Fearless (2006)

[霍元甲]

Director: Ronny Yu
Starring: Jet Li, Betty Sun, Yong Dong

Synopsis:
An account of the life of wushu practitioner and and founder of the Jing Wu Athletic Association Huo Yuanjia.

Impressions:
I was interested to see this film as I remember Jet Li saying at the time of its release that it was his last martial arts movie. At first, it looked like it was only going to be a Chinese chauvinist tale of a boringly invincible arrogant kung fu guy, but the film pleasantly showed more depth than that. While the family of the actual Huo Yuanjia bitterly dispute the film's portrayal of their ancestor, I will admit that the character arc makes for a more interesting film, and I suppose you can't expect much more historical accuracy from the Chinese film industry than its American counterpart. The movie turned out more even-handed that I was expecting and though it bordered on hagiography, it's not that surprising given Huo Yuanjia's iconic status. The fight choreography is as good as you might expect. All in all, certainly worth seeing. Give it a watch.

Rating:
Watch It