Now Streaming: IP MAN 4: THE FINALE, The Master Teaches Bruce Lee a Thing or Two

A legendary martial-arts master moves to the United States, yet somehow maintains his integrity.

Ip Man 4: The Finale
Now streaming on Netflix.

No doubt, Ip Man 4: The Finale would have been a better experience on the big screen last year, but when it arrived on home video earlier this year, I was happy to catch up with it. It's the rare fourth installment in a series that has displayed similar verve, mixing the feel of a historical drama with absolutely terrific martial-arts action sequences.

Featuring the same star, key crew, director (Wilson Yip) and screenwriter (Edmond Wong) and producer (Raymond Wong), Ip Man 4: The Finale adds the dependable Scott Adkins in a villainous role. I know that Mr. Adkins is British and am accustomed to seeing him as a defender of all that is right and just, but he absolutely nails the villainous side of an American character here.

Netflix now describes the film, set in 1963, thusly: "Ip Man [Donnie Yen, of course] travels to San Francisco with his son and wrestles with tensions between martial arts masters and his star student, Bruce Lee." In the story, Lee has opened his own wing chun school, which is why tensions have been rising. Master Ip soon discovers, though, that an even greater threat is lurking.

Ip Man 4: The Finale is rated TV-MA on Netflix, which I suppose reflects the violent intensity of the fight scenes. So, you may want to wait to watch it with your children, for fear they may pick up on all the neat moves and accidentally hurt you or another member of your family (?!).

Now Streaming covers international and indie genre films and TV shows that are available on legal streaming services.