Review of Fearless (2006) by Deb S — 09 Oct 2009

I've seen a lot of Jet Li movies but Fearless is one of the best martial-art movies I've seen. This movie was amazing. The film is lushly beautiful with some of the finest cinematography of China. The choreography of the fight sequences is superb with lots of beautiful shots and Jet Li commits his all to the role both as actor and martial arts fighter.

Plot: Huo Yuanjia is the son of a great fighter who did not wish for his child to follow in his footsteps. Years of training enables him to ace match after match but as his fame as a martial arts master grows, so does his ego. His arrogance later leads to the death of his family members. He exiles himself to the countryside, where he is taken in by a kindly family and soon learns the true meaning of life by the lovely but blind Moon. Huo later rejoins society when he realizes that China was been colonized by foreign countries to challenge the foreigners and uphold what the Chinese believe in and apply what he has learned to restoring the lost pride in the art of wushu. In doing so, he realizes that the future of martial arts lies in sportsmanship and not brutality.

Jet Li gave a stellar performance in portraying at first the arrogant Huo and later the wise Wushu Master. The film contains a message; no matter what the obstacles are you must be strong. This movie made me laugh, cry and think about humanity.

"Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself makes you fearless." - Lao Tzu.