This review will be spoiler-free.
How to Watch: Rent from Amazon from $3.99(US)
Starring: Jet Li, Li Sun, Yong Dong
Director: Ronny Yu
Writers: Chris Chow, Richard Epcar (dubbed version)
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: 09/22/2006
Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes
Style: Action, Drama, Chinese, Kung Fu, Wuxia
More information can be found on the movies’ IMDB page.
It is very common for Chinese films to feature Historical Chinese heroes. Many well-known actors have played the same figures. Donnie Yen, Gordon Liu, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Sammo Hung, Vincent Zhao, and recently by Eddie Peng have all played Wong Fei Hung. Other popular martial artist characters throughout Chinese film include Lam Sai Wing, Chen Zhen (a fictional character), Ip Man, and the protagonist of this film Huo Yuan Jia. I would make an argument that Bruce Lee is taking his place among these folk heroes in film, but that may be for another article.
Here is the Spark Notes version of who Huo Yuan Jia was. At a time when China’s governments were crumbling foreign powers were sinking their teeth into China. Huo Yuan Jia accepted the challenge of foreign fighters after a Russian strong man referred to the Chinese as the “Sick men of Asia” (sounds familiar)? After he grew popular for taking action against foreign rule he established the Jing Wu Athletic Society.
Re-watching Jet Li’s Fearless has made me long for the days when Jet Li was at his peak. I was not alive or old enough to witness his early career in China with films like Born to Defense or Fists of Legend. But I was just the right age for Kiss of the Dragon, The One, and Unleashed. From the year 2000 to 2006 Jet Li made seven films but only two of them were Chinese productions, Hero and Fearless. Jet Li could have retired after these two films and his career in Hollywood, having just done some of the best work of his career. This was meant to be Jet Li’s swan song as he left the world of Wushu films behind. Did his final outing as the Jet Li we all remember hold up to his films of the mid-90s?
Overview
There are many inaccuracies to the life of Huo Yuan Jia. The story being told in this film really is still quite beautiful. Fearless is about Huo Yuan Jia’s journey to become the folk hero he is today. His journey is not about fighting a competitor stronger than himself but about his internal struggle as he must work to understand the meaning of respect. Huo Yuan Jia wins his fights in the ring, but his true battle is within. He mistakes fame for respect and he strains relationships with people close to him. It is only until he experiences great tragedy that he can stop and learn without using his fists.
Story Review: 8.5/10
Pros
Fearless opens with Huo Yuan Jia taking on westerners in three fights, each using different weapons, before cutting to a younger and more immature Huo Yuan Jia. Yuan Jia fights gracefully with respect of his opponent. He does not fight for himself, but he fights for his people. He is graceful and fluid as every bit of movement serves a purpose. Yuan Jia picks his moments to take the offensive and when there is an opening to end the battle, he ends it. Compare these opening and final fights of the film with his fights in the middle of the film. When Huo Yuan Jia fights to prove that he is the best, his movements are sporadic. He takes the offensive from the beginning as every motion is forward.
Anyone reading this may wonder why I am bringing this up in the story review and not the martial arts review but in this film, the fight scenes are just as important to the story as the dialogue or characters.
This is part of the brilliance of Jet Li’s performance throughout the film. He can convey emotion and character through his body language and choreography. The Huo Yuan Jia seen in the first three minutes is not the same man seen thirty minutes into the film. If the choreography does not do it, then maybe take a look at how Huo Yuan Jia is dressed in the film.
An older Yuan Jia is dressed in white, the color of purity and wisdom. While his younger self dresses in more darker tones. When his most loyal friend explains to him that his students are using him, Yuan Jia is wearing gray. Yuan Jia ignores the advice of his friend while wearing an emotionless color. When Yuan Jia carelessly murders another master, he is wearing black (a color of death, aggression, and fear). Color is heavily used in the Jet Li film Hero. The color of the clothes in the film was well thought out. Even the character Tanaka is mostly seen wearing a dark blue, a color most associated with wisdom and friendship. Those two words easily describe the character.
Two of my favorite moments strangely involve metaphors about plants. When Huo Yuan Jia is learning how to plant rice he is told that plants cannot be planted too close to one another. They each need space to grow and that space should be respected. The other comes during his first interaction with Tanaka. While the two discuss tea, Tanaka tries to explain the differences in different types of the drink. Yuan Jia explains to Tanaka why he has no interest in learning the different grades of tea. “All teas are grown in nature with little discernible difference.” Therefore, there is no point in grading the variations of the plant.
This is a simple yet powerful metaphor for the different styles that make up Wushu, the different people of China at a time of fractured ideologies, and of the people of the world when western culture saw China as weak and feeble.
Cons
While the character development is some of the best things about the film, the heavy-handed attitudes are hard to ignore. Huo Yuan Jia is immature and concerned with fighting instead of his responsibility as a leader of his community. The personality of the character is bombastic in nearly every way.
I’m sure this was completely on purpose as it is about the lessons that Huo Yuan Jia learns. The personalities could have used some toning down.
Martial Arts Review: 9.5/10
Pros
The fight scenes in this film are not perfect but they may be as close as you can get. Choreography can be a mixture of interpretive art and objective science. Some of the best choreography when put together tastefully just feels right. At times it is brash and intense, other times it is precise, and to the point. Sometimes both blend into a beautiful flurry of speed and reason. I say choreography is like objective science because even though it is an artistic expression, there are moments when everything falls into place. Seeing one character make a move and how the other reacts with the correct answer is beautiful.
The discussion of martial arts within the dialogue is a major factor of this film. A child Yuan Jia tells his mother that he wants to learn Wushu to avenge the family’s honor. His mother explains to him that “Wushu is not about winning. It is about discipline and self-restraint. One practices Wushu for inner strength and to help the weak.”. This lesson is mirrored when he witnesses his father purposefully lose a fight. Huo Yuan Jia reaches his highest point when he repeats his father’s actions. His victory comes from his display of passion and respect for his opponent.
Cons
The only faults in this film’s fight scenes come from editing decisions. A few Wu Xia style fights scenes utilize wirework. In these fights, there are very noticeable jump cuts. The cuts do not lead to different angles as the shot stays in one place. The editors decided to take out one or two frames every few seconds, leading to some very jarring cuts. This only occurs within two of the fight scenes, but it takes the viewer out of the scene.
Overall Review: 9/10
Conclusion
I feel bad for how long this review is. This is a very dense film. The average martial arts movie is just that on almost every level. Jet Li’s Fearless proves time and time again to be so much more than that. I would argue that this film stands alongside Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon as an Academy Award-worthy film. The cinematography is beautiful, fights are nearly perfect, and Jet Li among others in the film are captivating in their physical and emotional performances. I have so much more to say about this film, but this needs to wrap up. This film is not perfect. I do not believe that this is a great martial arts film. I believe that on the wider scale of film, as a medium of entertainment and artistic merit, Jet Li’s Fearless is a fantastic film.
What do you think? Did you like Fearless or not? Let me know in the comments section below!
Check out my Youtube channel where I review and discuss martial arts films.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUYUbj1Rjnf07S3UbVvKZ0Q?view_as=subscriber
- Five Bad Martial Arts Sequels - November 22, 2021
- The Top Five Essential Films of Jet Li - March 8, 2021
- Essential Film of Jackie Chan - December 4, 2020
One of my favorite films of all time. I love the lessons, the story. Its so good – Grew up watching so many different martial arts movie because of elder brother, and they were always so fun and entertaining to watch. Great review and keep it up with the training osu! respect