TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

‘Ip Man 4: The Finale’ delivers decent farewell to our beloved kung fu grandmaster

Although Ip Man 4: The Finale excels in action, as expected, some key characters seem two-dimensional and lack development.

Teresa Yovela (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Tue, December 24, 2019

Share This Article

Change Size

‘Ip Man 4: The Finale’ delivers decent farewell to our beloved kung fu grandmaster A still from 'Ip Man 4: The Finale' (Bullet Films/File)

W

e thought Ip Man 3 (2015) was the finale, but that wasn’t it. Four years after the last film and one year after its spin-off, Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018), Donnie Yen’s Ip Man decided to return one last time in Ip Man 4: The Finale.

Read also: Action-packed ‘Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy’ delivers enough punch for a spin-off

In 1964, five years after the events of Ip Man 3, Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man struggles to raise his rebellious teenage son, Ip Ching (Ye He) following his wife’s death. After finding out that he has cancer, Ip Man decides to fly to San Francisco to enroll Ip Ching into a prestigious American school.

Ip Man, a famed grandmaster back home, is not given a warm welcome in the United States. His former student Bruce Lee (Chan Kwok Kwan) has been teaching kung fu to non-Chinese students, angering local leaders of the Chinese Benevolent Association (CBA). Siding with Lee, Ip Man fights against Wan (Wu Yue), Tai Chi master and head of the CBA, whose letter of recommendation is essential for Ip Ching’s school registration.

But perhaps the tension between Ip Man, Wan and the rest of the masters does not lure enough fight scenes, as director Wilson Yip introduces more subplots.

It happens that Bruce’s student Hartman (Vanness Wu) attempts to introduce Wing Chun to the Marine Corps’ martial arts curriculum, much to the amusement of Sergeant Geddes (Scott Adkins). With motives based solely on racism, Geddes instructs karate master Collin (Chris Collins) to challenge the Chinese masters, leaving more room for one-on-one combats and gang fight scenes. 

It is understandable that, to make room for more action, the writers needed to stretch the plot and squeeze in several unnecessary characters. However, it’s rather odd to see Ip Man fight with rather cliché motives, for example, when he beats up a pack of high school boys to protect Wan’s daughter Yonah (Vanda Margraf), especially since Ip Man is portrayed as someone who loves peace and prefers not to fight. 

Also, in an attempt to make Ip Man look superior, the skillsets that other masters possess are heavily toned down. They seem overpowered most of the time, except for a glimpse of ‘woman power’ delivered in a short but intense battle between a female master and Collin.

Still, we expect plenty of exciting fight scenes, and the film delivers.

Although Ip Man 4: The Finale excels in action, as expected, some key characters seem two-dimensional and lack development. Geddes, for example, comes to the screen with big hatred toward the Chinese but does not seem to have learned anything when he leaves. The same happens to the family who seeks revenge on Yonah after their daughter loses to her in a cheerleading contest.

For me, personally, it is unsatisfying to see the film take on ‘white supremacy’ as a back story but fail to explore the legacy that Ip Man has made. However, all things considered, Ip Man 4 nails its action scenes and serves as a decent farewell to our beloved Wing Chun hero. (kes)

__________

The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.