Jet Li's Fearless (Unrated Widescreen Edition)
by Ronny Yu
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Betty Sun, Hee Ching Paw, Jet Li, Shidō Nakamura, Yong DongDirector: Ronny Yu
Brand: NBC Universal
Producer: Jet Li
Producer: Ronny Yu
Producer: Buting Yang
Producer: Er-Dong Liu
Producer: Philip Lee
Writer: Chi-long To
Writer: Chris Chow
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Cantonese (Original Language); English (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1; Mandarin Chinese (Published)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.40:1
Running Time: 104 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-12-19
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Rogue Pictures
Movie Reviews of Jet Li's Fearless (Unrated Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: A fitting capper to Jet Li's martial arts career
Summary: 5 Stars
If this really is Jet Li's final martial arts film, then he went out in dazzling fashion. Now, by no means have I seen all of Jet Li's flicks, but, of all the ones I've seen, FEARLESS has to rank in my top two, sharing honors with HERO. His acting here is nuanced enough that he brings the historical figure Huo Yuanjia to graceful life for his audiences. It helps that Yuanjia's life philosophies closely mirror those of Jet Li's. They both adhere to the belief that the true purpose of wushu is not to merely best a foe in conflict but to, in fact, strengthen one's body, mind, and soul; thus, in a way, this movie also becomes a mini-bio on the actor himself. And need I even mention Jet Li's awesome talents as a martial artist?
In terms of style, FEARLESS is more grounded and earthy than the ethereal CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, and HERO, with a cinematography that is remarkable if not as ambitious in scope as those three other films. Being now 42 years old, Jet Li wanted FEARLESS to have something of weight to say. This film pretty much encapsulates Jet Li's beliefs with regards to wushu. Although the first leg of the film is laden with galvanic, flesh-crunching fight sequences which seem to celebrate violence for violence's sake, the film later transforms itself into a thoughtful and somewhat bittersweet quest for redemption: redemption for the man Huo Yuanjia and for his beleaguered country of China.
Plot and SPOILERS begin: FEARLESS is the turn-of-the-century tale of celebrated Chinese martial artist Huo Yuanjia, who formed the Jingwu Sports Federation and attempted to instill higher ideals within the face of organized fighting. Back then, in the Qing Dynasty, China was considered weak and rudderless, bullied by foreign powers, and mockingly nicknamed the "Sick Man of Asia." Into this turbulent setting, in the town of Tianjin, young, asthma-ridden Huo Yuanjia grows up, wanting to be a great fighter like his father, who competes in martial arts contests, each time having to sign a death waiver. However, his father sternly discourages Huo from training in the martial arts (or "wushu," which means "way of combat"), instead instructing him to practice on his calligraphy. But Huo is adamant and learns to fight anyway. He grows up and becomes a very skilled but arrogant wushu fighter, gaining fame and notoriety. He wins 38 matches in a row and begins a martial arts school. Along the way, he picks up plenty of bootlickers and freeloaders who pass themselves off as friends.
But one disastrous and ill-advised fight changes everything, for him and his family. This devastating tragedy causes Huo to become crazed and to wander off and end up in a distant village. There, in his bedraggled and shell-shocked state, he is tended to by a blind girl named Moon and becomes attuned to the villagers' simple ways. As he grows closer to Moon, he also comes upon and embraces a redefining system of values which he then adapts into his fighting style and into his approach to life.
Having fully recovered, he leaves the tiny village and returns to his school in Tianjin, only to find it destitute and deserted, except for one remaining faithful servant. Determined, he sets out to re-establish his school via competition. Huo ends up facing a monstrous American wrestler named Hercules O'Brien, who he then beats in the ring. Huo becomes a celebrity, which causes worry to surface within the Foreign Chamber of Commerce, who holds China in its firm grasp. Fearing that Huo would become a source of Chinese national pride, the Foreign Chamber issues a challenge for him to engage four fearsome fighters in separate matches, all four matches to take place in the course of one day. Huo accepts, and, in 1910, Shanghai, he fights them. END SPOILERS.
Director Ronny Yu (BRIDE OF CHUCKY, FREDDY VS. JASON) and action director/choreographer Yuen Wo Ping combine their skills to create a harmonious masterpiece of action and philosophy, of brutality and grace, of fighting the good fight and also of turning the other cheek. Ronny Yu manages to maintain a nice pace and also draws out some very credible emoting from his cast. Besides the fine work of Jet Li, there are the more than adequate performances of Dong Yong as Yuanjia's childhood friend Jinsun, Nakamura Shidou as Yuanjia's honorable final opponent Tanaka, and the beautiful Sun Li, who makes her film debut as the serene, blind village girl Moon.
Meanwhile, Yuen Wo Ping continues to dole out jaw-dropping combat sequences. It certainly lends even more credibility that the combatants are mostly legitimate fighters as Jet's opponents range from an English boxer, a Belgian blade & lance fighter, to an expert in Spanish swordfighting. Of course, no one has more credibility than Jet Li himself, who, before retiring at the age of 17, had been the All-Around National Wushu Champion of China for numerous years. In fact, Jet Li is so fast that the camera needed to be filmed at 6 times its normal speed to fully capture all of his movements. With wire work kept to a minimum, we are treated to more realisticallly depicted fight scenes. The lofty platform sequence (with those ascending wooden posts) and the fateful fight in the restaurant, by the way, are the two standouts in the midst of what already are amazing action sequences.
Sad to say, the meager special features consist of only one deleted scene and a 16-minute behind the scenes look which does include an interview with Jet Li. But never mind that. If Jet Li did indeed decide to exit the martial arts genre, then FEARLESS is a fitting capper. It definitely offers acrobatic, action-packed moments of mayhem while simultaneously remaining sensitive, thought-provoking, and inspirational. This milestone film is textured enough to hold resonance for all the cravers of chop-socky, historical buffs, and thoughtful cinemaphiles of the world. Thank you, Jet Li.
Summary of Jet Li's Fearless (Unrated Widescreen Edition)
Inspired by the true story of a real-life hero, Fearless is a thrilling masterpiece from action superstar Jet Li. When an ill-advised fight destroys the reputation of a renowned martial arts champion (Li) and his family, his difficult path to redemption will bring him face-to-face with the most ferocious fighters in the world. Orchestrated by Yuen Wo Ping, the legendary choreographer of The Matrix and Kill Bill, this sensational, riveting epic is being described as "astounding" and "visually stunning with brilliantly executed fight sequences" (Pete Hammond, Maxim). Starring: Jet Li, Nakamura Shidou, Sun Li, Dong Yong, Betty Sun, Nathan Jones, Collin Chou, Harada Masato Directed by: Ronnie Yu, Ronny YuA moving and inspiring story of redemption and personal triumph in the face of great odds, Jet Li's Fearless is the based-on-facts story of Chinese folk hero Huo Yuanjia (Jet Li). The son of a martial-arts master whose greatest strength was his restraint, Huo grows into an unbeatable fighter whose pride and thoughtlessness lead to a chain of tragic losses. After a classic wanderer-in-the-wilderness penance, Huo reinvents himself as a mature instructor of Wushu, a martial arts system that embraces all forms of fighting without preference or pre-judgement. He also becomes a populist symbol, at the dawn of the 20th century, of China's refusal to entirely capitulate to the boot of Western colonialists. Taking on whatever European, American, or Japanese fighter the outsiders bring in to demoralize the natives, Huo becomes a legend that, in real life, is still revered. Thrillingly directed by Ronny Yu (Warriors of Virtue), Jet Li?s Fearless is a dazzling action movie that transcends its breathless fight sequences with Huo's sportsmanship virtues, i.e., knowing when you've won by example, rather than by the fist. Jet Li is superb in the role. --Tom Keogh
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