The Final Master

The Final Master
Traditional	師父
Simplified	师父
Mandarin	Shi Fu
Directed by	Xu Haofeng
Produced by	Luo Xiaoxi Lisa Li Xu Haofeng[1]
Screenplay by	Xu Haofeng
Starring	Liao Fan Song Jia Jiang Wenli Chin Shi-Chieh Huang Jue Song Yang
Music by	An Wei
Cinematography	Wang Tianlin
Production company	Beijing Century Partner Culture & Media Inc. Heyi Pictures Magilm Pictures Wuxi Jieao Entertainment Beijing Aizhi Ganchun Art Thousands Delight Pictures Funeng Investment Qianhe Zhiyuan (Beijing) Capital Management Beijing Weiying Shidai Technology[2]
Distributed by	Magilm Pictures Huaxia Film Distribution Beijing Weiying Shidai Technology Jumai (Tianjin) Film Plan YL Pictures[2] United Entertainment Partners (North and Latin America)
Release date	11 November 2015 (2015-11-11) (Taiwan, Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival) 11 December 2015 (2015-12-11) (China) 3 June 2016 (2016-06-03) (North America)
Running time	109 minutes
Country	China
Language	Mandarin

The Final Master is a 2015 Chinese martial arts action film written, co-produced, and directed by Xu Haofeng, about the last Wing Chun master’s quest to pass down his art in pre-WWII China.^[1][3] The film stars Liao Fan, Jiang Wenli, Chin Shi-Chieh, Song Jia and Song Yang.^[4][5] The film was nominated for Best Screenplay, Best Choreography and Best Supporting Actress at the 33rd Golden Horse Awards. It won Best Choreography.^[6][7]

Plot

The story follows the journey of Wing Chun Grandmaster Chen, the last surviving practitioner and his attempt to open a Martial Arts School in Tianjin, a city known for its martial arts culture. Intertwined with Chen's ambition is that of Madame Zou who has her designs for taking control of the Martial Arts community in Tianjin.

The film opens with Geng Liangchen (Chen Shi's Apprentice) thoroughly humiliating Madame Zou's champion in a duel.

The film then cuts back in time to Chen Shi's arrival in Tianjin. Chen defeats all of Grandmaster Zheng Shan'ao's disciples. Zheng is a the Grandmaster of Tianjin Martial Art community. Zheng is impressed by Chen and learns that Chen practices Wing Chun - a little known southern style at the time. The two lament about the fact the the true secrets of Martial Arts are not taught widely and masters are restricted to passing their arts to two students in their lifetime. Zheng makes a proposition to Chen to remedy this and proposes that Chen open up a school with his help in Tianjin if Chen is willing to teach his secrets.

Chen declines this offer and chooses to open a school anyways to enhance his personal reputation. Chen cites a rule that allows him to open a school if he defeats eight of the Tianjin schools. Zheng warned Chen that if he chooses this route he will be expelled. Zheng proposes that Chen train a local disciple who will defeat the Eight schools. Chen said this will take three years but Zheng tells him he has no choice. Zheng tells Chen he already has a candidate for Chen's disciple.

Chen decides he needs to marry a local woman and proposes marriage to the waitress at the restaurant he is at. The waitress, Zhao, was a pariah because she had a child with a foreigner when she was 17. Zhao laughs at his proposal but this is remedy by Zheng's later intervention. Chen and Zhao arrangement was that the two maintained appearances as a poor couple. She is to never ask him what he is doing in Tianjin and he will take her shopping and bring her crab for dinner. Despite the sham marriage the two of them have a continued physical (sexual) relationship.

One day Chen and Zhao is beset by thugs who Chen easily dispatches. This catches the attention of Geng a local rickshaw coolie. Geng pays a visit to Chen and Zhao's residence - mostly to look at how beautiful Zhao is. He challenges Chen to a duel. Chen soundly defeats Geng but decides to accept him as a disciple.

Chen then tells Zheng that he has a new disciple and that the disciple Zheng had originally picked out for him, Duan Rui, is no longer needed. Zheng then revealed his design to Chen. After the disciple defeats the 8 schools, Zheng will defeat the disciple and this will further enhance his reputation in the Martial Arts world. The consequence from this is that the disciple will have be cast out from Tianjin. Chen said that Geng is a nobody and doesn't pay a second thought that he will be cast out.

Geng turns out to be prodigy in Wing Chun and helped Chen attained the victories he needed well ahead of schedule. However, this draws the ire of Madame Zou who visits Chen with her thugs to find out what his intentions are. Chen disavows Geng's victories and Madame Zou decides to let him live on that basis. Zhao then realizes what Chen's ambitions are and that he intends to betray Geng. Chen angrily casts Zhao out.

Zheng is visited by a former student, Lin Xiwen, who is now an officer in the military. Lin told Zheng he arranged a meeting for him with the Viceroy and when Zheng attends the meeting he is told that the Viceroy will not be attending. Instead they are to film a demonstration for the Viceroy. Zheng thoroughly defeats Lin in sparring. However, Lin ambushes Zheng using his weapon and Lin is filmed defeating an injured Zheng. Madame Zou reveals that this was all her design to reestablish herself as the grandmaster. Zheng only became grandmaster after the death of Madame Zou's husband.

Zheng decided to leave for Brazil and refuses to fight Geng. Chen realizes his dream will likely not be achieved. Madama Zou invites Chen to tea and tells Chen that Geng will be considered an enemy. Chen offers that both he and Geng will leave Tianjin if Geng is not harmed. Madame Zou decides that both of them leaving will be seen by the world as the Tianjin Martial Arts community acting as a bully. She allows Chen to have his Wing Chun school for only one year after which Chen is to leave Tianjin.

Geng is attacked and defeats all of the thugs hired to attack him. Lin challenges Geng to a duel with knives but stabs him in the abdomen before Geng can even draw his knife. Lin offered to allow Geng to live but Geng would have to leave Tianjin and never return. Geng is driven to the countryside and left there. Geng remained stubborn and rather than get medical attention, stumbled back to town and died from blood loss.

On the day Chen was to open his school, Chen visits with the Tea Girl who tells him about her friend Geng who was famous for defeating the 8 schools. She presented Chen (at his bequest) one of Geng's books which had Geng's blood stained inside the pages. Chen is visibly moved by this. In opening ceremony for Chen's school, Madame Zou plays the film in which Zheng was defeated by Lin. Zou said Lin, the student, had overtaken his master and proclaims Lin the new grandmaster. Chen then challenges Lin and attacks him with a spear. Madame Zou blocks the attack and is stabbed in the chest. The film resumes and Chen is jumped by Madame Zou's thugs and held down. During this struggle one of Madame's Zou's thugs slits Lin throat. Zou blamed Chen for Lin's death and tells him he will not be allowed to live. Chen offers to share his secrets and train students for Madame Zou in exchange for his life. While getting ready for a demonstration Chen made an escape. The entire Tianjin martial arts community - all 19 schools - goes after him.

Chen is trapped in a narrow alleyway. The masters of each of the schools challenge him and he defeats every one of them. The final obstacle was Madame Zou and instead of harming her, Chen only cuts off her earring.

Chen then goes to the train station and does not see Zhao there. He assumes she has already left and he boards a train for Guangdong. Zhao meanwhile was waiting for him in a bakery just outside of the building where the opening ceremony was. She had prayed for Chen and was afraid the prayers would not work if she was too far away. She attends at the train station after he has left. She is confronted by Madame Zou and her people. Zou asks her if she knows what Chen has done. Zhao replied that she was ready to take whatever responsibility for her husband. Madame Zou decides to leave Zhao alone but leaves a spy to follow Zhao in order to deliver a message to Chen that he is to keep silent about what happened.

The film ends with Chen on the train looking into Geng's blood stained book.

Cast

Reception

The film grossed CN¥54.8 million at the Chinese box office.^[2]

The film was released in China and Taiwan in December 2015 to generally favorable reviews from critics. The film was nominated for 2015 Golden Horse Award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 52nd Golden Horse Film Awards, Best Supporting Actress and Best Choreography. The film won Best Choreography.^[6][7]

North American release

The film premiered at the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival on May 28, 2016.^[1] Director Xu Haofeng was present at the festival. Following its North America premiere, Director Xu travelled to San Francisco and Los Angeles to host preview screenings on May 30 and June 1, 2016, respectively. Well Go USA released the film in the United States on a Blu-ray and DVD combo package as well as Video on Demand on July 25, 2017. The combo package's special features include two featurettes and one trailer for the film.^[8]

References

External links

• Well Go USA official site
• The Final Master on IMDb
• The Final Master at AllMovie
• The Final Master at Box Office Mojo
• The Final Master at Metacritic
• The Final Master at Rotten Tomatoes