Ip Man: The Final Fight

Not to be confused with the Ip Man and Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster films starring Donnie Yen, Ip Man: The Final Fight is part of a series of mythologizing, high-profile, martial-arts epics centered around a real-life martial-arts teacher (including director Herman Yau's 2010 The Legend is Born: Ip Man). The schizoid narrative—a mix of straight bio-pic and fight scenes—covers the hero's life from middle age to death, with some agreeably seasoned actors handling the chopsocky stuff. Scholarly-looking Master Ip Man (Anthony Wong) arrives in Hong Kong in 1950, practically penniless following World War II. He establishes a low-profile school teaching the Wing Chun style, and endures a bittersweet separation from his wife, who cannot adapt to the crowded metropolis. After becoming a widower, Master Ip scandalizes his pupils by keeping company with a showgirl who is attracted by his kindness. Much of the saga follows the pupils in their separate travails—in labor-union unrest, police corruption, and triad-fixed boxing matches—but late in the drama we get a glimpse (not much more) of Master Ip's most renowned student, the iconic Bruce Lee (over whose stardom Ip Man seems to have mixed feelings). While both the acting and action are solid, the real standout here is a sprawling, impeccably detailed, nostalgic recreation of the British-occupied Hong Kong of yesteryear. Recommended. (C. Cassady)