Ip Man 4: The Finale movie review (2019) | Roger Ebert

Movies about the legendary martial artist Ip Man have become their own small industry. Wong Kar-Wai’s “The Grandmaster” is the best of the recent works about the Foshan-born icon, but Wilson Yip’s “Ip Man” series is tough to beat for charm and verve. Yip started his career as an irreverent genre re-upholsterer, making violent, punk genre films, the most famous of which is like 1998’s “Bio Zombie.” In 2005 he met and began working with Donnie Yen and settled into a more conventional rhythm and style, his mise-en-scene broadening to take in the balletic performance of his star. When they made the first “Ip Man,” with the incredible Sammo Hung handling fight choreography, it became an instant sensation. The film treated Ip Man as a humble folk hero who liberated the people of his province by teaching them to defend themselves with Wing Chun-style kung fu from greedy bosses and the invading Japanese army in the lead up to the Second World War. A sequel was rushed into production that featu...