The Final Master

Plot

The film begins with a duel in which Geng Liangchen, an apprentice of Wing Chun Grandmaster Chen Shi, defeats Madame Zou’s champion in a humiliating fashion. The story then moves back in time to Chen Shi’s arrival in Tianjin, a city with a strong martial arts tradition. Chen defeats all the disciples of Grandmaster Zheng Shan’ao, the head of Tianjin’s martial arts community. Impressed, Zheng learns that Chen practices Wing Chun, a southern style not widely known in the north.

They share a concern that the true secrets of martial arts are rarely taught, as masters can only pass their knowledge to two students in a lifetime. Zheng offers to help Chen open a school if Chen agrees to teach his secrets. Chen refuses, wanting instead to open a school on his own to build his reputation. He invokes a rule that allows him to do so if he defeats eight of Tianjin’s schools.

Zheng warns that this path will lead to his expulsion and suggests Chen train a local disciple to defeat the eight schools instead. Chen estimates this will take three years, but Zheng insists he has no choice and already has a candidate in mind.

Chen decides he needs a local wife and proposes to Zhao, a waitress at a restaurant. Zhao is an outcast because she had a child with a foreigner at age seventeen. They agree to a sham marriage: she will never ask about his business in Tianjin, and he will take her shopping and bring her crab for dinner. Despite the arrangement, they maintain a physical relationship. One day, thugs attack Chen and Zhao, and Chen easily fights them off. This catches the attention of Geng, a rickshaw coolie. Geng visits their home, primarily to see Zhao’s beauty, and challenges Chen to a duel. Chen defeats him soundly but decides to take Geng on as a disciple. Meanwhile, Madame Zou has her own plans to seize control of Tianjin’s martial arts community, setting the stage for conflict.

Release

The Final Master first hit theaters in China and Taiwan in December 2015. Its North American premiere came at the Seattle International Film Festival on May 28, 2016, where director Xu Haofeng was in attendance. Xu then hosted preview screenings in San Francisco on May 30 and Los Angeles on June 1 of that year. Well Go USA brought the film to the United States on a Blu-ray and DVD combo pack, plus video on demand, on July 25, 2017. The combo includes two featurettes and a trailer.

Reception

Critics gave the film generally favorable marks, with a 71% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 17 reviews and a 72 out of 100 score on Metacritic from 13 critics. At the 52nd Golden Horse Awards, it won Best Choreography and was also nominated for Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress. Additionally, it received nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress at the 31st Golden Rooster Awards.