This movie is a bit old by now, but not old to me though because I have had this movie ever since the day it came out, but I didn’t find the time to watch the film until the other night, which it was about the time that I give it a watch as it was overdue. Now that I watched the movie the other night, I decided to give myself a few days to ingest it somewhat and think it thorough because it was somewhat bittersweet. The film I am referring to that I watched the other night is IP Man 4: The Finale, and that is the movie that I am going to be reviewing here!
Ah, bittersweet. I am a huge fan of the IP Man movie; some people don’t know that this movie is based on a real person, but the movie’s accuracy based on that person is questionable. That man named IP is a real person as the actual name that the film is based on is Ip Kai-man. Ip Man was born in Fatshan, Kwangtung, Qing China, and died in Mong Kok, Kowloon, British Hong Kong (notice British, it was because Hong Kong was under British’s control during IP Man’s time).
Okay, onto the IP Man 4: The Finale movie. The number 4 is because it is the 4th movies installment of IP Man as there are four total movies of IP Man. To fully understand everything that leads to this 4th installment which is the final one, you would need to start watching all of the others, beginning with the first one to the last one, which is this fourth installment (IP Man 4: The Finale). The actor who portrayed IP Man is none other than Donnie Yen, who did all of the IP Man franchise movies, and Donnie Yen was made perfect for the character of IP Man, in my opinion. In this fourth installment of IP Man movies, you get to watch the journey of IP Man going from Hong Kong, who was under the British’s control at that time to the United States of America in San Fransico to seek a suitable school for his son. While he was doing so, he was dying. He was dying due to laryngeal cancer, his throat; he was determined to find a suitable school overseas for his son because he believed that getting an education in the United States would be safer for his son’s future. His son did not even want to go to any school, but that does not stop IP Man from trying. When IP Man landed in the United States of America, to get his son to attend one of the schools in the United States of America in California, he had to get a recommendation from a trusted association that these schools acknowledge. He has to get a recommendation from the association because international students had to be recommended through their associations for international students to attend the school in the United States. If you know the history of California and people from Asia countries, you know how racists we were as the United States when it comes to us treating them so in that IP Man 4 was during that era.
While he was seeking a recommendation, the association president or head refused to do so because of one person that IP Man mentored, Bruce Lee. They wanted IP Man to do something about Bruce Lee, almost like to disavow Bruce Lee or similar. Still, IP Man refused, and the trouble started from there within’ that association who IP Man was trying to get a recommendation for his son to attend a school in the United States of America. While IP Man was going through the problem, he saved a daughter of a man who runs that association, and the father were not appreciative of that because, in turn, he saw his daughter as weak, which IP Man disagreed.
So, the man who runs that association came up with the idea that if IP Man wanted to get their recommendation, he would have to fight against him one on one, and IP Man quickly accepted the challenge. Oh, that fight was incredible! But they didn’t get to finish it because an earthquake ended the battle, and the association was suddenly in turmoil due to the racists from the United States military. So, the people from the organization, along with IP Man himself, had to deal with them, which means they were in a defensive fight. It was a painful thing for me to see; it showed you how these people in the United States military treated the people who are from Asia countries and if they did something that the military dislike they primarily target the organization that helps the children of their people to be recommended to be able to attend the school in the United States of America. In the movie, we see that IP Man was patiently dealing with cancer. Still, he was persistent in getting a recommendation from the organization so that IP Man’s son could attend one of their schools in the United States simply because IP Man wanted his son to have the best education that the United States had to offer at that time. After failed attempts, IP Man defended the daughter of the head in that organization. In the process of few tries to get a recommendation from the organization, it was suddenly a target of the military people who is xenophobia. IP Man was only there to get a recommendation for his son even though his son said he refused to attend there. Still, he was only a child; it just turned it into having IP Man and the organization to defend with the help of IP Man’s old student, which was none other than Bruce Lee.
In previous movies, we see IP Man always defending himself and also his students of his. We got to see him opening a dojo in his country, so it was interesting to see how it goes from there to this, and now in this final movie, it was more of him being a parent. A master turned into a parent who wanted the best education for his son; at that time, it was in the United States, but in that era, the United States was xenophobia more than ever, especially in the military force and IP Man happened to be there at the wrong time. Still, at the same time, it was good that he was there at the wrong time because he got to help the organization. It was bittersweet because we saw a fighter out of him, and in this movie, we see a father who fights for an education for his son. Struggling to get a recommendation for his son, he happened to be in the way when the United States of America military targeted the organization itself for xenophobia reasons. In the end, did IP Man get what he came to the United States all along? Was he finally able to get a recommendation for his son to attend a school there in the United States of America? I will not spoil that; you will have to find out about that by watching the movie, and the movie IP Man 4: The Finale has my recommendation!
Before watching IP Man 4: The Finale, I highly recommend watching the first one and then watching IP Man 4: The Finale the last in order because all of these installments connect. Like I said, going from a fighter to a master and a parent. This IP Man 4: The Finale movie, I am rating a 3.8, which is very good!
Joshua “Joshie” Sullivan.
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