​The master's grand stand

Strength vs. Speed

For some time, martial arts films were a huge draw here in the U.S. during late 90s and early 2000s. Some time after that the amount of films of this particular genre started showing up less and less in theaters; finding their way straight to video instead. It's ironic because that's how I discovered the first Ip Man movie which got me hyped for part 2 and luckily had just been released shortly after I had watched the first part. I was surprised to hear that a third movie was in the works since Donnie Yen, the actor who portrays the charismatic but often taciturn Ip Man, had announced the second part would be his last time starring as the iconic grandmaster of Wing Chun as well as his final kung-fu movie too. I was skeptical at first because sequels don't always work for most martial art films (i.e. The Ong-Bak trilogy) but fortunately Ip Man 3 continues the successful streak from its'

predecessors. Taking place 9 years after the events of part 2, Ip Man is enjoying his simple life in Hong Kong as a teacher of his own martial arts school. But the tranquility doesn't last long as Ip Man finds himself confronting a gang of thugs run by a malicious property developer named Frank (played by who else but Mike Tyson), who is forcibly trying to obtain the property of the school Ip Man's son attends. Of course, the grandmaster won't have that and takes it upon himself to stand up against the thugs as well as face an opponent that has more in common with him than he thinks. There are two things you need to know when watching Ip Man 3 although the two are more or less the same. The first is that probably the main reason anyone is going to see this besides watching some good-ol' fashion kung-fu action is the fight between Mike Tyson's character and Donnie's. The second: Mike Tyson starring in a Chinese production film may come across as gimmicky especially when you hear him speaking Cantonese. But once the film reaches that anticipated throw down between the two, you'll be reminded why this man has been called "the scariest boxer ever" as he gets into that ferocious stance and seriously gives Ip Man a run for his money. The film is filled with some amazingly shot fight sequences but this interesting showdown between two distinct legends eclipses everything else. If this is truly the final film in the Ip Man franchise, I'm glad to say the film closes out with the force of a three-inch punch, and it's certainly not a bad way to start off the new year. Ip Man 3 gets my highest recommendation.

-Reviewed by Razor, 1/31/16