IP MAN: THE FINAL FIGHT is the second of two biopic movies made by former Category III director Herman Yau. The first, THE LEGEND IS BORN: IP MAN, was a prequel to the Donnie Yen trilogy, whereas THE FINAL FIGHT is a natural successor. In this one, the great and underrated Anthony Wong delivers a subdued portrayal of the quiet master, once more driven into action by the machinations of some violent gang leaders.

Yau's films look quite poor when compared to the great Yen trilogy, but on their own merits they're quite enjoyable. The main problem I have with them is that the writing isn't great, descending into sentimentality to often and never really feeling too mature. This one feels like a soap opera at times, but the good news is that the hard-hitting fight sequences are really effective and give the performers a chance to shine. I've always been a fan of Wong and he doesn't disappoint here, while the likes of Eric Tsang, Ken Lo, and Sammo's lad Timmy all impress. It's no masterpiece, but for solid martial arts fun you could do a lot worse.

Well it can't be said for sure, if it's the last one, but it does feel like a closure to a series that has spawned for movies altogether. While the first two remain the best (with zero being the weak link in that chain, though there are always worse movies as I like to say),this is a fine addition and nice round up.

Not only do you have two fine (mature) actors opposite/side-to-side, you also have a story that is told. A story that tries to show us, that violence is not key. Don't worry though, there is plenty of great action scenes in it. It actually heightens those scenes, when you have something solid in between them, that makes you wait for them

Virtually every other review for this movie here on IMDb is posted by someone familiar with the real life Ip Man or having a solid interest in martial arts films. I don't have any of that in my background, I simply picked the film up because I'll take in a kung fu flick, in this case Wing Chun, from time to time just to see what's current. The plus side for this movie had to do with an actual story instead of crazy wire work and impossible flying moves that would wind up decimating someone if they were actually hit just once. The picture is competently made and directed, and the fight scenes are generally realistic without going over the top in terms of violence and gore. Anthony Wong appeared to be a reasonable choice for the role of the title character, taking an interest in his students and assuming the mantle of a grand master with equanimity and calm. The film could have better explained why he stayed behind in Hong Kong after Madame Ip left, that was a big question mark for me. But as I say, I'm not invested in the history of the real Ip Man so how accurate this all was did not have a bearing on my enjoyment of the picture.