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Fearless

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Fearless (2006)

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Reviews Counted:105

Fresh:78

Rotten:27

Average Rating:6.8/10

Consensus: Fearless is a brilliantly choreographed, beautifully filmed endcap to Li's quarter decade of epic martial arts glory.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for violence and martial arts action throughout

Runtime: 5 hrs 45 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:23-06-2006

Synopsis: Already a boxoffice hit in Asia, Jet Li's Fearless, directed by Ronny Yu (helmer of the Hong Kong classic The Bride with White Hair), is Jet Li's final martial arts masterpiece, capping a... Already a boxoffice hit in Asia, Jet Li's Fearless, directed by Ronny Yu (helmer of the Hong Kong classic The Bride with White Hair), is Jet Li's final martial arts masterpiece, capping a tremendous body of work in that genre. Jet Li's Fearless reunites the actor and martial arts superstar with producer Bill Kong (Hero) and action choreographer Yuen Wo Ping (Unleashed) as he portrays martial arts legend Huo Yuanjia, who became the most famous fighter in all of China at the turn of the 20th Century. Huo faced incredible personal tragedy but ultimately fought his way out of darkness and into history, forever defining the true spirit of martial arts. His self-discovery, and the choices he made, inspired his nation. The son of a great fighter who did not wish for his child to follow in his footsteps, the bullied Huo Yuanjia resolves to teach himself how to fight - and win. Years of training enable him to ace match after match in his home region of Tianjin. But as his fame as a martial arts master grows, so does his pride. After an ill-advised fight leads to another master's death, members of Huo's family are slain in revenge. Grieving and ashamed, Huo wanders the country in shock. Near death, he is rescued by women from an idyllic village, and is offered simple kindness and generosity that help him heal and regain his equilibrium over a period of several years. Huo realizes that the future of martial arts lies in sportsmanship and not brutality, and he rejoins society to apply what he has learned. Returning to Tianjin, Huo takes steps to come to terms with his past and restore his family's name. His evolving, graceful Mizong (Missing) Fist method of fighting brings Huo renewed success, and he forms the progressive Jingwu Sports Federation. Taking note, duplicitous members of the Foreign Chamber of Commerce engineer a Shanghai tournament pitting Huo against four fighters, each representing the major foreign powers in China. Huo commits to the bout and faces off against, respectively, a British boxer, a Spanish swordsman, a Belgian soldier, and a Japanese martial artist. What happened that day in 1910 has never been, and will never be, forgotten in China. [More]

Starring: Jet Li, Nakamura Shidou, Sun Li, Dong Yong

Starring: Jet Li, Nakamura Shidou, Sun Li, Dong Yong, Michelle Yeoh, Anthony De Longis

Director: Ronny Yu

Director: Ronny Yu
Producer: Bill Kong
Screenwriter: Chris Chow, Christine To
Composer: Shigeru Umebayashi
Studio: Focus Features

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Fearless

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Every action sequence is imaginatively mounted, from a dizzying fight on a high tower, to the sight of Li taking on a wrestler twice his size...

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
07/30/08
Saxon Bullock
Saxon Bullock
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Not only is it a gripping, beautifully acted drama, but the action scenes are jaw-dropping.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
09/12/06
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

[Director Ronny] Yu is less successful, however, in dealing with his star's limited emotive abilities, the message-heavy script's melodramatic philosophising and a sappy ending.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Despite impressive, CG-light action sequences and an absorbing story which certainly stands another re-telling, director Ronny Yu barely elevates this above the level of a direct-to-video fightfest.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment 1 Comment
06/24/06
Genevieve Harrison
Genevieve Harrison
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It does, however, have two things going for it: outstanding punch-ups and Jet Li.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
06/24/06
Paul Arendt
Paul Arendt
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Li's dramatic range may be limited, but Yu's handsome film invests his character with a fitting air of sincerity.

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
06/24/06
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Observer [UK]

A honorable send-off

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/30/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Peg Aloi
Peg Aloi
Boston Phoenix
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment 1 Comment
10/18/08
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
10/18/08
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Jonathan Kiefer
Jonathan Kiefer
Sacramento News & Review

Teamed up with veteran director Ronny Yu and renowned choreographer Yuen Wo Ping, Mr. Li does some of his best work here.

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

More of a message movie designed for mainland China than a karate chopsocky for consumption in the West where a martial arts movie has to be about butt-kicking to generate any traction.

Full Review Source: EURWeb | comment Comment
04/27/07
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
EURWeb

Not so much a message film as it is a martial-arts epic with a philosophical backdrop. And it is utterly sincere without being treacly or preachy.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Lewis Beale
Lewis Beale
Film Journal International

Fracassa como exemplar de artes marciais e, o que é ainda pior, como homenagem a um homem que inspirou grandes atletas e atores (incluindo o protagonista desta produção).

Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
02/16/07
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

As energetically corporeal as it is touchingly spiritual.

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
01/03/07
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
12/30/06
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Li carries the load on his shifty shoulders in a nostalgic wushu period piece that is philosophically solemn yet kinetically impish in its reflective spirit.

Full Review Source: Movie Eye | comment Comment
10/23/06
Frank Ochieng
Frank Ochieng
Movie Eye

Fearless has some of the best choreography I’ve seen in years, and Li handles the task with his usual finesse.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
10/17/06
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Film Threat

The film is about more than complex stunts and breathtaking acrobatics. It's about a man who learns the pitfalls of pride and becomes a national hero in the process. And it's a good time at the movies.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
10/09/06
Forrest Hartman
Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette-Journal
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
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