The fourth/final installment of the Ip Man franchise, Ip Man 4: The Finale, picks up in 1964, about 5 years after the events of the third film. Kung Fu master Ip Man (Donnie Yen) has lost his wife, and is now raising son Ching (He Ye) in Hong Kong on his own. Losing his mother has been tough on Ip Ching, causing the teenager to become a bit rebellious. He wants to drop out of school to learn and teach Wing Chun like his father, but Ip Man doesn’t approve. And to make the situation worse, Master Ip has just been diagnosed with inoperable cancer. Master Ip’s friends suggest that studying abroad could be helpful for his son. So when he receives a plane ticket and invitation to see his former pupil, Bruce Lee (Kwok-Kwan Chan), compete in a karate tournament in San Francisco, Master Ip decides to take this as an opportunity to look into American schooling for Ching.

Master Ip soon discovers that the grass isn’t greener in the West, witnessing an overwhelming sense of xenophobia and racism from not only the Caucasians but also within the Chinatown community. Master Wan Zong Hua (Yue Wu), chairman of the Chinese Benevolent Association does not approve of the fact that Bruce Lee wants to teach Westerners the secrets of ancient Chinese martial arts, and in English no less. In order for Master Ip’s son to be able attend the local high school, he will need a letter of recommendation from the CBA, but Master Wan only offers to write the letter on the condition that Master Ip agrees to put a stop to his former pupil’s actions. Meanwhile, one of Bruce Lee’s students, Staff Sergeant Hartman (Van Ness), believes that kung fu would be useful in his Marine combat training. However, when he tries to bring this up to his commanding officer, Gunnery Sergeant Barton Geddes (Scott Adkins), the solider wants nothing to do with it. Geddes believes that his combat karate is the proper way to fight, informing all of his non-Caucasian soldiers, “don’t even think about bringing your filthy cultures to my Marine core again.”

Master Ip’s son Ching is upset with his father, and continually refuses to answer his calls back home. Master Wan also finds himself in a similar parenting dilemma. He has been forcing his daughter Yonah (Vanda Margraf) to train in martial arts, but she really just wants to be a cheerleader. At school, Yonah is regularly attacked and called racist names by jealous blonde cheerleader Becky (Grace Englert) and her friends. Becky’s father happens to work for the INS, and is happy to let his own biases out in the name of protecting his daughter. These kinds of racial tensions are ever present in San Francisco, with many folks looking at the Chinese as illegal immigrants and criminals. And the situation only gets worse when Sergeant Geddes decides to send his burly karate instructor, Colin Frater (Chris Collins), to show the kung fu masters and the rest of Chinatown what real fighting is.

I had never seen any of the Ip Man films before receiving this fourth installment for review, so I didn’t know what to expect as sat down to watch all four films. The movies definitely take some factual liberties with the historic timing and events of the real-life Ip Man’s life, but usually do so in order to tell a more personal, heart-warming story. I must say I was thoroughly impressed by the stories, themes and amazing feats of martial arts in these films. These movies take on some pretty raw and controversial subject matters while also being quite action-packed an entertaining.

This final film felt a little more dramatic, with less outright humor than the previous films, but it certainly didn’t lack on the action. Donnie Yen doesn’t seem to age or slow down over the course of the franchise. He’s as quick as ever, dodging and blocking kicks and hits, and fighting back with his own barrage of rapid-fire punches. I always enjoy his action scenes the most in these films. Ip Man has this amazingly calm demeanor, and nothing seems to shake him. It’s like he knows he’s unstoppable, and looks forward to meeting his opponent’s challenge. However, he is never cocky about his abilities, and usually fights in the name of justice, in order to right some wrong-doing.

In previous films we’ve seen Ip Man take on challengers from schools of martial arts, fellow Wing Chun masters, and even boxers. While this film does include the usual master vs master battles, we also get to see Master Ip try to hold his own while up against karate and kickboxing. Scott Adkins, makes a worthy fighting adversary for Donnie Yen, even if his character is a little bit over-the-top with his xenophobia and racism. The film also includes a fun, unique table-top battle. You’re probably thinking, “but there was already a table-top battle in the previous film”. That was battling on a table top, where this is battling with a table top! Another highlight of the film is seeing the famous Bruce Lee in action, making his wacky verbal yelps as he takes on a massive thug in an alley. Overall, I enjoyed this fourth installment just as much as the previous ones. Plus, it does a nice job of wrapping up the franchise at the end.

While I was sent the Blu-ray for review, Well Go USA is also releasing Ip Man 4: The Finale on 4K Ultra HD. The Blu-ray looks amazing, providing a pristine, clean picture that is beautiful and provides excellent detail in textures and faces. I can’t imagine the 4K version looking any better, but I’m curious to find out. Since the film takes place primarily in America, there are several scenes that are already in English, but the disc provides both the original Cantonese language track as well as a completely English track. I opted to watch the film in the English language since that is how I had also watched the first three films. The voice performances are well done, and the track also provides a nicely-immersive viewing experience, giving both a general ambiance as well as emphasizing every punch, kick, thrust and smash.

The Blu-ray release includes about 7 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes (all in Cantonese with English subtitles), trailers for the film, and previews for other Well Go releases. The Blu-ray/DVD combo release comes packed in standard HD keepcase, without a slipcover. No digital copy is included.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:45:14)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: Cantonese Dolby Atmos in Dolby TrueHD, English DTS-HDMA 5.1
• Subtitles: English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, French

DVD:

• 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, French

Extras:
The same features can be found on both the Blu-ray and the DVD. Bonus material is presented primarily in Cantonese with English subtitles. All bonus material automatically plays back-to-back once started.

• Bonus
  • Making Of (2:11)
    The cast and filmmakers talk about the story, the fight choreography, and the look of the film. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Yip Wai Shun, action director Yuen Wo Ping, and stars Donnie Yen (“Ip Man”), Van Ness (“Hartman Wu”), Chan Kwok Kwan Danny (“Bruce Lee”), Wu Yue (“Wan Zong Hua”), Chris Collis (“Colin Frater”) & Scott Adkins (“Barton Geddes”).
  • The 10 Year Legend (2:10)
    The cast and filmmakers talk about the legacy of this character over 4 films, and bringing the franchise to a close. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Yip Wai Shun Wilson, action director Yuen Wo Ping, and stars Donnie Yen & Wu Yue.
  • The Story (2:26)
    The cast and filmmakers talk about the story, the characters and the fight scenes. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Yip Wai Shun Wilson, and stars Kent Cheng (“Bob”) & Donnie Yen.
  • Trailer A (1:31)
  • Trailer B (1:21)
  • US Trailer (1:49)
• Previews
  • Cut Throat City (2:18)
  • Enter the Fat Dragon (1:38)
  • Ne Zha (English Dub) (2:31)

Final Thoughts:

Ip Man 4: The Finale is a thoroughly-entertaining and fitting conclusion to the popular franchise. Donnie Yen returns to give another excellent performance as the title character. This time is joined by Kwok-Kwan Chan as the iconic Bruce Lee, and action star Scott Adkins, who gives Master Ip a new style of fighting to contend with. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great, and includes a very small assortment of bonus material. The film will also be released on 4K Ultra HD format, and is currently available now on digital, both separately and as part of a four-film collection. Fans of the franchise should definitely enjoy this final film. This fourth installment, along with the entire franchise, come easily recommended.