Ip Man 4: The Finale

Martial arts movie star Donnie Yen returns to the role of legendary Wing Chun master Ip Man in the fourth and (at least according to the title) final film in the series based (very loosely) on his life. This film, set in 1964, sends Ip Man from Hong Kong to San Francisco, where his student Bruce Lee (played by Danny Kwok-Kwan Chan) competes in an international martial arts tournament. He has been diagnosed with cancer and wants to find a good school to ensure his son's future, but Ip Man's search exposes him to the bullying and bigotry that Chinese immigrants and Chinese-American citizens face in 1960s American society. American martial arts star Scott Adkins plays a racist Marine officer who champions the brute force of karate over Chinese martial arts and terrorizes the Chinese community. The conventions may seem overly melodramatic to American audiences and the story plays very loose with history but it is engaging and entertaining. Yen's stillness and restraint amidst the action gives Ip Man innate quiet dignity and humility, and when he lets loose his skill is commanding. Wilson Yip is back as director and Yuen Wo-Ping, the master martial arts action director whose career includes Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the Matrix movies, choreographs the impressive fight scenes. The series was huge in Asia and is popular among martial arts movie fans in the U.S. and this offers a fitting conclusion. In Cantonese with optional English subtitles and English language soundtrack. Not rated, features racial slurs and martial arts movie violence but no explicit language or imagery. On Blu-ray and DVD with three short promotional featurettes. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)