After his loss to Ip Man in the previous movie, Cheung set aside his prior quest for Wing Chun supremacy to simply bring up his young son, when his defense of a young woman indebted to a local crime lord lands him a job at a nightclub, while also forcing him to rise to the occasion once more when the local gang conflict flares up. After strengthening Ip Man 3 as Cheung, Max Zhang carries the spinoff all on his own as a man who has both fallen from the top and who fully acknowledges that his own hubris put him there. The strength of the Ip Man series would be cemented with the debut of the spinoff Master Z: Ip Man Legacy, focusing on Ip Man 3's breakout character Cheung Tin-chi with Max Zhang reprising the role. Needless to say, Donnie Yen's performance in the title role, and in the series' incredible Wing Chun-powered action scenes, is a central aspect of the acclaim it continues to receive. Decades from now, the entire franchise is sure to be looked back on with the same reverence that it currently holds, with not a single entry being anywhere near lackluster. Though the Ip Man movies would reach their conclusion with 2019's Ip Man 4: The Finale, its impact on martial arts films is simply impossible to deny. RELATED: All 8 Unmade Bruce Lee Movies & Shows (& Why They Didn't Happen)

Today, Donnie Yen has become a huge action star, with the Ip Man series now standing as one of the landmark martial arts series of all time. However, Ip Man would shoot his career to the moon with his portrayal of the famed mentor of the legendary Bruce Lee, with Yen later appearing Hollywood films like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, xXx: Return of Xander Cage, and Mulan. First getting underway in 2008 and wrapping up in 2019, the Ip Man series has become the stuff of legend while being the ultimate love letter to the art of Wing Chun kung fu. Furthermore, it would also launch Donnie Yen to global stardom.Īlthough well-known in the Hong Kong film industry since the 1980s, Yen truly began his rise to greater recognition with the release Sha Po Lang and Flash Point. The Ip Man movies are beloved among martial arts film fans, but the quality of each installment varies.

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