Master Z: Ip Man Legacy

A spin-off of the Ip Man films, this Hong Kong/China actioner follows the path of Cheung Tin Chi (Max Zhang), a self-described master of Wing Chun who was defeated by Ip Man in Ip Man 3. As Master Z opens, Chun has turned his back on martial arts to run a grocery store and raise his son in peace in Hong Kong. But in the tradition of such stories, he is drawn back into violence to defend two women from a gang and he ends up battling both the thugs that terrorize the streets and the corrupt police who are in the pocket of the drug dealers. Master Z is set in the early 1960s, when the police force was under the jurisdiction of the British colonial government, and it traces the root of corruption to arrogant westerners in Hong Kong. Directed by legendary action choreographer Yuen Wo Ping, the film features superb martial-arts scenes and colorful production design, notably in a dazzling street set that looks like an inner-city Vegas strip lit by neon signs that become props in one of the centerpiece fight scenes. Michelle Yeoh costars as the regal head of the crime family, Thai action star Tony Jaa has a small role as a hired thug, and Dave Bautista is the local restaurateur who runs the drug trade. The script follows a familiar formula but delivers on action and spectacle, while Zhang makes a fine hero, and Bautista and Yeoh lend the film a little star power. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the behind-the-scenes segments “Director and Casts” (3 min.), “Battle of Strength” (2 min.), “The Cheung Lok’s Fight” (2 min.), “Signboard Street Fight” (2 min.), and “The Hitman Confrontation” (2 min.). Bottom line: a decent extras package for an uneven martial-arts action drama.] (S. Axmaker)