Economy Size Geek

Huo Yuan Jia (2006)

This is being released here in the States as - Jet Li’s Fearless.

At the request of my wife, I’m going to see if I can get back in the saddle and start reviewing some movies. At some point I took a break and now the back log is crazy (it didn’t help that I saw three this weekend).

What is all comes down to is this - it’s Saturday afternoon and you wife asks - “Hey do you want to go see the new Jet Li film?”

I ask you - is there any other answer than “Yes”. Sure they can be a little over the top, but you have to give him some credit - he knows how to throw down on some serious ass kicking.

This seems a lot closer to Hero than to Cradle to the Grave. The move away from the modern to the more historical is a good choice.

That’s the thing about this movie - it is apparently based on a true story. How closely it stays to its historical roots - I have no idea. All I know is that in the first few minutes of the film they tell you the ending - or at least it appears that way.

This is the story of a guy who can seriously fight. He’s good at it, and it is all he knows. In a lot of movies that would probably be enough plot (see the new movie The Marine).

Some people are going to say that they got too much non-ass kicking in this Jet Li movie. I mean don’t get me wrong - there is a lot of serious fighting - but there is a good 20 minutes where no one gets punched or anything.

This ends up being a more mature and rounded film than I expected. You get to see the character develop and understand where he fits into the greater cycle of life.

The main plot centers around the West’s oppression of China. And there is a lot of pro-China nationalism in the film. Since this is from an era before communism you can see it as simply a people standing up for themselves - or you can see it as pro-China propoganda. I didn’t end up worrying to much about either and just took it at face value.

In the end, I walked away from the movie that acutally did a good job of showing the spiritual side of the martial arts. All to often films focus on the hero’s ability to break objects and people. This film shows how important the understanding of the true goals of studying martial arts.

This is especial important because this is supposed to be his last martial arts film. It is a good way to go out, but a shame that just as he seemed to really hit his stride he’s decided to focus on other things.

Bottom Line: Li’s last role, solid (if schmaltzy) plot, combined with great action means go see it in the theater where the kicks and flips can truly be enjoyed!