Ip Man 4: The Finale

Ip Man 4: The Finale (6.5/10)
Genre: Action
Director: Wilson Yip
Cast: Donnie Yen, Scott Adkins, Danny Kwok-Kwan Chan, Wu Yue, Vanness Wu
Country: Hong Kong/China
Language: Cantonese/English
Year: 2019

The predicament with the Ip Man anthology (only the Donnie Yen films) is that the first film, and somewhat the second film, has set the bar so high that the succeeding films appear to be a little ordinary compared to its predecessor. Ip Man 4: The Finale is a fitting farewell to the series in a respectable way to conclude the beloved franchise on a high note and bestows all the respect deserved by Donnie Yen for playing the character over the years.

In comparison, it is a million times better sendoff than Stallone’s final outing as John Rambo. Just like Ip Man 3, Ip Man 4: The Finale focuses more on the action part rather than story and emotion, which was a crucial element in the first two films. All the previous films in the series are mostly fiction rather than authentic biographies with some ode to Ip Man’s life, including some iconic moments, and this film carries the tradition like - the famous video of Ip Man practicing filmed by his son. The Bruce Lee angle in the movie seemed a little forced, even though Danny Chan does a remarkable job as the iconic legend. 

The action choreography is exciting, but not the best. Also, the finale between Donnie Yen and Scott Adkins is a little underplayed. I can understand that Donnie Yen is not in the same physical state as he was in the first film, and it is a similar case for Adkins - both of them have enough gas in their tank to go the extra mile. You can easily notice that Scott was holding back more, and also getting replaced by stunt-double multiple times. The excessive wirework makes the fight scenes less attractive, but still, there is plenty of kick-ass action to ignore these minor factors, after all, the fight choreography is done, once again, by legendary Woo-Ping Yuen. 

The story shows Ip Man traveling to the United States to find a school for his son, only to get intertwined in racial discrimination war against the Chinese. 

Wilson Yip returns to the director’s chair for the fourth consecutive time, and he equally deserves a lot of praise, along with Yen, for making this memorable franchise for fans. Donnie Yen is a legend in his own right, and no one could have played another legend, apart from him. Over the years, he has molded himself into the character of Ip Man and gained a lot of respect around the globe. A few other familiar cast members also make their return in the film. 

Finally, it is a dream come true to witness an on-screen duel between Adkins and Yen, although they would have loved to see them square off in their prime, still it is a fan-favorite moment. Even though Adkins comes on-screen after almost half of the film is over, he does impress with his villainous portrayal. If you have seen the first three films, then there is no way on earth you will miss this ultimate finale. Ip Man 4: The Finale is a bidding farewell to every fan of the franchise that no one should miss.