I'm a Maths student, who would rather write reviews than finish his assignments
I'm a Maths student, who would rather write reviews than finish his assignments
Member since:21.10.2007
Reviews:7
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The cinematography in Jet Li's final martial arts film is astonishing, as are the martial arts scenes. However it's not just your typical martial arts flick where there are hundreds of baddies and they mysteriously attack once at a time, the protagonist is unfeasibly talented and the antagonist is nothing short of pure evil. Its storyline is far superior to many others in its genre and much more emotionally involving. Possibly this film's biggest strength is its choreography, and the man responsible for it is the legendary Yuen Woo Ping. This name may not mean much to you, but he is an extremely successful and productive choreographer, with works including "The Matrix" trilogy, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "Kill Bill" and "Kung Fu Hustle". Another great feature is the sound.
Fearless is the story of a real-life martial arts legend Huo Yuanjia, who became an incredibly famous fighter in China at the turn of the 20th century. He optimised Chinese independence and their resistance to the colonial powers during the aftermath of the so-called 'opium wars' between Britain, France and China, but of course no Chinese film would be complete without some evil Japanese guys. The history in this film is very interesting, whilst it is relatively accurate it puts a heavily Chinese slant on events, as one would probably expect. Again whilst Jet Li's character is based on a real life person, the historical context is still somewhat off, but then again it is a highly commercial enterprise.
During the film Huo has to endure some personal tragedies which parallel the tragedies affecting China as a whole in that period. If you have some prior knowledge of the socio-economic state of China in the period, then the film has a rich tapestry of nuances and references that you'll enjoy, however for the majority of us that's not the case and we just want a bit of blood, which this film delivers in ample amounts as well.
Some people may have a problem with the fact that this film is subtitled, and it can in some parts be frustrating having to read the text as fast as possible to allow you to actual watch the film. However in my opinion it is preferable to the terrible dubbings that these style of films are prone to, I'm still traumatised from a dubbed viewing of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".
Unfortunately this DVD doesn't have many special features, with the exception of "A Fearless Journey" which is in effect a documentary about the production of the film. Like the film this is really well thought out and an enjoyable watch. It's very useful for those moments in the film where you think to yourself "How the Hell did they do that?" of which there are a few. The most notable absentee in the features section is a Commentary, which for the film fanatics amongst you will be very disappointing especially with Jet Li's last martial arts film.
Overall it's worth a go if you like films of this genre, and even if you don't particularly. The picture itself is really very good; it is just such as shame that there aren't any more special features for the complete package. If you don't like subtitled films then you should probably avoid this one, but if it doesn't bother you, go for it, I can thing of worse ways to spend 1hr 39mins.
Martial Arts - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Bruce Lee, Sho Kosugi, James Ryan, Jim Kelly, Jimmy Wang Yu, Bolo Yeung, Christopher Lee
Production Year: 1976 - Martial Arts, Action & Adventure - Director: Lo Wei - Original Language: Cantonese - Classification: TBA, 18 years and over - Starring: Jackie Chan, Sing Chang, Wei Lo, Nora Miao
Production Year: 1985 - Martial Arts - Director: Cory Yuen - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Kurt McKinney, J.W. Fails, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kathie Sileno, Peter 'Sugarfoot' Cunningham
A moving and inspiring story of redemption and personal triumph in the face of great ... more
odds,Jet Li's Fearlessis the based-on-facts story of Chinese folk hero Huo Yuanjia (Jet Li). The son of a martial-arts master whose greatest strength was his restraint...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Superstar Jet Li headlines this action-packed film, his final martial arts epic. The film ... more
reunited him with producer Bill Kong (Hero) and action director and choreographer Yuen Wo Ping (The Matrix and Kill Bill). Li plays real-life martial arts legend ...
A moving and inspiring story of redemption and personal triumph in the face of great ... more
odds,Jet Li's Fearlessis the based-on-facts story of Chinese folk hero Huo Yuanjia (Jet Li). The son of a martial-arts master whose greatest strength was his restraint...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
![Fearless [DVD] [2006]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78463599.jpg "Fearless [DVD] [2006]")
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