Despite the changes in some key roles in the film, with Yuen Woo-ping taking the place of Sammo Hung as action choreographer, Max Zhang the place of the local rival, and Mike Tyson that of the foreign rival, “Ip Man 3” essentially repeats the recipe of the previous film almost to the letter, with one exception, of adding more drama.
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The story this time takes place in 1959 Hong Kong, where Ip Man enjoys his fame as the top sifu, respected by both peers and the people of the city. Eventually, however, another man appears, Tin-chi, whose Wing Chun also comes from the same roots as Ip Man. The two get to know each other through their sons, who are caught fighting in the school yard in an effort to show whose Wing Chun is the best. Tin-chi, who is a single father, tries to make a living as a rickshaw driver during the day, and by participating in underground fights during the night.
These fights are organized by an American property developer and proficient boxer, Frank, who has ties with the local triads and also uses his men to force the people running the school the two sons attend, to leave the premises. Ip Man and Tin-chi come together in an effort to save their sons, but a showdown with Frank is inevitable, with the former being forced to face the monstrous American. All the while, Ip Man’s dealings have led him to neglect his wife, who is sick but refrains from telling him. When he finds out, he decides to take care of her, but in the meantime, Tin-chi is hailed as the new Wing Chun master of the city, inevitably leading to one more match.
Wilson Yip directs a movie where the dramatic element is much more significant than before, with the single father, the sick wife, and the fighting sons being the main mediums of this approach, which actually works quite well, particularly in the second factor. As such, Lynn Hung is quite good in the part of the wife, with her arc also presenting one of the messages of the movie, “love thy family”. Granted, the very finale moves in intently melodramatic paths, but as a whole, the drama works here, also as a relief from the masculine action.
As usual, however, the focus is on martial arts, and in that regard, the combination of crew and actors results in a true martial arts extravaganza. Donnie Yen is his usual, lightning speed-self, but the surprise comes from Max Zhang, a former Wu Shu athlete and stunt actor, whose performance is equal with Yen’s, both in his stand-alone scenes and the ones where the two appear together. Particularly the three latter, the two when they face scores of enemies and the one when they face each other, are the movie’s highlights, as they showcase their abilities, as much as Yuen Woo-ping’s choreography and Cheung Ka-fai’s frantic editing. The duel between Mike Tyson and Donnie Yen is also impressive, with the broken glasses working excellently here. However, there seems to be too much respect for both performers, with the duel ending up in a highly unsatisfactory, “not wishing to disappoint any kind of audience” fashion. As an attraction, though, it definitely works.
It is hard to say if “Ip Man 3” is better than the previous entries in the franchise, since it seems to focus more on impression than the two that came before it. At the same time, though, it is highly entertaining, while Max Zhang is probably the best co-protagonist Donnie Yen had found so far, at least in terms of fighting skills. As such, it is a film that will not disappoint neither the fans of the franchise nor martial arts cinema aficionados.
