Director: Wilson Yip

Cast: Donnie Yen, Scott Adkins, Danny Chan, Vanness Wu, Chris Collins, Wu Yue, Lo Meng, Kent Cheng, Mark Strange, Jim Liu, Nicola Stuart-Hill

Running Time: 105 min.

By Paul Bramhall

I once read somewhere that there’s nothing wrong with changing your mind, and while I forget exactly where it was, I have a feeling Donnie Yen may have read the same thing too. After 2010’s hyper-jingoistic Ip Man 2, Yen declared he believed he’d done all he could with his portrayal of Ip Man, and would be broadening his horizons to other roles. That all changed in 2015, with the arrival of Ip Man 3, with Yen declaring the script and story just felt right, offering up a true conclusion to the cinematic Ip Man saga. I admit Yen had me fooled with the third, because I went ahead and wrote this, genuinely believing it was a wrap with the trilogy. However it turns out there’s more mileage to be had from Ip Man after all, with a fourth instalment arriving on our screens in 2019.

Apparently this really is the last chapter, and as if to convince us further, the filmmakers have even added additional wording to the title – Ip Man 4: The Finale – a quirk previously reserved for unofficial entries in the franchise, such as Ip Man: The Legend Begins and Ip Man: The Final Fight. Yen once again claimed that the right story had come along, and this time went one step further to say that Ip Man 4 (we’ll drop The Finale for the rest of the review) would be his final kung fu film. A strong statement, but one which could well be true, since having watched Yen’s latest outing as the iconic Wing Chun master, it’s safe to say it is indeed the last entry in the series. It’s also a fitting one.

It was inevitable at some point that the franchises focus would turn to Bruce Lee. The Little Dragon has had a lot of attention in 2019, thanks to Mike Moh’s portrayal in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, and a lot of the marketing for Ip Man 4 has focused on Lee’s role. Thankfully, much like his appearance in Ip Man 3, the marketing is mostly a red herring. Danny Chan once again steps into the role of Bruce Lee, and really his role is only there as a means to bring Ip Man to America, and feature in an extended alley way fight against British powerhouse Mark Strange (Bodyguard: A New Beginning). It may be superfluous fan service, however his inclusion is a welcome one and smartly used, even allowing for some nunchucks action.

That’s good news for Ip Man fans, with a story that continues the melancholy tone from Ip Man 3. After losing his wife, Ip Man learns he’s also been diagnosed with cancer, so under the guise of going to see Bruce Lee perform in the San Francisco Karate Tournament, he heads to America to see if it’d be a suitable place to send his son once he’s gone. It turns out to be far from smooth sailing though, since to even consider applying to schools there, he needs a letter of recommendation from the Chinese Benevolent Association in Chinatown. Comprising of the areas Chinese martial arts experts, they’re not impressed with the way Man’s apprentice, Bruce Lee, has been openly offering to teach westerners kung fu, and the letter is only offered in return for his help in stopping Lee’s non-conformist approach. Will he go against his former student for a chance to benefit his son, or will he stick to his unwaveringly upright principles?

Since I’ve already mentioned Bruce Lee isn’t in it much, the answer is clear. But therein lies the same issue that Ip Man 3 had, in that Ip Man’s personal struggle (the last time it was his shortcomings as a husband) is more compelling than what develops into the main plot. Thankfully this time the narrative is not as rambling as part 3 (although personally I enjoyed that aspect of it), however what turns into a main conflict between the Chinese kung fu masters, and the Karate obsessed racist US Marines (Yes, it’s an oxymoron. No, it’s never addressed) is handled in a ham fisted manner. Escalating from a painfully unnecessary subplot involving the CBA head’s daughter winning a high-school cheerleading competition over her all-American competition, soon the American girl’s military father is involved, and those damn Chinese have nowhere to hide. Bring It On was never this intense. (Disclaimer: I’ve never actually seen Bring It On)

Despite the hokey elements, Yen keeps even the more ridiculous aspects grounded with a heartfelt performance, and he’s more than ably backed-up. The head of the CBA is played by Wu Yue, one of the most underrated martial artists working today and a fine actor to boot. If you don’t know him, watch Paradox, he’s the guy who steals every scene he’s in and makes Louis Koo look like a weak child. Yue brings a sense of dignity to his role as someone who’s spent most of his life feeling oppressed by the racism he’s encountered, and for once it doesn’t feel like we’re getting hammered over the head with it. Other familiar faces from Hong Kong cinema also make welcome appearances, such as Venom alumnus Lo Meng and the portly Kent Cheng.

On the villain side it’s a different story, with Chris Collins playing the Marines ruthless Karate instructor, and Scott Adkins playing his racist superior. Both are clearly having a hoot, and perhaps aware of the late Darren Shahlavi’s battle stories from Ip Man 2 of how he was constantly asked to go more over the top, they mitigate falling into the same trap by belting out some hilarious lines. Collins spends his whole time shouting about how the power of “real combat Karate” is going to show just how useless “hanky panky kung fu” really is, and Adkins plays his role in a way which is best described as a Cannon Films version of R. Lee Ermey’s drill sergeant from Full Metal Jacket. Just swap jokes about being able to suck a golf ball through a garden hose to jokes about a Wing Chun dummy being someone’s wooden girlfriend.

Like Ip Man 3, action duties go to Yuen Woo-Ping, and here he produces his best work since, well, Ip Man 3. It takes a while for Ip Man to spring into action, however this just means that the action doesn’t feel rushed (and the Bruce Lee alley fight tides the audience over). An amicable confrontation with Wu Yue is a highlight, calling to mind Yen’s similar confrontation with Chen Zhi-Hui in the 2008 original, and is remarkably fluid and crisp. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt a sense of awe at watching a modern day fight scene, however this scene brought those feelings right back. We also get a variation on the horrendous table-top fight from Ip Man 2 which is focused on subtly showing the power of kung fu, and almost feels like Woo-Ping is saying “Hey, Sammo, this is how you should have done it.”

Action fans are spoilt with a showdown of kung fu masters, as Chris Collins invites each of them for a one-on-one fight, and each get to show off their own distinctive style. While it would have been great to get a re-match between Wu Yue and Collins after their contemporary face-off in Paradox, we do get to see Yen face off against him, and it’s a suitably satisfying confrontation. Adkins saves himself for the finale, not appearing until 50 minutes in, however gets to fight both Yue and Yen. Ip Man 4 reinforces my opinion that the British star should take on more villain roles, as here like in 2018’s Triple Threat, he makes for an intimidating presence. His fight with Yen should satisfy, and in many ways rectifies the Wing Chun versus Karate finale of the original, in which Yen faced off against non-martial artist Hiroyuki Ikeuchi. Here’s there’s no mistaking that Yen is evenly matched, and you feel every one of the blows Adkins delivers.

Ip Man 4 is arguably director Wilson Yip’s most mature work to date. The tone and pace reflect an understanding that for the audience, the promise of some action, is just as important as the action itself. There’s a confidence in both the direction and the acting performances, indicating a partnership between a director and star that’s reached its peak, almost 15 years since reigniting Hong Kong action cinema with 2005’s Sha Po Lang. As Yen’s final bow playing the role that’s defined his career over the last 10 years, it’s a worthy one, and perhaps more importantly, it’s also an outstanding kung fu movie. Oh, and in case anyone is wondering – yes, there’s chain punches.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 8/10