Now streaming on: Ip Man: The Final Fight is a starch-stiff kung-fu film about the life of Ip Man, the martial arts instructor who trained Bruce Lee. Viewers who are just looking for a fun action movie are bound to be disappointed. The filmmakers fall over themselves trying to respect Man s outlook on life, and this makes their subject seem more like a hyper-disciplined saint than a world-reknowned, ass-kicking hermit.
Ironically, though, the movie s greatest shortcomings are also responsible for its strongest asset: Anthony Wong s magnificent work as Man. This is a rare case where, if a film had been livelier and less traditional and respectful, its lead performance might have seemed less special.