Ever since I’ve saw Once Upon a Time in China when I was around 9/10 years old, and then especially after I saw Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in my early teens, Wuxia and Kung Fu films have had a special place in my heart.

The Grandmaster seems to inhibit a very special niche that only directors like Wong Kar Wai and Ang Lee can take films to - a place in which Kung Fu serves moreso as backdrop for the drama between its characters than “just as” spectacle or narrative. If Fearless and the Ip Man series use Kung Fu as vehicles for action and the journey of its heroes, and Hero uses it as a way to tell multiple retellings of the same story, Crouching Tiger and The Grandmaster are able to paint stories of love - and love lost - with the artistry and beauty of Kung Fu.

The Grandmaster is expertly shot, well paced, and is heart-wrenching as its main relationship unfurls and wilts. Kung Fu films are in good hands when they’re in the hands of directors like Wong Kar Wai and Ang Lee - as you’ll get all of the action you want, but leave with so much more.