Variance Films has released a trailer and poster for the upcoming sequel to 2008’s award-winning martial arts biopic, Ip Man.  The sequel, aptly titled Ip Man 2, continues to tell the story of Ip Man, who was the first person to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun.  Ip Man is also well known for being Bruce Lee’s martial arts teacher.   The sequel has Donnie Yen (Hero) returning to reprise the role of Ip Man and also stars legendary martial arts actor Sammo Hung as the villain.  I recently watched Ip Man and can not recommend it enough to anyone who is a fan of the genre (it’s on Netflix Instant Watch).  It is easily one of the best martial arts films from the past ten years and Ip Man 2 looks like it will be just as good.  Ip Man 2 opens on January 28.  You can hit the jump to watch the trailer, check out the poster, and to read a plot synopsis for the film.

Here’s the official plot synopsis for Ip Man 2:

International megastar Donnie Yen reprises his iconic role as the real-life kung fu grandmaster Ip Man in this martial arts spectacular. After escaping the Japanese occupation of his hometown of Foshan, China, Ip Man and his family have arrived in Hong Kong, which is living under the iron fist of British colonial rule. Ip wants to support his family by opening up a martial arts academy to teach his unique Wing Chun style. But a corrupt cabal of Hong Kong martial arts masters, led by Hung Chun-nam (the legendary Sammo Hung), refuses to allow Ip to teach until he proves himself – and prove himself he does, in an intense series of fights against the masters showcasing a dazzling variety of martial arts styles, culminating in a highly anticipated brawl between Ip and Hung atop a rickety table.

But even after gaining the respect of the masters, Ip's troubles are far from over. Hong Kong under British rule is a world of corruption, and when a Western-style boxer named Taylor "Twister" Milos comes to town to entertain the British upper-class, and insults both Chinese martial arts and the native citizens in a horrifically violent way, Ip must step up and fight for the honor of both his kung fu and the Chinese people. Forced by honor to enter a brutal "King of the Ring" boxing match against Twister, it's East versus West in an amazing, knock-down drag-out fight to the finish, the likes of which have never been seen on-screen before.

Presented in the original, un-dubbed and uncut, international version that's been breaking box-office records across Asia, Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster is a throwback to the golden age of Hong Kong martial arts cinema that will delight kung fu fans and newcomers alike when it hits theaters across the US and Canada on January 28, 2011.

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