Today’s quick review: The Final Master. To earn permission to open a martial arts school in Tianjin and pass down the secrets of Wing Chun, Master Chen Shi (Liao Fan) must train an apprentice to defeat the champions of eight other schools. Chen picks Geng Liangchen (Song Yang), a street laborer, and turns him into a formidable warrior. But the politics of the situation mean that Chen may have to sacrifice his apprentice to open his school.
The Final Master is a martial arts drama set in 1930s Tianjin, a transitional period for the city’s martial arts schools. The Final Master charts one outsider’s attempts to open a school of his own in the face of opposition from the city’s reigning masters. Knife-based action, Chen’s delicate scheme, and political maneuvering in a historical setting help carve out a niche for the film. However, its complexity and presentation style hurt it as a story.
The Final Master is a rarity: a film that focuses on plot just as much as it does on action. The fights are sharp, well-choreographed, and plentiful, impressive displays of Chen and Geng’s prowess with knives against a wide variety of foes. The plot dives into the byzantine politics of the martial arts schools in 1930s Tianjin. Chen must go to great lengths to establish his school, and even then, he’s buffeted by forces beyond his control.
But The Final Master can also be too slick for its own good. The plot is woven out of numerous threads, each one with nuances that are easy to miss. Knowing just what is going on means keeping careful track of the characters, their motivations, and the ever-changing rules of the game they’re playing. Likewise the action can be hard to follow on several occasions when it hides information for dramatic effect.
Still, these aren’t major hurdles for viewers who are willing to put in the effort or those who are simply in it for the action. For the right viewer, The Final Master is a solidly constructed watch with a nice balance of spectacle and intrigue. Fans of the dramatic side of the martial arts genre will want to give it a shot. Steer clear if you’re looking for a story that’s happy or simple.
For a historical martial arts movie about the popularization of Wing Chun, try Ip Man. For a more biographical martial arts drama, try Fearless.
7.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for strong stunt work and an interesting plot, hurt somewhat by the way its story is executed.