Master Z is no different, with its inclusion of a nearly all-Asian cast and telling moments of Hong Kong history.
Did a drunk customer throw money in your face? Smash his belongings! Has a gang burned down your house? Burn theirs too! Did someone kill your friend? Drop your kid off to the closest woman and embark on a potential suicide mission to kill him back! It’s almost funny, this level of one-upmanship that goes back and forth with only Yeoh’s character bothering to rise above any of it.įoreign films that feature non-white casts perform well at Mediaversity, since they diversify what Americans (and to a broader extent, Westerners) see onscreen. Ignore the genre’s noncommittal proclamations about only using martial arts to defend oneself-actions speak louder than words.Īnd by “action”, Tin-Chi picks up every single gauntlet that’s been tossed in his direction. As for the men, Tin-Chi is just as immature as any other action hero who can never turn the other cheek.
#Ip man the legacy movie#
Still, the testosterone-filled movie never critiques Fu’s problematic behavior and still posits their relationship as a romantic one, despite it being firmly one-sided.Īll of this can be chalked up to generic toxic masculinity that rules the wuxia genre-you have strong but flat women who can fight (Ngan Kwan), homemaker “good girls” (Julia), or drug-addled “bad girls” who get slapped around (Nana). As her boss, Fu chases Nana’s skirts like a teen with a crush, even though she never appears to like him and definitely doesn’t return his affections. She plays the love interest of Julia’s brother, Fu (Xing Yu).
And there we have it! One of only two times the film passes the Bechdel test. (Yes, the fanservice is as blatant as it sounds.) Julia chides Nana for not wearing any clothes around the house, and Nana huffs back that Julia’s no better. I’ll just leave you with this: One of the only times Master Z squeaks past the Bechdel test involves Julia bringing Tin-Chi and his son back to their apartment, only to see Nana standing in the hallway in just her underwear.
#Ip man the legacy free#
Oh, and she gets saddled with Tin-Chi’s kid as he goes traipsing after revenge, so she doubles as free childcare. Julia (Yan Liu) plays the romantic lead who gets a few cutesy whacks in to prove she isn’t totally useless.but then is totally useless for the rest of the film and desperately needs the protagonist, Cheung Tin-Chi (Jin Zhang), to be her savior. After Ngan Kwan, the other two female characters fall deeply down the well of sexist tropes. Unfortunately, she does remain attached to the narrative of her idiotic younger brother Tso Sai Kit (Kevin Cheng) and has only been granted power thanks to her father’s legacy, not because she earned it herself in any way.Īnd that’s the good part. Her backstory does feel more complex than those of other supporting roles, but that’s not difficult considering the flatness of most characters in this film. The film’s standard redemption plot and rote characters require little to no thought, so take it at face value.ĭoes it pass the Bechdel Test ? YES, but barelyīy virtue of Michelle Yeoh alone, who plays gang leader Tso Ngan Kwan, Masters Z enjoys a badass woman whose fight scenes prove the 56-year old Yeoh still has it going on. Just don’t go in expecting any kind surprise. The end result is a breezy good time, especially on the big screen if you can catch it in theaters. If you’ve seen any of Yuen’s past works, whether his 1970s classics or his choreography in films like The Matrix (1999) or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), you’ll know you’re in for a visual feast. But the venerable director Yuen Woo-Ping continues his brand of inventive martial arts with Master Z, a film that succeeds at its modest goals of delivering high production values and whipcrack action. The latest in Hong Kong's successful Ip Man series-inspired by real life wing chun master by the same name-doesn't deviate from kung fu movie norms. Keep an eye out for Master Z: Ip Man Legacy when it lands Stateside on April 12. Writers: Edmond Wong 👨🏻🇭🇰 and Chan Tai Lee 👨🏻🇭🇰 Title: Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018) / Traditional Chinese: 葉問外傳：張天志
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