Jet Li’s Fearless

Jet Li’s Fearless
Length: Single
Studio: Rogue Pictures
Rated: PG-13
Website: http://www.jetlisfearless.com/
Release Date: 2006-09-22
Cast: Jet Li, Betty Sun, Dong Yong, Shido Nakamura, Collin Chou
Director: Ronnie Yu
Screenwriter: Christine To, Chris Chow
Music Score: Shigeru Umebayashi
WorkNameSort: Jet Li’s Fearless
Our Rating: 3.50
Touted as his last foray into martial-arts movies, Fearless finds Jet Li bowing out with a stunner. Being based on a true, turn-of-the-century story means that feats of superhuman wire-work are put aside in favor of slightly sweetened ass-kicking. (The animation that’s used to touch up the best battle ‘ a nighttime sword fight ‘ is only occasionally egregious.) A taut and emotional tale of a swaggering young fighter who finds himself humbled by tragedy, the film deftly manages to touch on several themes; the nascent sense of independence and unity that would a decade later propel Chiang Kai-shek to power is the most interesting. That said, the film is nonstop action from the top; by the time the story arc catches its breath during the man-in-the-wilderness bit, the audience needs the same moment of peaceful recomposure that Li’s character does.

This article appears in Sep 20-26, 2006.