| Don't we have too many movies titled the return of somebody? Now I'm talking about Jet Li's latest movie: "Fearless." If not postponed again, it will hit U.S. theaters very soon. I think the movie is one of Jet Li's best, equally captivating as "Hero." The movie's story happened about a century ago, when the last Chinese dynasty, Qing, was collapsing. Jet Li plays Huo, a Kung Fu master who spent his life in death matches. Huo's biggest dream was to become the champion in his home city. It was a long way to reach the top. When he finally defeated and killed his last rival out of rage, he realized he had lived a wrong life and made an unforgivable mistake. He sent himself into exile, living a peaceful life as a farmer in a remote village. When Huo returned to his home city years later, he found the country had changed. Foreign colonists ruled "Rented Districts" in port cities along the east coast and enjoyed privileges over native Chinese. China was in the middle of dramatic reforms and on the eve of revolution. Huo decided to offer his services to his country and what he's best at: Kung Fu. He opened a martial art school, not to train mob-like fighters like he did before, but to bring the spirit of Kung Fu to the people and teach Kung Fu as a form of physical exercise. Huo's reputation was envied and hated by the Japanese. In the ultimate match, Huo fought with four warriors from different countries. They killed him by putting poison into his tea. The story is largely fictional, but the prototype of Master Huo and his Jingwu School is well known. Huo did have lung disease in his childhood. He did become a strong man from a weak boy by practicing Kung Fu. The Jingwu martial art school he established has prospered around the world and it still exists today. Actually, Jet Li played Huo's apprentice Chen Zhen in "Fist of Legend" in 1994. So in this sense, it's highly expected of him to play the master in this age. The storyline is very simple and a bit pedestrian. Like most of Jet Li's movies, "Fearless" attracts the audience by actions rather than the story. The action sequences -- choreographed by Yuen Wo-Ping (Matrix, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Kill Bill) -- are more than fantastic. Not seeing the movie could effectively revoke one's membership in the Jet Li Fan Club. I usually don't expect too much from Jet Li's acting. But "Fearless" is indeed a bit different from his other works. In the 1980s, Jet Li was a martial-art athlete and a national champion on the Beijing Wushu Team. He started his career as an actor in the movie "Shaolin Temple," which was a collaboration between Hong Kong and mainland film makers. It was an instant classic! He was very young, good-looking, strong, and skillful. His smile warmed people's hearts. Most roles he played were of that type. In the first half of "Fearless" however, he appears dark, stubborn, and furious. The fighters in ancient times are not portrayed living in a wonderland. On the contrary, they appear more like gangsters fighting for nothing. The "dark" style is nothing new to audiences but is rare to Jet Li. Overall, "Fearless" is a very solid movie in this genre. It combines many unique entertaining factors of Hong Kong movies and a big budget that's not so commonly seen in the Chinese film industry. The outcome is no doubt a blessing to us. Don't miss the movie. |
| Jet Li's "Fearless": The return of an ancient spirit by Shang Zuo |
 |
 |
| Homepage October '06 Issue Preview |