Ip Man 4: The Finale | 2019 | TV-MA | – 5.5.4

Why is “Ip Man 4: The Finale” rated TV-MA? The TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board rating indicates that “this program is specifically designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for children under 17.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a glimpse of a topless woman, many fight scenes with bloody wounds and broken bones shown in a few, and some strong language and name-calling. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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Donnie Yen reprises his role as Ip Man, Bruce Lee’s martial arts teacher: following the death of his wife and his own cancer diagnosis, he travels to San Francisco in the 1960s, encounters a lot of anti-Chinese bigotry and fights several American racists. Also with Scott Adkins, Danny Kwok-Kwan Chan, Vanness Wu, Jim Liu, Kent Cheng, Yue Wu and Vanda Margraf. Directed by Wilson Yip. Many lines of dialogue are spoken in Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles. [Running Time: 1:47]

Ip Man 4: The Finale SEX/NUDITY 5

 – A topless woman is seen briefly in the background of a scene and we see her bare breasts and abdomen. Cheerleaders wear short skirts that flip up to reveal bare legs to the hips and undergarment.

Ip Man 4: The Finale VIOLENCE/GORE 5

 – Two men fight and many punches and kicks land before one man is kicked in the leg twice and we hear a crunch as he cries out in pain (his leg has been broken and we see him in a hospital bed later), and the other man kicks him in the head while he is on the ground (we see blood on his face and head). Several men threaten several other men and they fight in a street: one man fights three men and knocks them all to the ground, another man invites the man to fight him and the two fight in an alley with punches and kicks landing and throwing each of them until one man has a bloody face and one man swings nunchakus; he is struck in the head with them and the other man takes them away from him to use them on him several times before kicking him and throwing him to the ground. Two men fight with many punches and kicks landing and each man suffering bloody face wounds; one man is scratched on the eye and we see it bloodied and swollen closed, one man is kicked in the arm and fights with only one arm after his arm is injured, one man is pinned on the ground and punched repeatedly in the head, and then kicked in the arm (breaking it with a crunch) and finally jabbed in the neck, causing him to fall to the ground gasping and moaning.
► Several teen boys grab a teen girl, slam her face into a fence (we see a bloody cut), and hold her while another teen girl slaps her in the face repeatedly and then cuts her hair off; the second teen is thrown into the fence and cuts her face with the scissors (we see blood), and a man intervenes against the boys and gets his arm caught in a gate (we later see a bruise) before pinching one boy’s nose, pulling one boy’s ear, and hitting one boy on the leg with a stick and they run away. A man hits another man in the face with his elbow, he kicks several others and they crash through a window and into furniture, a man’s arm is broken (we hear a crunch), several other men and a woman are kicked and thrown and we see them with bloody faces and bruises. Two men fight and one is thrown to the mat where the other punches him repeatedly in quick succession before stomping on his head; one is struck in the ribs and thrown to the mat (we hear a crunch). Two men fight and one is kicked out of the ring and into a crowd (we see his bloody face and he holds his ribs), the remaining man fights another man and then a woman and the man is thrown out of the ring, the woman is thrown to the mat after several punches and kicks are thrown and another man intervenes and prevents the attacker from kicking the woman in the head. A man fights with another man in a military training session and holds him on the mat with his arm twisted behind him as the pinned man says he surrenders, and another man yells in his face and kicks him in the head for surrendering. Two men fight in a military training session and one is kicked and thrown to the floor ending the fight. Two men fight and damage pieces of furniture when they are thrown into them; one man is thrown toward a metal pole and stops himself before crashing into it, and both men stand on top of a table and are interrupted by an earthquake that shakes the building and a chandelier above them crashes onto the table (neither is harmed).
► Two teenage boys fight over a comic book and one ends up pinning the other on the floor and hitting him repeatedly (we see one boy later with a couple of bloody bruises on his face and a bandage on his arm); one boy is expelled from school. A man and his teenage son argue and the man slaps the boy in the face. A man and his teenage daughter argue and the man slaps her in the face.
► Two men yell at each other, one shoves the other, one tries to kick the other in the chest, and another man intervenes kicking his foot and throwing him to the floor. Two men wearing protective equipment fight in a ring and kicks and punches land with one man ending up being knocked to the mat. Two men struggle over a table pushing a large piece of glass back and forth until it shatters (no injuries are seen). A martial arts demonstration shows a man punching another man hard in the chest and he is thrown back into a chair (the punched man is holding a cushion in front of his chest and no injuries are seen).
► A man yells at soldiers in several scenes, belittling them as he yells orders at them. A teen girl accuses another teen girl of attacking her and cutting her face (we later see the cut bandaged). A teen girl argues with a coach over choosing another girl after a competition and she accuses her of cheating. A sergeant orders Chinese recruits to run extra laps as punishment. People at a cultural festival yell at several men that take the stage and taunt them to fight; one of the men on stage breaks a pile of cement blocks with his hand. A man argues with a teen boy and grabs him when he won’t go to the phone to speak with his father; the man tells the boy that his father has cancer and then he goes to the phone and cries.
► A man visits his wife’s grave and seems very sad. We see the X-ray of a man’s head and neck as a doctor tells the man that he has a malignant tumor and that he recommends chemotherapy and to stop smoking. We see a man in a hospital bed with bandages around his torso and we hear that he has a broken rib. We see rubble in a street after an earthquake. A man sets a wooden martial arts training dummy on fire. We see a funeral with many mourners gathered and are told that a man died at 79 from head and neck cancer.
► There is a splatter of blood on the title screen.

Ip Man 4: The Finale LANGUAGE 4

 – 4 scatological terms, 9 anatomical terms (1 implied), 8 mild obscenities, 7 derogatory terms for Chinese people, 2 derogatory terms for African-American people, name-calling (nuts, spoiled, arrogant, dramatic, tedious, fugitive, wooden girlfriend, stupidity, inferior race, filthy cultures, racist, illegal aliens, old man, “do good Marshall,” White people, cowards, backstabbing, Kung Fu charlatans, savages, criminals, sonny, phonies, devil, accomplice, pale face, yellow monkey, Kung Fu man, you people), exclamations (hurry up, shut your mouth, move it, get up, freaking, scram, get lost), 1 religious profanity (GD), 1 religious exclamation (God). | profanity glossary |

Ip Man 4: The Finale SUBSTANCE USE

 – A man pours a glass of whiskey. A man smokes a cigarette and coughs, a few men smoke cigarettes, and a man is told that he has cancer and that he must stop smoking.

Ip Man 4: The Finale DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Martial arts training, family, cancer, racism, patience, being a teenager, Chinese labor, revenge, immigration, consequences, the Gold Rush, bullies, supporting children and their choices, self-confidence, traditions, hatred, bigotry, injustice, the US Marines.

Ip Man 4: The Finale MESSAGE

 – Kung Fu masters can use their skills to find racists in the American armed forces.