The Ip Man series continues with this film which was
promoted as having one major item folks would want to see: Donnie Yen vs Mike
Tyson. It didn’t matter that Tyson has a small role here, that was something
people were interested in seeing. Fortunately the fight sequence between the
two delivers the goods and last more than a minute or two and Tyson holds up
his performance quite well. But on to the story.
The year is now 1959 and Ip Man’s school is well
established. So much so that a cocky young fighter comes in wanting to be
trained. Demonstrating his speed and agility, Ip Man does nothing more than
open the door for him and watch him walk out. The student’s name is Bruce Lee.
Ip Man’s song Ip Ching gets into a fight at school and both
boys parents are called in. Only the Ips show and they then invite the other
young boy, Cheung Fung, to their home for dinner. When he shows them his Wing
Chun abilities they ask who his teacher is to which the boy replies his father Cheung
Tin-chi. Tin-chi drives a rickshaw and is saving money to open his own school
while raising his son on his own. He picks up the boy and thanks them for
taking care of his son.
Tin-chi is also making extra money on the side fighting in
underground fights organized by Ma King-sang, a triad leader who works for
Frank (Tyson). What he doesn’t know is that Frank is also a developer with his
eyes set on the piece of land where Ip Man and Tin-chi’s sons attend school. Ma
sends his men there to disrupt the school but Ip Man comes along and prevents
them from doing so. He and his students then become protectors of the school.
When Tin Ngo-san, Ma’s mentor, learns of his behavior he
goes to confront him with Ip Man. Humiliated in front of his men he attempts to
stab Tin but Ip Man prevents him from killing him. Ip Man’s friend Fat Po the
police officer shows and breaks things up. Seeking revenge Ma hires Tin-chi to
kill Tin Ngo-san. In desperate need of money to open his school he takes the
job and beats Ngo-san within an inch of his life.
Ip Man goes to visit Tin having been called to do so. When
he arrives he learns that the call never came from him, instead it was a ruse
to get him away from the school where Ma and his gang have kidnapped a bunch of
the children including Ip Chin and Cheung Fung. Ip Man goes to the docks where
Ma told him to only to find him threatening to kill his son and sell the rest
into slavery. Cheung Tin-chi also shows but Ma gives him his son and tells him
to leave. Ma’s men attack and Ip does well against them, doing more so when
Tin-chi returns to help. All seems lost when Fat Po and his men arrive to break
things up.
At home Ip Man learns that his long loving wife has been
diagnosed with cancer. Returning home after getting her medicine Ip is attacked
by a Thai boxer hired by Frank to take him out. Instead Ip takes on the boxer
and finished the fight in quick time. Fat Po tells him the man was sent by
Frank and Ip decides to confront Frank in his office. Frank gives him a chance.
If he can remain standing after fighting him for three minutes he will back off
of the school. The clock starts, the two spar back and forth and when the timer
rings, Ip Man has survived and Frank honors his promise.
All would seem to end her but it doesn’t. Cheung Tin-chi has
opened his school but still needs students. To gain attention for his form of
Wing Chun he challenges Ip Man to a match. With his wife so close to death Ip
Man turns down the match, instead learning how to dance like his wife always wanted
and taught by young dance instructor Bruce Lee.
When she learns that Ip Man turned down the match to spend
time with her, his wife contacts Cheung Tin-chi and she request a rematch. He
agrees and the two face off for the match that so many were waiting to see.
It seems that these movies always follow a pattern of
culminating in a final fight and that’s fine. With each film they attempt to
outdo the previous film and they have achieved that. This time around it also
led to a sequel of sorts involving Cheung Tin-chi in a film of his own.
One again the combination of history and story meld here
quite well, perhaps not quite as well as in the previous two efforts. This time
around it feels less about the personal story of Ip Man and more about what was
transpiring in Hong Kong at the time. It still makes for an entertaining film
that holds your interest from start to finish. It also finally brings Bruce Lee
into the story, returning to him at the end and what was meant by the open
door.
Made in 2015, seven years after the first film, Donnie Yen
shows no signs of aging. He moves with the same speed here that he did then.
Some will claim that this is due to stunt men but my guess is that most of what
you see on screen is indeed Yen. My biggest wish would be to see him making
more mainstream movies here in the states but he seems content to make movies
in China. In the end it doesn’t matter as no matter where he makes film they
are always enjoyable and worth watching.
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