''Ip Man 4: The Finale'' is a 2019 Hong Kong-Chinese

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curric ...

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expression a ...

directed by

Wilson Yip Wilson Yip Wai-Shun (; born 1964) is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker and screenwriter. His films include '' Bio Zombie'', '' The White Dragon'', '' SPL: Sha Po Lang'', '' Dragon Tiger Gate'', ''Flash Point'' and the ''Ip Man'' series. Career Ea ...

and starring

Donnie Yen Donnie Yen Chi-tan ( zh, c=甄子丹, p=Zhēn Zǐdān, j=, first=j; born 27 July 1963) is a Hongkongers, Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and action director. He is the recipient of various accolades, including three Golden Horse Fi ...

Ip Man Ip Man (born Ip Kai-man; 1 October 1893 – 2 December 1972), also known as Yip Man, was a Chinese martial arts grandmaster. He became a teacher of the martial art of Wing Chun when he was 20. He had several students who later became martia ...

. It is the fourth film in the ''Ip Man'' film series, which is loosely based on the life of the

Wing Chun Wing Chun (Cantonese) or Yong Chun (Mandarin Chinese, Mandarin) (, lit. "singing spring") is a concept-based martial art, a form of Nanquan (martial art), Southern Chinese kung fu, and a close-quarters system of self-defense. It is a martial ...

grandmaster of the same name. A co-production of Hong Kong and China, the film began production in April 2018 and ended in July of the same year. It was released on 20 December 2019. It is currently the highest grossing Chinese film in Malaysia and Singapore, as well as the 5th highest grossing Hong Kong film in Mainland China. Ip Man 5 is currently in development.

Plot

In 1964,

is diagnosed with

throat cancer Head and neck cancer is a general term encompassing multiple cancers that can develop in the head and neck region. These include cancers of the mouth, tongue, gums and lips ( oral cancer), voice box ( laryngeal), throat ( nasopharyngeal, orophar ...

due to his history of chronic smoking. After his rebellious son Ip Ching fights back against a bully and is expelled from school, Ip Man decides to travel to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

in order to look for study opportunities. After Ching and his father get into a heated argument that ends with the older Ip striking his son in the face, he entrusts Ching to his friend, Fat Bo. Ip arrives in San Francisco, where his student

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...

has upset the local

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

community by opening a kung fu school, teaching non-Chinese people martial arts, and writing a book explaining

Chinese martial arts Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

in English. He discovers from his reporter friend Liang Gen that, because he is a foreigner, he needs a referral letter from the

Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) is a historical Chinese association established in various parts of the United States and Canada with large Overseas Chinese communities. The association's clientele were Chinese immigrants ...

to enroll Ching into an American school. The association's chairman,

Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense, for most practitioners it has evolved into a sport and form of exercise. As an exercise, tai chi is performed as gentle, low-impact movement in which practitioners ...

master Wan Zonghua, refuses to write the letter as Ip is unbothered by Lee's actions, whereas the other grandmasters openly disapprove. While leaving the school after a meeting with the principal, Ip sees Wan's teenage daughter, Yonah, undergoing a racist attack from a rival cheerleader, Becky, and her male friends. Ip steps in to rescue her and escorts Yonah home, where Wan is upset that she got into a fight. Ip tells Wan that Yonah was not wrong to defend herself, but Wan rebukes him by claiming that Ip, as a foreigner, cannot understand the tension between whites and Chinese in America. Just before Ip leaves, Wan accuses him of using his daughter to get the letter and challenges him to a fight for it. The duel is interrupted by an earthquake, and Wan says they will finish it at the upcoming

Mid-Autumn Festival The Mid-Autumn Festival (for other names, see § Etymology) is a harvest festival celebrated in Chinese culture. It is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar with a full moon at night, corresponding to mid- ...

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

. Ip refuses, affirming that he merely accompanied Yonah home for her own safety, and leaves. Meanwhile, Becky lies to her parents, claiming that Yonah attacked her. Her father, Andrew Walters, an officer of the INS, is pressured by his wife Gabriella into holding the Association responsible and deporting all

illegal immigrants Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...

associated with them. Elsewhere, Hartman Wu, a staff sergeant in the

US Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expedi ...

and student of Lee, attempts to persuade Barton Geddes, the Gunnery Sergeant on his base, to incorporate Chinese martial arts into their hand-to-hand combat training. Geddes, an openly racist man, seemingly proves the Marines' current

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

program superior by having Hartman fight the Marines' karate sensei, Colin Frater, with Frater easily besting Hartman. However, Hartman manages to convince the unit's commanding officer of kung fu's potential use, and is permitted to film the Festival for research purposes; the infuriated Geddes instructs Frater to challenge the grandmasters at the Festival. Frater easily takes down 3 of the grandmasters before Ip intervenes and defeats him, hospitalising him. Meanwhile, Wan, who was supposed to be present at the Festival, is arrested by the INS. Upon seeing Frater in the hospital, Geddes barges into the Association building and uses his strength and karate prowess to brutally defeat all the grandmasters present. He then threatens Walters into releasing Wan into Marine custody before bringing Wan into the camp to fight him. Due to a tip-off by Billy, a subordinate of Walters and student of Lee, the Association is evacuated by the time the INS conducts its raid. Lee provides refuge for the Association, earning their respect. At the camp, Wan and Geddes fight, with Wan at first able to match Geddes, but he is eventually overwhelmed and seriously injured. Wan is taken to the hospital, where an emotional Ip calls Fat Bo to reveal his cancer; Fat Bo then angrily forces Ching to talk to his father, after many previous refusals. The older Ip apologizes to his son for striking him, and promises to teach Ching kung fu when he returns to

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. Hartman brings Ip to the Marines, and he triumphantly defeats Geddes after a long, strenuous fight. Wan prepares the referral letter for Ip, but Ip turns it down, having decided against moving to America. Ip returns to

and accepts that Ching likes martial arts. A weary but determined Ip instructs his son to film him as he demonstrates Wing Chun on a wooden dummy. An epilogue shows Lee paying respect to Ip at his funeral. Onscreen text states that Ip succumbed to his cancer in 1972 at the age of 79, and that the Marines officially incorporated Chinese kung fu into their training by inviting Chinese martial artists to train them in 2001.

Cast

(), an unassuming Chinese Wing Chun master originally from

Foshan Foshan (, ; Chinese: 佛山) is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. The entire prefecture covers and had a population of 9,498,863 as of the 2020 census. The city is part of the western side of the Pearl River Delta m ...

. * Wu Yue as Wan Zonghua (), chairman of the

Chinese Benevolent Association The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) is a historical Chinese association established in various parts of the United States and Canada with large Overseas Chinese communities. The association's clientele were Chinese immigrants ...

(CBA) and Master of

. *

Vanness Wu Vanness Wu (; born August 7, 1978) is a Taiwanese-American singer and actor. He was a member of the Taiwanese boyband F4 (band), F4 and the Korean Mandopop duo Kangta & Vanness. Early life Born in Santa Monica, California, on August 7, 1978. ...

(credited simply as "Van Ness") as Hartman Wu (), U.S. Marine Corps staff sergeant and Bruce Lee's student. *

Scott Adkins Scott Edward Adkins (born 17 June 1976) is an English actor and martial artist. He gained prominence with his portrayal of the Russian prison fighter Yuri Boyka in the American martial arts film '' Undisputed II: Last Man Standing'' (2006), a ro ...

as Barton Geddes, a corrupt, racist U.S. Marine Corps gunnery sergeant and

Karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

expert. * Kent Cheng as Fat Bo (), a friend of Ip Man. *

Danny Chan Danny Chan Pak-Keung (; 7 September 1958 – 25 October 1993) was a Hong Kong singer, songwriter and actor. One of the first Cantopop idols in Hong Kong, he gained fame alongside performers Alan Tam, Anita Mui, and Leslie Cheung, who wer ...

(), owner of a San Francisco martial arts school and Ip Man's student. * Simon Shiyamba as Billy, a black INS officer and Bruce Lee's student. * Ngo Ka-nin as Liang Gen (), friend of Ip Man and reporter. * Chris Collins as Colin Frater, a racist U.S. Marine Corps Karate master. * (李宛妲) as Yonah Wan (), daughter of Wan Zonghua. * Ye He as Ip Ching (), Ip Man's second son. * Lo Mang as Law Chun-ting (), friend of Ip Man and Master of

Monkey Kung Fu Monkey kung fu or Hóu Quán (猴拳, "monkey fist") is a Chinese martial arts, Chinese martial art which utilizes ape or monkey-like movements as part of its technique. Northern Chinese martial arts such as Northern Praying Mantis and Wuzuqua ...

. * Grace Englert as Becky Walters, Andrew and Gabrielle's daughter who racially bullies Yonah. * Andrew Lane as Andrew Walters, a xenophobic INS officer, Becky's father and Gabrielle's husband. * Nicola Stuart-Hill as Gabrielle Walters, Becky's mother and Andrew's wife. * Linda Jean Barry as School principal. * Mark Strange as Karate champion * Princeton Lock as Hou Jin (), friend of Ip Ching. * DBO Fundz as Rapper In addition, several actors appear in cameos as characters from the previous films in a flashback sequence via archive footage, including

Lynn Hung Xiong Dailin (熊黛林, born 10 October 1980), better known as Lynn Hung, is a Hong Kong–based fashion model and actress originally from mainland China. Born in Nanjing, China, Hung moved her base of modeling activities to Hong Kong in 2006 ...

as Cheung Wing-sing (), Ip Man's deceased wife; Gordon Lam as Li Chiu (), a police officer from

;

Huang Xiaoming Huang Xiaoming or Mark Huang ( zh, s=黄晓明, p=Huáng Xiǎomíng, born 13 November 1977) is a Chinese actor and singer. Huang rose to prominence for playing Emperor Wu of Han in the television series '' The Prince of Han Dynasty'' (2001), foll ...

as Wong Leung (), Ip Man's first student;

Sammo Hung Samuel "Sammo" Hung Kam-bo ( zh, t=洪金寶, j=Hung4 Gam1-bou2; born 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and Film director, director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a figh ...

as the late Hung Chun-nam (), an asthmatic Hung Ga master;

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...

as Frank, an American property developer; Sarut Khanwilai as Suchart, a Thai Boxer; Zhang Jin as Cheung Tin-chi (), a former

master who was defeated by Ip Man in a duel; the late Darren Shahlavi as Taylor "The Twister" Miller, an English boxing champion who was defeated by Ip Man; and

Simon Yam Simon Yam Tat-wah (; born 19 March 1955) is a Hong Kong actor and film producer. He is best known for his performances in films such as '' PTU'' (2003), ''Election'' (2005), '' SPL: Sha Po Lang'' (2005), ''Triangle'' (2007), '' Sparrow'' (2008), ' ...

as Chow Ching-chuen (), Ip Man's old friend.

Production

On 30 September 2016,

(who portrayed the

grandmaster

in three films) announced that he and series director

would return for the fourth film in the series. Writer Edmond Wong also returned. Producer Raymond Wong said he paid Yen "a hefty amount of money" to return for the fourth film.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began in April 2018, and ended that July. Filming locations included

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, Pensby High School, Crosby Beach and

Preston, Lancashire Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston, Lancashire, City of Preston local government district. Preston ...

. In September 2019, Donnie Yen said ''Ip Man 4'' would be the last film in the series.

Music

In addition to the original music by Kenji Kawai, the

promotional recording A promotional recording, promo, or plug copy is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as mus ...

called ''Wing Chun'' is performed by

Li Yuchun Li Yuchun ( zh, c=李宇春, p=Lǐ Yǔchūn; born March 10, 1984), also known by her stage name Chris Lee, is a Chinese singer, songwriter, DJ and actress. Her musical style is mainly based on electronic dance music and Chinese pop songs. She laun ...

Release

''Ip Man 4: The Finale'' was released on December 20, 2019. The film had a limited release on December 25, 2019, in the United States distributed by Well Go USA. It was released by CMC Pictures in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

on 20 December 2019.

Reception

According to the Malaysian newspaper '' The Star'', the movie was the highest grossing Chinese film of all time in the country while according to Shine.cn, the movie was the third highest grossing Chinese film in North America in five years. As of March 2020, the film has grossed over $239 million worldwide. At the Taiwanese box office it grossed NT$185 million (US6.15 million). As of 5 January 2020, the film's Singapore box office is US$6.74 million, the Malaysian box office is over RM 36 million (US8.6 million), and the film made over $197.2 million in Mainland China.

Controversy

During the

2019 Hong Kong protests Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' D ...

, protesters urged a boycott of the film, citing the pro-

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

stances of actors Donnie Yen and Danny Chan and producer Raymond Wong. Protesters actively spoiled the film on social media in both English and Chinese.

Sequel

Although ''Ip Man 4'' was intended to be the conclusion to Ip Man's story, on 18 May 2023, a new ''Ip Man'' movie titled ''Ip Man 5'' was announced by Mandarin Motion Pictures at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

. Donnie Yen also put the poster for the film on his Instagram.

References

External links

* {{Donnie Yen 2019 films 2019 martial arts films 2019 multilingual films 2010s biographical films 2010s Cantonese-language films 2010s English-language films 2010s Hong Kong films Cultural depictions of Bruce Lee Depictions of Ip Man on film English-language Hong Kong films Foreign films set in the United States Films about cancer Films about racism Films about the United States Marine Corps Films directed by Wilson Yip Films scored by Kenji Kawai Films set in 1964 Films set in Hong Kong Films set in San Francisco Hong Kong biographical films Hong Kong martial arts films Hong Kong multilingual films Hong Kong sequel films Kung fu films Wing Chun films Wushu films English-language action films English-language biographical films