re:mote voices

Title: Fearless [Huo Yuan Jia]
Cast: Jet Li, Collin Chou, Anthony De Longis, Masato Harada, Nathan Jones, Mike Leeder, Jean Claude Leuyer, Shido Nakamura
Director: Ronny Yu

Jet Li plays Huo Yuan Jia, the man who formed a national school of martial arts, uniting Chinese martial arts at a time of foreign infiltration. Using propaganda Westerners and the Japanese are trying to undermine China's confidence, make them feel weak, worthless, make them want to just surrender to incoming wealth and influence. Huo Yuan Jia though cannot let this happen and takes steps to restore China's confidence. One of the key steps is a fight, where Huo yuan Jia will take on four fighters from the interlopers, and defeat them all. This is how the film starts, a series of fights, flashing back to the beginning of his life before the event reaches its culmination.

As a child Huo Yuan Jia looked up to his father, a champion fighter, and desperately wanted to emulate his success. But while his father did love him, he refused to teach him how to fight - concerned for the health of young asthmatic son. With new medicine however he soon catches up, but in doing so he is keen to prove himself. Quickly Huo Yuan Jia becomes a formidable fighter, but an arrogant one. One who courts popularity and attention, one who quickly accrues debt as he constantly buys wannabe disciples and admirers drink. Despite repeated warnings from his friends, it is clear that Huo Yuan Jia is going to come a bad end. Catastrophe comes soon enough, and as result of his own foolish pride. He casts himself out, nearly dies in the process. But salvation comes, giving him hope, making him see the error of his ways, and bringing him back to the start of the film.

Fearless is promoted as Jet Li's last martial arts film. Less flashy than the likes of Hero or even Unleashed, his last couple of films. More in keeping with his roots, with films like Once Upon A Time In China that would show on TV late Friday nights and share him with the world. The production values have changed, as have the general approach to making this kind of film - at times feeling as though they have gone too far, as though Li is no longer as convincing as he once was. On the other hand, he is getting older, and it's understandable that they would use more effects than before. Li is well cast in this role, likeable enough to be the well meaning but naively arrogant young man, and even more so when we start rooting for him on his recovery.