. Lam and Wong are both captivated by Cathy's vigor, but it's obvious they want more than just be friends. Performances are a little lifeless, the cinematography is dim and the comedy is rarely funny. The story is anything but original, but at least the atmosphere is quite light and the pacing is decent. It's not that the film is terrible or doesn't work, it's just that there's hardly anything here that jumps out. Very basic filler.Read all
Early Wilson Yip film that fails in the same way most Hong Kong horror/comedies do. The comedy is simplistic and dull, while the horror is cheap and unconvincing. For some reason these films did well enough on the local market, but it's not much of an export product. At least Yip improved tremendously over time.
