Jet Li's Fearless
Here is where we begin. There was once a man who though self taught became the best fighter in China. And with victory after victory his pride swelled until, finally, he fought the wrong man. The result of this fight was that revenge was taken on his family and this changed his life forever. This is the story of Fearless starring Jet Li as Huo Yuanjia. Yuajia was the son of a great fighter, who refused to teach his son martial arts. This only made Yuajia the most determined man in the whole world.
This movie did not disappoint me one bit. I’ll be honest, I lose interest fast where action films are concerned. Throw in some love scenes and some romance and that might peek my interest a bit more, but in general, action films have a tough time keeping my attention.
But Fearless was different, and in a good way. The story progressed brilliantly, bringing the audience on a nonstop and gripping journey. There were no useless, filler scenes tossed in simply to make the movie longer and in the end, Fearless stands out as one of Jet Li’s best movies. In fact, to date I have never seen Li show so much emotion and life in a character he has played.
I’ve seen all his American movies and yes, I know, he barely has any speaking dialogue so it’s easy to say that he was great in this movie. Trust me when I say this man is in his element and he is completely showcasing his acting and especially his martial art ability to their fullest.
What was also great about this movie was that Fearless was reminiscent of old school kung fu movies without the corny dialogue or completely unbelievable fight choreography. Everything from the scenery, clothing, dialogue, and even the hairstyles was bringing me back to when I use to watch martial art movies with my dad. The cinematography and writing of this film gave Fearless a modern twist for today’s viewer still carried the soul of a "old-school" black and white martial arts movie.
Not to be forgotten, as in all kung fu movies, there was a moral to be learned- but you have to watch Fearless to find out what it is. As you can probably tell, from my ecstatic tone, I highly recommend this movie. It should be on the top of your "to do" list if you’re a martial arts buff or just like Jet Li. I will leave you with a final thought, "we can not describe what we have experienced in the midst of serving others without the act of experience". Translation, go out and watch this movie.
Scorecard:
Story A
Acting A+
Visuals B
Originality/Innovation C
Enjoyability Grade A
Overall Grade B+
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