Fearless
Something about Chinese and Hong Kong action directors and actors gets lost in the translation to U.S. soil, like Americanized Chinese food. Jet Li is one such victim of the journey across the Pacific Ocean, and so, I would say, has Ronnie Yu (all apologies to fans of Freddy Vs. Jason, Bride of Chucky, and Formula 51, or maybe not).
Thankfully, both Li and Yu decided to make a pilgrimage home to kick it old school with Fearless (official movie site here, where you can find pics and trailers). Yuen Woo Ping choreographs the fight sequences and Jet Li performs them; they are the Balanchine-Farrell of martial arts, and that's certainly the main reason to seek this movie out. Think of it as a chaser after several years of Jet Li's awful U.S. films. In Fearless, Li represents Chinese martial arts and puts it to the test against a variety of styles, from the Thai boxing of Olympic champ Somluck Kamsing to the brute force of 7-foot tall Australian wrestler Nathan Jones (last seen in the disappointing Tom Yum Goong getting tenderized by Tony Jaa).
The story, for what is essentially an action flick, is not terrible. The story is "inspired by" the life of Huo Yuan Jia, founder of the Jing Wu Sports Federation in China. Li plays Yuan Jia as a young, arrogant, and peerless fighter who later finds inner peace after a deep personal tragedy. He returns from a self-imposed exile to become a Chinese hero when he takes on top fighters from around the world to defend his nation's pride. There are bits and pieces of recognizable story arcs from The Last Samurai, Bloodsport, even Top Gun. This movie takes as many liberties with Yuan Jia's life as Hollywood movies take in its biopics, and Yuan Jia's grandson sued the filmmakers for taking such liberties, but I'm not sure how he's going to win that case. If he doesn't, perhaps he can at least convince the filmmakers to cut out a needlessly sentimental ending that reminded me of the end of Gladiator (I'm referring not to the fight scene but to the ghost spirit or whatever that was in the meadow).
Li's fighting style is usually that of impeccable form, but this time Yuen Woo Ping adds some welcome physical force to embody a young Yuan Jia's ruthless ambition. Yu perhaps overuses the slow-motion-segue-into-high-speed-shot technique to fetishize some of Li's highlight-reel strikes, but martial arts fans will be whooping and hollering. Fearless has a high density of fight sequences, my favorite being a night-time sword and fist fight inside a restaurant. The cinematography is first-rate, with that signature super-saturated, red and orange color palette that's so often used to evoke turn-of-the-century China. It has a warm, nostalgic feel.
And if you dig Fearless, you can rent unofficial sequels Fist of Fury and/or the remake, Fist of Legend. Both follow the Jing Wu Men school after Yuan Jia's death, rumored to be the result of poisoning by a Japanese doctor. Fist of Fury is sometimes called The Chinese Connection and is not to be confused with Fists of Fury, an earlier Bruce Lee movie [1]. It's all rather confusing--just sort it out on IMDb. Fist of Fury, or The Chinese Connection, has Bruce Lee seeking revenge for the poisoning of his teacher, Huo Yuan Jia. Fist of Legend is a remake starring Jet Li, featuring a final fight sequence that many consider to be Jet Li's finest. Yep, it's all choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping. Now that Jet Li has played Huo Yuan Jia, he can be seen in Fist of Legend to be avenging his own murder.
Fist of Legend is available on DVD in the U.S. from Dimension, but it's an awful dub into English, and I can't recommend it. Track down an overseas DVD copy with the original soundtrack.
Thankfully, both Li and Yu decided to make a pilgrimage home to kick it old school with Fearless (official movie site here, where you can find pics and trailers). Yuen Woo Ping choreographs the fight sequences and Jet Li performs them; they are the Balanchine-Farrell of martial arts, and that's certainly the main reason to seek this movie out. Think of it as a chaser after several years of Jet Li's awful U.S. films. In Fearless, Li represents Chinese martial arts and puts it to the test against a variety of styles, from the Thai boxing of Olympic champ Somluck Kamsing to the brute force of 7-foot tall Australian wrestler Nathan Jones (last seen in the disappointing Tom Yum Goong getting tenderized by Tony Jaa).
The story, for what is essentially an action flick, is not terrible. The story is "inspired by" the life of Huo Yuan Jia, founder of the Jing Wu Sports Federation in China. Li plays Yuan Jia as a young, arrogant, and peerless fighter who later finds inner peace after a deep personal tragedy. He returns from a self-imposed exile to become a Chinese hero when he takes on top fighters from around the world to defend his nation's pride. There are bits and pieces of recognizable story arcs from The Last Samurai, Bloodsport, even Top Gun. This movie takes as many liberties with Yuan Jia's life as Hollywood movies take in its biopics, and Yuan Jia's grandson sued the filmmakers for taking such liberties, but I'm not sure how he's going to win that case. If he doesn't, perhaps he can at least convince the filmmakers to cut out a needlessly sentimental ending that reminded me of the end of Gladiator (I'm referring not to the fight scene but to the ghost spirit or whatever that was in the meadow).
Li's fighting style is usually that of impeccable form, but this time Yuen Woo Ping adds some welcome physical force to embody a young Yuan Jia's ruthless ambition. Yu perhaps overuses the slow-motion-segue-into-high-speed-shot technique to fetishize some of Li's highlight-reel strikes, but martial arts fans will be whooping and hollering. Fearless has a high density of fight sequences, my favorite being a night-time sword and fist fight inside a restaurant. The cinematography is first-rate, with that signature super-saturated, red and orange color palette that's so often used to evoke turn-of-the-century China. It has a warm, nostalgic feel.
Somebody's gonna get a hurt real bad.
And if you dig Fearless, you can rent unofficial sequels Fist of Fury and/or the remake, Fist of Legend. Both follow the Jing Wu Men school after Yuan Jia's death, rumored to be the result of poisoning by a Japanese doctor. Fist of Fury is sometimes called The Chinese Connection and is not to be confused with Fists of Fury, an earlier Bruce Lee movie [1]. It's all rather confusing--just sort it out on IMDb. Fist of Fury, or The Chinese Connection, has Bruce Lee seeking revenge for the poisoning of his teacher, Huo Yuan Jia. Fist of Legend is a remake starring Jet Li, featuring a final fight sequence that many consider to be Jet Li's finest. Yep, it's all choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping. Now that Jet Li has played Huo Yuan Jia, he can be seen in Fist of Legend to be avenging his own murder.
Fist of Legend is available on DVD in the U.S. from Dimension, but it's an awful dub into English, and I can't recommend it. Track down an overseas DVD copy with the original soundtrack.
