Cast Member: Crystal Huang Yi

Johnnie To charges out the gate with ‘Drug War’: a blitz of tension, style and almost unrelenting momentum.

Having emerged from the debacle that was ‘Kung-Fu Cyborg’, Jeff Lau returns to his beloved sub-genre of the nonsensical and it’s certainly an improvement on his previous effort.

‘Legendary’ overcomes any budgetary limitations to deliver a solid adventure that harkens back to the fun monster movies of yesteryear.

While ‘Overheard’ was an excellent homage to the great American conspiracy films of the 70s, the in-name-only sequel is a more routine two hours with a far less incisive denouement.

Wordy, but with nothing to say, this is a verbose movie populated by monumentally dull characters and bland ‘twists’ that fail to hold the attention.

‘The Legend Is Born: Ip Man’ does not try to outdo the spectacle of its more lavish inspiration, though Herman Yau does try to give the viewers the ample Wing Chun action they crave.

The two Dereks have provided viewers with a down-to-earth story of sadness that firmly keeps the attention until the final credits roll.

It has a fairly optimistic aim of being a comedy ‘Detective Dee’ and while it might not quite achieve a happy union between its components this is an undemanding distraction.