With lush production design and elegant camerawork, this epic melodrama pits old traditions against modern times, celebrating the craft of kung fu in style. Seemingly arbitrary rules of combat and stubborn macho posturing lend a wry, comic undertone to a dazzling display of lightning-fast fighting.

One of the screenwriters on Wong Kar Wai’s kung fu epic The Grandmaster, director Xu Haofeng knows a thing or two about the art of the fight. With dynamic choreography and a breathtaking, weapons-heavy climax, The Final Master is a period action film with a killer eye for clarity in combat.