Starring Donnie Yen, Scott Adkins, Danny Kwok-Kwan Chan and Chris Collins. Ip Man 4: The Finale continues the journey of legendary Wing Chun master and teacher of Bruce Lee, Ip Man.
Finally, I got to see the much anticipated Ip Man 4 with Donnie Yen and even more anticipated screen time with Scott Adkins. By now I think everyone can guess most of the stuff that happens in the movies is fabricated but there are some facts in there.
The Movie starts with Master Ip (Donnie Yen) going to the doctors and being told he has a malignant tumour in his head and neck as was the case with the real Ip Man. Then being told about possible options, weather Master Ip takes these options we never find out as he’s also told to quit smoking but doesn’t.
His son is getting into trouble at school and gets expelled, about the same time Ip Man receives a letter and a plane ticket from his student Bruce Lee (Danny Kwok-Kwan Chan) in America asking him to come to visit and see him at the infamous Karate tournament he appeared at. Reluctant at first Master Ip decide to go in the hopes he can send his son to an American school.
Ip Man arrives in America and goes to see the CBA (Chinese Benevolent Association) in the hopes they can write him a letter of recommendation. Just like supposed real events which ended up with Bruce Lee’s infamous fight with Wong Jack Man, the CBA has a problem with Masters Ip student, Bruce Lee, teaching westerners Kung Fu and want Ip Man to stop him. Ip Man refuses so is sent on his way.
Master Ip goes to see Bruce Lee at the karate tournament. True to real events Bruce is showing the superiority of Kung Fu with his one-inch punch and superior speed. Afterwards in a café, a bunch of Karate students challenge Bruce and his students so naturally, Bruce takes them on single handily while Master Ip watches on.
This for me poses a little bit of a problem for the movie as Bruce Lee temporally takes over as the main protagonist and this isn’t just a few punches and they are out cold. He has quite an epic fight with a tough Karate dude but after he fades back into a cameo role. Maybe the movie couldn’t handle having two legendary martial artists on screen at once in full swing and this is the only time, I can remember seeing Bruce Lee portrayed in a movie at that stage in his life where he’s not the main protagonist. Danny Kwok-Kwan Chan plays a great Bruce Lee with his cocky attitude and could have easily fronted Birth of the Dragon.
One of Bruce Lee students is in the US Marine core and trying to introduce Chinese Kung FU. The go-to self-defence for the marine core at that time was supposedly Karate and they are die-hard about it. Enter Barton Geddes (Scott Adkins) and his right-hand man Colin Frater (Chris Collins)
Barton is set in his ways, tough no-nonsense, no mercy drill instructor. Adkins plays him great. After seeing Bruce Lee’s student bring in a Wing Chun dummy, he orders him to take on Colin to show how tough his Kung Fu is. Naturally, he gets his arse kicked. But this doesn’t stop him, he goes above Barton’s head and convinces his commanding officer to implement Chinese kung fu. This put Barton on a relentless pursuit to prove Kung Fu is weak and nothing is better than Karate.
He sends his tough right-hand man Colin to the local Chinese festival where he pretty much destroys everyone. Chris Colin shows some solid Karate with textbook stances and attacks. Kind of reminded me of the awesome Osu videos. This is until Master Ip enters the stage of course.
Barton fuming at his man’s loss goes on the rampage destroying everyone. So, naturally this sets in place a final epic battle with Ip Man and Barton. Not going to lie it’s one of the best fights of the whole series if not the best. Barton is fast, strong, and overwhelming. One thing that confused me is Barton shows little Karate and was more kickboxing than anything as Adkins style is a hybrid of multiple disciplines, but hey let’s not knit pick and act like purists.
On a side note, I would have liked to of seen a match between the Bruce Lee character and Barton Geddes. That would have been very interesting. Maybe in a future arc.
In conclusion, Ip Man 4 is a worthy final episode in the movie series. The final scenes as Master Ip is teaching his son Wing Chun it shows some heart-wrenching nostalgia as it flashes back to all the epics battles Ip Man has had through the previous movies. It makes you sad this is the last in the series unless they continue with the Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy arc. The final scene will bring a tear to your eye. For me, the first Ip Man will always be the best be this is a close 2nd.
Rating 4/5 belts
