Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Chris Chow
Chi-long To
Christine To
Major Cast
Jet Li as Huo Yuanjia
Shido Nakamura as Anno Tanaka
Betty Sun as Moon
Yong Dong as Nong Jinsun
Hee Ching Paw as Yuanjia's Mother
Yun Qu as Grandma
Jet Li stars in what was billed as his final Kung-Fu film, which is only slightly confusing, considering that he’s still making action films that feature his sensational fighting style. I won’t quibble with semantics, but I can only assume this means that he will forego his wildly successful and critically acclaimed Chinese wushu epics, opting instead to crank out a few dozen more mediocre, Hollywood funded “action” films that feature crummy acting, stunted dialogue, poorly-developed plots, and paltry chemistry (I’m looking at you, director of Romeo Must Die! And I still want my money back, man! I want my effin money!)
While Jet Li’s desire to expand his horizons is commendable, I find myself selfishly wishing that he’d stick with the rivers and lakes that guided him to his success instead of joining Jackie Chan, Jean Claude Van-Damme, Sly Stallone, and Arnold “The Governator” Schwarzenegger among the Fellowship of Slightly Inarticulate Hollywood Action Heroes.
But this isn’t about what I want. I came to praise Jet Li, not to bury him. Knowing that this would be his last Kung Fu epic, Fearless entered my must-see list the moment it appeared on my radar. The only reason why I didn’t see in theatres is that I knew it would be difficult getting Bookie to consent to seeing it in theatres with me. Apparently, all she’s willing to pay ten-bucks-a-pop for are comedies and the occasional summer blockbuster with a cast consisting predominately of actors I’d much rather see disemboweled or shot from a cannon into a quantum singularity (I’m looking at you, Brandon Frasier, star of the latest “Mummy” abomination! I haven’t seen the third one, but I saw the second, and I want my effin money back, man! Gimmie back my money!)
As far as Kung-Fu epics go, Fearless was well-worth the wait, but I must also provide the following disclaimer; if you aren’t fluent in the Mandarin language, or are looking for a glitzy, Hollywood film with seamless dialog, you will be disappointed by Fearless. Again, I repeat; this is a Chinese Kung-Fu film, complete with choppy English dubs (or English subtitles if you prefer to have a closer tie to the spirit of the translated dialog). Anyone who watched the Saturday afternoon Kung-Fu theatre like I did will recognize the odd quirks in the character’s mannerisms and interaction, and how the voice-overs never seem to match very well (Recall the old-school films when tiny Bruce Lee was matched with what sounded like the voice of a 275 pound professional orator.)
Fearless is inspired by the life of legendary Chinese martial artist, Huo Yuanjia. In the film’s portrayal of his upbringing as a child, Yuanjia was headstrong and determined to carry on his father’s fighting legacy, despite his father’s frequent admonishments and constant threats of punishment. Yuanjia’s father, a renowned martial arts champion, refused to allow Yuanjia to follow in his footsteps. Undaunted, Yuanjia taught himself by sneaking peeks while his father formally trained his students.
While watching one of his father’s public matches, Yuanjia witnessed his father stopping short of delivering a potentially lethal technique, only to have his opponent dishonorably take advantage of the opening created by this act of mercy, and “win” the match by knocking Yuanjia’s dad out of the fighting area.
Perplexed and embarrassed by his father’s apparent “loss”, Yuanjia mistook his father’s compassion as a sign of weakness. Yuanjia’s angst was magnified by the gloating of the son of the “winning” opponent. Enraged, Yuanjia challenged the boy and was easily defeated by him. Yuanjia vowed to never be defeated again, and he devoted his entire life to training.
Unfortunately, his father’s demonstration of compassion (as well as his mother’s lectures on humility and kindness) was lost on him as his singular ambition molded him into a rash, egotistical, and increasingly reckless young man. It would take a personal tragedy, caused by his own rashness and ruthlessness, to compel him to reflect upon his father’s actions and his mother’s words.
There’s also a lot of underlying subtext and rhetoric about national pride, but I’m not going into that. I don’t want to give away too much. You’ll get the gist of the saber-rattling as the film rolls along.
As far as action goes, the first half of this film is stuffed to the gills with high-flying, face-shattering, limb-breaking action. The second half is much slower, but that’s understandable, given the circumstances of the plot. Though the action slowed, my interest in the story never wavered or waned. From the start, I was emotionally vested in the character Yuanjia as he evolved and slowly shed his youthful persona as the rash, self-serving, unlikable rogue.
(Note: I watched the unrated version of this movie, which assumingly had more body-mutilating and blood-letting than the milder R-rated version. There are no nude scenes, but parents might want to stick with the less graphic R-rated option. I would have enjoyed this film with or without the realistic high-definition blood-spurts. Both options are available on DVD.)
I absolutely loved this film. And since I have nothing more to add, let’s skip to the grades.
Story: To recap: a young man has his philosophy shaped from birth, stubbornly clings to his world-view despite being consistently challenged by family and friends, then has everything he thought he knew turned on its ear, and is forced to learn a new “way”. On the surface, there’s nothing new about this concept, but in Fearless, the eclectic nature of the unfolding plot gives the story a rich and unique voice. And keep in mind that I’m talking about a Kung-Fu flick! This is hardly, “You killed my father! Prepare to die!” stuff here. Grade: A
Acting: It’s difficult to gage the acting due to the predictable issues with English dubbing, but the chemistry in all scenes was palpable. Grade: B+
Visuals: The fight scenes are riveting, and the cinematography is stellar. They could have easily gone nuts with the rolling rice farming landscape scenes (I’m looking at you, director of Brokeback Mountain! What do all those rolling hill and meadows have to do with two gay guys wanting to get down with one-another? I want my money back, man!), but the director kept a tight ship, keeping the visuals within the scope of the story by illustrating the passage of time and showing the seasonal effect on the countryside. Grade: A
Originality/Innovation: I’ve seen lots of Kung-Fu films, but very few like this one. Grade: B
Enjoyability Grade: What’s not to like? I was adequately entertained. Grade: A
Date Material: On one hand, there are lots of broken limbs and a moderate amount of blood. But on the other, there is a good story, a lesson on morality, and jaw-dropping action sequences. I’d risk it. Grade: B
Contemporary Element (Will it be watchable two decades from now?): Put it this way; if you were stuck at home with nothing to do, bored out of your mind with nothing on T.V., no cable, or internet, and you accidentally came across Bruce Lee’s Fist of Fury while channel surfing, you’d watch it, right? Come on, you know you would, and so would I. Oh and by the way, Fist of Fury was created in 1972. By comparison, if Fearless is our modern day Fist of Fury, I think it also has the legs to withstand the test of time. Grade: A
Redeeming Quality: N/A
If this is Jet-Li’s last Kung-Fu epic, he most definitely went out on a high-note. I applaud his extraordinary effort in this film, and I pensively await the countless mundane, lifeless, criminally pedestrian Hollywood action films that will certainly follow this exceptional one.
Overall Grade: A-
***
Blind Eye Turning: Poems, Prose, and other Scribbles, by Barry Dawson
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