Thirteen years after its original release, Wong Kar-Wai's “The Grandmaster” has returned to the big screen—this time in a version most audiences outside China had never encountered. As his much-anticipated series “Blossoms Shanghai” arrived on Mubi, Wong’s rarely-seen Director’s Cut made an event of his cinematic comeback.
The Grandmaster Returns: A Different Cut for Cinemas
Wong Kar-Wai’s early career was marked by intense creative output: over thirteen years, he released seven features and completed his eighth, “2046,” editing it in a hotel room just ahead of its Cannes competition debut. It’s now been thirteen years since “The Grandmaster” first played in theaters—April 17, 2013. This film blends martial arts, biopic, and romance, following Ip Man, the legendary Wing Chun master who, before training Bruce Lee, became an enduring kung-fu figure.
Between Films: Unfinished Projects and Patient Audiences
After “The Grandmaster,” Wong's cinema projects paused. His planned film about the Gucci family never materialized, and his “Tong Wars” series, focused on late 19th-century crime in San Francisco, still hadn't entered production as of early 2026. Meanwhile, “Blossoms Shanghai” debuted on Mubi, more than two years after its Chinese premiere. Wong’s fans have learned to wait—on screen and off.
Despite the gaps, his films have often resurfaced: re-releases and special screenings of “As Tears Go By,” “Fallen Angels,” “Happy Together,” “In the Mood for Love,” and “2046” kept his work present. But with “The Grandmaster” now back in theaters in a special event release, it isn't quite the same film experienced in 2013.
The Director’s Cut: What’s Actually New?
When theaters offered “The Grandmaster” again on February 25 (reflecting the French rerelease date, which may vary locally), it was the Chinese version—a cut previously unreleased in France, where only the Berlin Festival version had screened in 2013. According to the Source, there are exactly three versions: the one shown at Berlin and released in France, the Chinese cut, and another international version. What’s playing now is the Chinese version, differing from the prior release by about seven minutes—not simply a longer cut, but one reshaped. Scenes have been trimmed, shifted, or rearranged, much like Ridley Scott’s tinkering on “Alien.” Rumors of a mythical four-hour edit have been categorically denied by Wong himself.
Style, Substance, and Striking Changes
This 2 hour, 13-minute cut (around 133 minutes) is believed to align closest to Wong’s original vision—a blend of sweeping biopic, artful action, and subtle romance. The story moves back and forth through time, drawing viewers into the intertwined fates of Tony Leung’s Ip Man and Zhang Ziyi’s Gong Er. Set against China’s turbulent 20th century and the Second Sino-Japanese War, the film demands patience and immersion.
Wong, working with famed action choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping, delivers kinetic sequences—most memorably, a rain-soaked opening that evokes flashes of the “Matrix” sequels. He films fights as intimately as embraces and manipulates tempo with signature flourish. As with his prior work like “2046,” much of the movie’s meaning was forged in the edit suite—”a film is written thrice: script, shoot, and cut.”
This Chinese cut marks subtle but significant differences: Gong Er’s snowy training sequence appears at a new point and is shortened; the final shots also change. Though largely refinements, these shifts remain rooted in a dual perspective—Ip Man and Gong Er—and their struggles with heritage and succession, echoing China’s own turbulent evolution alongside kung-fu’s journey.
Even if “The Grandmaster” isn't perfect, its atmosphere and stylistic daring remain captivating. For anyone expecting pure action (best found in Donnie Yen’s more conventional “Ip Man” series), Wong’s film instead offers a hypnotic rush of sound and vision, best experienced in a proper theater. Fans can also look forward to more: the rest of Wong Kar-Wai's filmography was scheduled for return to theaters on March 11, with “In the Mood for Love” among them.
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