Jet Li's Fearless (Huo Yuan Jia) (Legend of a Fighter) (2006)
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73% of critics liked it
(109 reviews) -
84% of users liked it
(136,168 ratings)
Fearless opens in Shanghai, China, circa 1910, when wushu master Huo Yuanjia (martial arts superstar Jet Li) prepares to battle one Japanese opponent, Tanaka (Shidou Nakamura), and three American opponents (Anthony de Longis, Jean-Claude Leuyer, and Brandon Rhea) in a massive tournament. The picture… More Fearless opens in Shanghai, China, circa 1910, when wushu master Huo Yuanjia (martial arts superstar Jet Li) prepares to battle one Japanese opponent, Tanaka (Shidou Nakamura), and three American opponents (Anthony de Longis, Jean-Claude Leuyer, and Brandon Rhea) in a massive tournament. The picture then cuts back to Huo's boyhood in the city of Tianjin, in North China, circa 1880, when his father forbids him from engaging in martial-arts training. He must therefore slip off and train covertly. Around 1900, Huo -- then in his twenties -- continues to fight in tournaments. His determination is such that his entire life begins to revolve around championships, and the prospect of becoming the top-ranked fighter in Tianjin turns into a die-hard obsession, despite the repeated warnings of his best friend, Nong (Dong Yong), to cut back. Huo ignores these admonitions, then turns conceited and ultimately refuses to hear an additional word of caution, until his arrogance leads to the death of a fighter and Nong's decision to abandon him as a friend. Driven into exile, Huo journeys to southeastern Asia, where he works alongside rice farmers and divests himself of conceit, then gently touches the spirit of a blind girl. When he finally returns to Tianjin, he has transformed, internally, into a different person altogether. A huge hit in Hong Kong when originally released into theaters in 2006, Fearless was often touted as Jet Li's final film in the wushu school of martial arts. The picture is based on the real-life story of Huo Yuanjia, founder of the Jingwu school of martial arts. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Directed By
- Ronny Yu
- Written By
- Chris Chow, Christine To
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International
- In Theaters
- Sep 22, 2006 Wide
- On DVD
- Dec 19, 2006
- Studio
- Rogue Pictures (Focus)
Critic Reviews
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Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
I think this is a terrific film.
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Marc Savlov, Dallas Morning News
It takes time for the film to bounce back to the heights of its opening scene, but about midway it does.
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Gregory Kirschling, Entertainment Weekly
Every so often there is a hand-to-hand fight scene to cut the boredom -- the best is set atop a precipitously high wooden tower in a village square -- but even these don't set themselves apart from anything we've seen before.
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Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
Jet Li movies are still pretty cool, but they appear to be heading in an unfortunate direction.
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Mark Rahner, Seattle Times
It boils down to a simple but elegantly told morality tale with beautiful sets and scenery and plenty of bracing action.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Jet Li
as Huo Yuanjia
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Betty Sun
as Yueci
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Dong Yong
as Nong Jinsun
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Shidou Nakamura
as Tanaka Anno
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Collin Chou
as Huo's father
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Paw Hee Ching
as Huo's mother
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Nathan Jones
as O'Brien
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Masato Harada
as Mita
- Anthony De Longis
- Jean-Claude Leuyer
- Brandon Rhea
- Mike Leeder
- Sun Li






