Jet Li's Fearless (Huo Yuan Jia) (Legend of a Fighter) poster & wallpaper
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Jet Li, Betty Sun, Dong Yong, Shidou Nakamura, Collin Chou ... see more see more... , Paw Hee Ching , Nathan Jones , Masato Harada , Anthony De Longis , Jean-Claude Leuyer , Brandon Rhea , Mike Leeder , Sun Li

Fearless opens in Shanghai, China, circa 1910, when wushu master Huo Yuanjia (martial arts superstar Jet Li) prepares to battle one Japanese opponent, Tanaka (Shidou Nakamura), and three American oppo... read more read more...nents (Anthony de Longis, Jean-Claude Leuyer, and Brandon Rhea) in a massive tournament. The picture then cuts back to Huo's boyhood in the city of Tianjin, in North China, circa 1880, when his father forbids him from engaging in martial-arts training. He must therefore slip off and train covertly. Around 1900, Huo -- then in his twenties -- continues to fight in tournaments. His determination is such that his entire life begins to revolve around championships, and the prospect of becoming the top-ranked fighter in Tianjin turns into a die-hard obsession, despite the repeated warnings of his best friend, Nong (Dong Yong), to cut back. Huo ignores these admonitions, then turns conceited and ultimately refuses to hear an additional word of caution, until his arrogance leads to the death of a fighter and Nong's decision to abandon him as a friend. Driven into exile, Huo journeys to southeastern Asia, where he works alongside rice farmers and divests himself of conceit, then gently touches the spirit of a blind girl. When he finally returns to Tianjin, he has transformed, internally, into a different person altogether. A huge hit in Hong Kong when originally released into theaters in 2006, Fearless was often touted as Jet Li's final film in the wushu school of martial arts. The picture is based on the real-life story of Huo Yuanjia, founder of the Jingwu school of martial arts. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

84% liked it

136,168 ratings

Critics

73% liked it

109 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 43 min.

Directed by: Ronny Yu

Release Date: September 22, 2006

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DVD Release Date: December 19, 2006

Stats: 8,380 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (8,380)

  • phubbs1
    April 29, 2012
    phubbs1
    Exquisitely lavish is a good way to describe this Jet Li film, I thought this was some kind of silly action flick or another historical ancient Chinese dynasty film with more semi bald Chinese blokes mixed with a fantasy element, but boy was I wrong. Turns out this is actually a ... read morebiopic of a famous martial artist by the name of Huo Yuanjia as we follow his life of training in the art of Wushu.

    I was slightly dubious as I started to watch this as many Eastern martial arts films tend to be very over the top with their fight sequences and use too much mystical hocus pocus over realism. To my joy this film is very down to earth and a very solid steady epic which clearly has had allot of time and effort put into it.
    The first thing that hits you is the attention to detail on everything, the sets and costumes look beautiful down to the last tiny prop, all the cast look authentic for the era and the acting is most definitely top dollar. The story is slowish but never dull as you are slowly fed much Eastern wisdom and philosophy that really is a joy to hear. Li's soft calm voice is perfect with this in his role as he portrays the arrogant fighter in his prime, a man coming to terms with the beauty of life, kindness and honour and finally a wise compassionate mentor...but never at any point is Li an unlikeable person.

    As for the fighting...the real crux of the matter for many, its pretty darn fine basically, what you have here is some stunning fast fluid and realistic fights displaying Wushu in its finest form from Li. I was so pleased not to see lots of obvious wire work or cgi nonsense to interfere, that's not to say there is just a small amount of wire work to add a small element of magic but it just about works without ruining your suspension of disbelief.
    There is a strong 'MMA' undercurrent in this film also of course, the whole point was how Yuanjia challenged foreign fighters from all over the world and different disciplines to demonstrate and prove Wushu. This entails fights against boxers, lancers, kickboxers, fencers etc... and is possibly the first example of 'MMA', I have no clue whether it was or not but it certainly seems so which is interesting.

    I have to give much kudos to this film and its direction from Yu, I was pretty surprised this came from Yu seeing as his previous films don't come close to this type of epic offering. I also must admit to not being a Jet Li fan and find many of his films too similar plus he really looks quite mean facially if you ask me hehe got evil eyes, never the less this film is damn high quality with superb work in every area making it a visual treat with stoic performances.
  • fb1463751009
    March 10, 2012
    fb1463751009
    There's a lot of martial arts movies that come our way -- they could have dazzling fight sequences, long takes of great choreography, or even poor action sequences, but almost all of them have one thing in common: poor storytelling (except Ip Man 1 & 2). "Fearless" doesn't exactl... read morey manage to completely trump the martial arts epidemic, but it's better than most, coupled with great choreography that rivals with the few greats. The story is entertaining, not much more beyond that. Near the end, it begins to hit the cheesiness line. However, the action sequences has incredible camerawork and editing that makes it incredibly gripping. You'll have a great time with "Fearless".
  • fb535316333
    June 1, 2011
    fb535316333
    Li makes a comeback from his terrible run of Hollywood action flicks with this martial arts epic that not only celebrates the roots of Wushu but embodies every theme about the Asian-movie-genre; honor, wisdom, discipline, and heart.

    It's everything it has to be and nothing more,... read more but appropriately so. An incredibly fitting farewell from Jet Li, the man who brought us the Wong Fei Hung films.
  • fb732260458
    March 17, 2011
    fb732260458
    A martial arts epic.
  • sanjurosamurai
    September 4, 2010
    sanjurosamurai
    even better upon a second viewing. despite the fact that this film is so well received, i still think its a bit underrated due to the fact that this might be the best martial arts film ever made but that opinion has been slow to circulate. jet li was fantastic, the art directio... read moren was phenomenal, and the film was shot perfectly. most martial arts films are high on entertainment but lack substance, but this film adds in unexpected layers that captivate through sadness, joy, and introspection. a near perfect film.
  • matertenebraum
    October 15, 2009
    matertenebraum
    Make no mistake about it, Fearless is the best straight-ahead martial arts film since Jackie Chan's seminal Drunken Master 2. Director Ronny Yu crams more bone-jarring, well crafted fight scenes into the first forty minutes of this movie than most films can match in their entire ... read moreruntime. This is a canny move, as it pulls in the viewer via the blurring action before beginning to develop the film's narrative in the middle third. While the story is a well used one (kung-fu bully comes to realise his skills can be used to educate rather than brutalise), it's a perfect structure on which to hang the film's many excellent confrontations. It's obvious that this film is Li's love letter to his Wu Shu background and martial arts in general. In dramatic terms, Fearless never reaches the heights of recent wuxia movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Hero and so is unable to feel truly fulfilling as a great movie per se. It is however up there with Jet Li's very best work in the genre, OUATIC & Fist of Legend for example, and if it is (sadly) true that it is to be his last period martial arts picture, it's a hell of a bang to go out on.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    October 6, 2008
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    After seeing this movie, I thought that Jet Li is definitely more suited for Chinese movies (movie is in Chinese with Chinese and English subtitles). The movie truly reflects not only on history, but on Chinese culture itself. The movie had a perfect mix of fighting and storyline... read more.

    A definite must-see for brawl-loving, exotic cultured movie perfectly reflecting history.
  • CloudStrife84
    June 26, 2008
    CloudStrife84
    Well-coreographed martial arts, but the storyline wasn't much to get excited about. There was also something really off about the directing at times and I often found myself sighing at the unbearably preachy dialogue.

    Some people might like it more than I did, but to me it beca... read moreme so uninteresting that I might as well have stared at a wall for two hours. I wasn't expecting any masterpiece to begin with though, so I suppose I can't complain all too much.

    In summary: a redundantly long, but watchable film, saved merely by its occational portions of cool fighting scenes. So if you're looking for a good Jet Li movie, a smarter option would be to see "Hero" instead.
  • rezpatriot
    March 2, 2008
    rezpatriot
    Martial Arts Movie set in the West with a combatant story and little politics.
  • Chiefilms
    March 1, 2008
    Chiefilms
    Perfect formula for Jet Li

View All Jet Li's Fearless (Huo Yuan Jia) (Legend of a Fighter) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper
September 25, 2006
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

I think this is a terrific film. Full Review

Marc Savlov
September 23, 2006
Marc Savlov, Dallas Morning News

It takes time for the film to bounce back to the heights of its opening scene, but about midway it does. Full Review

Gregory Kirschling
September 23, 2006
Gregory Kirschling, Entertainment Weekly

Every so often there is a hand-to-hand fight scene to cut the boredom -- the best is set atop a precipitously high wooden tower in a village square -- but even these don't set themselves apart from an... Full Review

Peter Hartlaub
September 22, 2006
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle

Jet Li movies are still pretty cool, but they appear to be heading in an unfortunate direction. Full Review

Geoff Pevere
September 22, 2006
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

A movie that condemns the tendency of global culture to intrude everywhere while embracing the very things that kick multiplex doors down around the world. Full Review

Roger Moore
September 22, 2006
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

[Li's] pandering to the domestic (Chinese) market with a tired, formulaic martial-arts melodrama dressed up as epic. Full Review

Lisa Rose
September 22, 2006
Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger

A pretentious biopic about a Chinese sports legend. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
September 22, 2006
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

A lavish biopic that gives Li one of his juiciest roles but is relatively light on the action his fans have come to expect.

Elizabeth Weitzman
September 22, 2006
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

In Ronny Yu's sweeping film based on the life of wu shu master Huo Yuanjia, the retiring action star manages to tug a few heartstrings while breaking plenty of bones. Full Review

Bruce Westbrook
September 22, 2006
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle

Too often it seems to be just another action fantasy that teaches pacifism while indulging in brutality. Full Review

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  • What movie is based on the life of chinese martial arts master Huo Yuanjia (1869-1910)  Answer »
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