Fearless (2006) (DVD) (Director's Cut) (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region 3

Beyond this complicated state of affairs lies a worthwhile film, one which sees a most welcome move away from the CGI enhanced flying combat which has become so common of late. Fearless is very much an old fashioned film, based around honest heroism and righteousness and largely freed from the philosophical shoe gazing of Zhang Yimou or the wacky excesses of Tsui Hark, which have sadly come to typify the modern genre.

The film follows the life of Huo Yuan Jia (Jet Li), national hero and founder of the Jing Wu Sports Federation. Beginning with his early years of training in Tianjin and culminating in 1910 with an epic battle against four fighters who represent the foreign powers vying for control of China at the time. As such, the plot is nothing new, and plays faithfully to the template set down by countless Shaw Brothers films. Cocky, young fighter pursues fame and victory, discovers the tragic price of glory, hides out in the country, learns the spiritual side of beating people up, returns to face his enemies and confront his inner demons.

Although Fearless does gain some points for being based on actual events, however loosely, it nevertheless carries little dramatic weight. It has an highly predictable narrative that illustrates quite neatly why Li has chosen to move away from such roles. This is a criticism aimed at the vast majority of genre films and, whilst offering nothing new, Fearless at least tells the traditional tale with a good amount of heart. Though it gives little genuine insight into its central protagonist, it makes for inspirational and unexpectedly moving viewing. For what is essentially a well-paced, action-packed crowd pleaser, it is difficult to see whether the sizable portion of the film that was removed would have improved matters.

Director Yu thankfully shows a steadier hand here than he has of late, and manages to balance the different aspects of the film very well. Although much of the narrative is concerned with tragedy and oppression, Yu manages to work in a number of lighthearted touches, some of which are quite amusing. Visually, Fearless is a handsome affair, with some wonderfully ornate sets and gorgeous scenery providing the proceedings with a sure sense of place.

The film's main strength is its awesome fight scenes, expertly choreographed by genre master Yuen Woo Ping. The frequent battles are breathtaking, fast, and strangely elegant despite being filled with snapping limbs and spraying blood. Although at times slightly marred by gimmicky set ups, these moments lend the film a brutal air of realism that has been lacking in the genre. The action scenes dominate the film and make up for a fair amount of its running time, which is a definite bonus for Western viewers worried about the lack of English subtitles.

Although it may have its faults, and is at times a little hard to take seriously, Fearless undeniably makes for great entertainment. Wearing its heart on its sleeve, with a sincere sense of both national and personal pride, it makes for a rousing experience likely to be enjoyed by all viewers.

Movie Grade: 4/5

By James Mudge - BeyondHollywood.com

Well, fortunately for all of us, it's a definite bang. Jet, now in his mid-forties, may have slowed down a little, but he's still got the effortless grace and balance that made him a star. Watching this man move is almost a religious experience: as an admiring character in Blake's 7 once said, "Every part a moving part? Every move is executed beautifully, and every move is just as much as required, but not one hair's breadth more. Pure poetry."

Of course, we've seen from Jet's Hollywood movies that, no matter how great his skill, it's still possible to make it look like a dog's breakfast with poor direction and/or action choreography. Fortunately again, Jet's final martial arts film is graced by two masters in this field, in the form of Yuen Wo Ping (choreography) and Ronny Yu (direction). Yuen's fame has survived Hollywood, and he's known worldwide as the action choreographer of films such as The Matrix and Ang Lee's epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Yu fared a little worse in Hollywood, being relegated to teen slasher movies, but he's responsible for the Michael Hui comedy Chicken And Duck Talk, as well as the sublime wuxia fantasy The Bride With White Hair, so his credentials are solid.

And with three such masters in control, it wouldn't have been possible to bollix this up even if they'd all painted themselves purple and done the Chicken Dance. So what we see is a beautifully realized colonial China, with Jet as the jewel and centerpiece. Admittedly, he's not so appealing in the early part of the film, as the prideful and truculent scrapper: he's a trifle too old now to get away with that, and the character is less appealing than the endearingly boyish scrapper he played in Fong Sai Yuk.

But where Jet really shines is the second half of the film. He gives this role the gravitas that marked his turn in the Once Upon A Time In China series, and turns in a finely nuanced performance that compliments the fighting.

And the fighting is glorious. Oh, have I already mentioned that? Well, it deserves mentioning again. And again. And again. The film opens with Huo's contest against three foreign champions, which is such a gem of classic martial arts cinema as will bring tears to the eyes of enthusiasts. Jet demonstrates his mastery of several weapons of the traditional Chinese armory, and Yu and Yuen choreograph and film thoroughly credible fights in a spare elegant manner which shows off the skill of the participants.

One thing I haven't mentioned yet is the subtitles. There aren't any, I believe because it was a condition of the US distributor that the Hong Kong release had no English subs. So I was a little apprehensive going in. But, perhaps unsurprisingly, it didn't really make a bean of difference. The story is simple and clear enough without dialogue translations, and although there were a few subtleties in conversations that I missed, overall I had no difficulty following the plot. In fact, the lack of subtitles left me free to appreciate the soft beauty of the Mandarin language, as well as Jet's more mature performance.

So if the world of martial arts cinema absolutely has to lose Jet Li, this is a fine and fitting film to go out with.

8.5 three-section staffs out of 10

Review by Alison Jobling - heroic-cinema.com

First question: can Ronnie Yu and Jet Li still bring it old school style? Oh, yes. Yes, they can. The film is beautifully shot and with the exception of the improved effects could very easily have been a product of Hong Kong's golden age. It's been a while since Hong Kong made a film like this - overtly political, nostalgic, set in colonial times, etc - and this is a good one. I don't believe that it cracks Li's top tier of films and it will be a very hard sell to mainstream US audiences - more on that in a bit - but it is very, very good.

First, the quibbles, and there are a few.

Jet is getting old. At forty-three he's not over the hill yet but he is beginning to show his age and this impacts things in a few areas. I have never enjoyed Li in 'goofy young master mode' and that is intensely the case here. When it comes to physical comedy Li is no Stephen Chow, and never has been, but he just looks silly when playing the young version of Huo Yuan Jia for laughs in the early going. Not only is he obviously far older than the character he is playing at this point, but his version of youth consists too much of stumbling about and mugging for the camera. Thankfully this phase is over quickly and Li's undeniable screen presence begins to shine through once he is allowed to tap into the impatience, anger, and tragedy of the character.

More important to the martial arts fans out there, Li is visibly beginning to slow down. He is nowhere close to being over the hill yet, but he has definitely crested the peak. The fights are still spectacular, but if you were to compare this film side by side with Fist of Legend - an interesting project considering the interlocked characters and Yuen Wu Ping's work on both as fight choreographer - it is clear that Li is no longer capable of things that once seemed to come effortlessly. Again, he is still one of the very best in the world but the decline, though slight, is apparent enough to make you wonder how much it played in to his decision to step back from wushu film.

On a related note, there is a surprising amount of technical trickery in the fight scenes, both in terms of wirework and altered film speeds, to goose things up a bit. While not nearly as intrusive as it is in many films the wires feel strangely out of place in a film that purports to be a straight-ahead biopic. Again, compared to the 'set up the cameras and let 'em fight' approach of Fist of Legend.

And finally - the good stuff is coming - there is the comment made earlier about Western prospects. Fearless is one of those films clearly made for a primary audience very well versed in the source material. Huo Yuan Jia is a legendary figure in China, one the filmmakers can be certain their entire primary audience will be well familiar with and that allows them to take certain shortcuts and press certain buttons that simply will not resonate the same way with less knowledgeable audiences. The political situation around the master's death seems largely taken for granted. The mid section of the film plays like a Cole's Notes primer on his life more than an in-depth drama, and it is very unlikely that audiences outside of China will appreciate the emotional crescendo of his death in nearly the same way that the Chinese would.

And now the good stuff.

Ronnie Yu is back. The Hong Kong A-lister dropped way down into the B - arguably even C - ranks when he made the move to Hollywood. It's been a long time since he had a high-end film to work on and he hasn't lost a step. His camera is nimble, the staging is excellent, and it's just fantastic to see the man behind The Bride With White Hair back doing what he does best. Yes, he kept Freddy Vs. Jason from sucking as bad as it could have, but is that enough to make up for his prolonged absence from martial arts films? Not by a long shot.

Production values are excellent, with full marks going to a stellar design team. The environments are richly realized and recapture the colonial feel of so many great Hong Kong classics. Is it a bad thing to be so happy to see a big ol' pair of muttonchops on a boorish Brit? I think not.

Li himself. I have said many times that I do not believe Li gets the credit he deserves as an actor and I stand by that statement again here. Yes, he has his limitations - see the above 'young master' comments - but the man has an undeniable screen presence and the ability to convey volumes while doing very little. Playing Huo Yuan Jia gives Li very large shoes to fill and he does an admirable job on the dramatic front.

And, finally, the fights themselves. Has the combination of Jet Li and Yuen Woo Ping ever failed to impress? Nope. And while their work here may not rise quite to the heights of their work together in Fist of Legend, there are many - myself among them - who consider that film one of the absolute untouchables of martial arts film. Their work in Fearless is inventive, engaging and breathtaking. Li faces up to a wide array of opponents, each with a unique fighting style and acquits himself very, very well. The Nathan Jones fight offered less than I would have hoped, but the sequences against a sword wielding Chinese master and British spear man and the final battle against a Japanese samurai are all top notch.

If Li holds true to his word and calls it a day on the wushu front with this one then, sad as it will be to see him go, he will at least be going out on a high note and on his own terms. I stop short of calling it a classic but it is very good.

By Todd Brown - Twitchfilm.net