While comparisons to other recent Chinese martial art epics, such as Crouching Tiger and Hero, are inevitable, anyone who sees this movie should go in realizing this is still very much its own film.

The story of Fearless is simple, yet engrossing. A martial arts master named HuoYuanjia longs to be the unquestioned martial arts champion of China. In his quest, he forsakes all other commitments and values; becoming self absorbed, arrogant, and neglectful to those he loves. He indeed becomes the champion he wanted to be, but at a terrible cost. Then the film takes a more interesting turn as it becomes a film about Chinese patriotism as the country began its social and political struggles with the Western world near the end of the 19th century.



In terms of acting, Fearless doesn’t present us with any Oscar worthy performances, but the actors still manage to hit all the right notes. Jet Li does a good job of playing a man who’s so obsessed with being a winner he forgets the things he should be fighting for (think of Huo Yuanjia as Rocky’s antithesis). Unfortunately, while the other actors are all serviceable, most of the actors play very static characters, which don’t require much acting in most cases. Yong Dong and Betty Sun give the only other noteworthy performances. This may seem to be a weakness to some, but many who go to see this movie will be much more interested in something else, the fight scenes.



It is in the fight scenes that Fearless truly shines. Jet Li proves once and for all why he is a master, and if this is indeed his last martial arts film, he chose a wonderful send off to his career. The fights are some of the most entertaining set pieces I can remember. The fighting gets quite brutal at times, wrists are broken, fingers are bent back, and in the most intense fight of the film Jet Li engages in a duel to the death that will have you wincing while you struggle not to fall to the ground as you sit on the very edge of your seat. There are even some clever nods to campier martial arts films for those who can catch them, such as fighting styles named after animals and foes who keep coming no matter how badly hurt they are (can someone really keep pounding away with their fists after their wrist has been broken?)



Where the fighting in films such as Hero and House of Flying Daggers was elaborate and even exhilarating, those films were much more about story and characters than about action. Fearless is much more of an action film, putting a greater emphasis on the martial arts matches. As a result, the direction of the film is centered more on creating well-choreographed fight scenes than anything else. There are no great camera shots, color scheming, or subtle motifs to pick up on. The story at times feels rushed; in just a few scenes Jet Li’s character is reborn from a complete narcissist to a wise man of the world. And we’re left in the dark about the fate of some of the film’s other characters. But these are minor complaints.

The martial arts genre has seen a surge in popularity among American audiences in recent years, and Fearless is another example of why. A well-written and exciting film, Fearless does not disappoint anyone looking for action along with an intriguing narrative.

Reviewed by: Chris M.