Chinese kung fu fans

This is easily director Ronny Yu’s best film since THE BRIDE WITH WHITE HAIR. He’s had success here in the states with BRIDE OF CHUCKY and JASON VS. FREDDY but those type of popcorn flicks can in no way compare to the scope and pathos of his latest film JET LI’S FEARLESS, the true story of Chinese Martial Arts Master Huo Yuanjia (Jet Li) who was the founder and spititual guru of the Jin Wu Sports Federation.

With action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping returning to help Li with some of the most amazing fight sequences since HERO, this film is anything but non-stop action (the two previously worked together on FIST OF LEGEND, BLACK MASK, and most recently on UNLEASHED). This is not to say that fighting is all that there is because the film is making it a point, through Huo Yuanjia’s spiritual journey, that fighting is not all that there is in life. Yu crafts the scenes where Yuanjia is going through his inner self discovery at the peaceful idyllic village of women, who save and heal him from near death, as something just as important in his life if not more as everything else that came before it.

At a running time of just at 103 minutes the film felt too short. It left me wanting to see more (which is not common). Yu has never had a problem with pacing in his films and he’s always known when to get in and get out without too much excess.

I must also commend Jet Li for a very commanding performance. I’m not a Li fan but then again most of his output that I’ve seen is his American films which for the exception of UNLEASHED are all lacking. I must admit that in his own language and style his Chinese films all endure better than his American output and hopefully he’ll be given better roles in the future.