Fearless

I’m not much of a martial-arts film fan, but I got totally sucked into Fearless. Jet Li stars as Huo Yuan Jia, a Chinese martial-arts master at the turn of the 20th century. In this true story, he teaches himself Wu Shu against his father’s wishes and sets out to be champion. He is quick with the sword and lethal with his fists, and he grows to be the best fighter in his home region of Tianjin. But he still has much to learn, and when an enemy takes revenge on his family, he is forced onto a path of self-discovery. Years of exile and teaching himself yet again the principles of Wu Shu lead him to a world-championship match in which he is pitted against four competitors. The fight scenes throughout are amazing, and it’s no wonder, considering Li himself was Wu Shu world champion several times. But while these scenes are sometimes fantastical, they are by no means gratuitous. Plus, the film is more than just fighting; it is the real-life story of the legendary Huo Yuan Jia, founder of the Jingwu Sports Federation. While the original version is in Mandarin, the DVD offers English subtitles and dubbing.