He taught them how to fight. Now his spirit teaches them how to stand.
Ip Man 5 (2025) delivers a powerful and emotionally resonant return to the legendary saga of the Wing Chun grandmaster, portrayed once again by the incomparable Donnie Yen. Though the fourth film seemed to close the book on Master Ip’s story, this fifth and final installment reopens it—not as a continuation, but as a reflection, a reckoning, and a torch-passing rooted in both tradition and revolution.
Set in the late 1970s, nearly a decade after Ip Man’s death, the film follows Ip Ching, one of Ip Man’s real-life sons and disciples, who returns to Hong Kong to reestablish his father’s school amid growing Western influence and rising martial arts commercialization. But when an underground fight syndicate, backed by corrupt officials and foreign investors, begins exploiting traditional martial arts for profit, the soul of kung fu itself is at risk.
Through a series of flashbacks, visions, and unfinished lessons, Ip Ching is guided by the presence of his father—played by Donnie Yen in newly shot scenes and ethereal sequences. He must not only fight for respect but redefine what it means to be a master in a world that no longer bows to discipline, honor, or restraint.
Directed by Wilson Yip, Ip Man 5 brings back the franchise’s signature mix of poetic martial arts choreography and deep philosophical weight. With appearances by real-life Wing Chun masters, a hauntingly beautiful score, and the most personal fight scenes of the series, this is more than a sequel—it’s a final salute.
Because while fists may fade… legacy never does.
