A "Fearless" Trek Into the Spiritually Uncharted

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Jet Li's Fearless is quite possibly the best wushu film ever made. This is a work that transcends the cliches associated with the kung fu genre to emerge as an odyssey of spiritual redemption. Very loosely based on the life of Chinese folk hero Huo Juanjia, founder of the Jingwu Sports Federation, Fearless works both as memoir for Jet Li (at least, in a metaphorical sense), and as an allegory on human foibles.

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Directed by Ronnie Yu (The Bride with White Hair), Fearless glides effortlessly between brutal action and pastoral tenderness, between wry humor and somber musing. It's a straightforward, simple tale, told largely in flashbacks, but Yu's pacing immerses the viewer in such a way that it feels like the flow of a river. Coupled with Poon Yang Sang's cinematography, the film becomes visual poetry. Scenes are framed with the Golden Mean in mind, and filmed with the delicacy of a watercolor landscape.

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That's not to imply that martial arts film fans will be disappointed with the action sequences of Fearless. This is, after all, a martial arts film, and the fight scenes are beautifully choreographed by Yuen Wo Ping of Kill Bill and The Matrix fame. In his hands, the rapidfire physicality of the violence becomes almost a brutal ballet.

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But the heart of Fearless is in its story. Li portrays Huo initially as a man beset by demons he doesn't even realize dwell within him. His only goal in life is is to be recognized as the best fighter in China. When his reckless ways result in the death of a rival, his self-made world is utterly crushed, as his mother and daughter are slaughtered in an act of revenge. What follows is a Siddhartha-like journey of redemption and humility. When he returns at last to Shanghai, he finds his homeland a shadow of its former self, ridiculed as "the sick man of Asia." Overrun with both Westerners and the Japanese, the country is no longer united and has lost face in the eyes of the world. Huo, changed and contemplative, takes it upon himself to restore the honor of China through a series of staged fights with the West's best fighters.

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Jet Li has stated unequivically that Fearless will be his final martial arts film. Of course, he'll still be doing action films, but in the future, he plans to concentrate more on drama. Last year's excellent, but underrated Unleashed may offer a glimpse as to where his career is headed. If Li is serious about leaving the wushu genre--and there's no reason to doubt him--there could not be a worthier film than Fearless to cap his career. Li wanted his last kung fu movie to transcend the conventions of the genre. He wanted it to be more about the true nature of martial arts, the philosophy, rather than focus solely on pandering, cartoon violence prevalent in much of the genre. He views Fearless as the culmination of his life's work, and of his philosophy, as well.

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The resultant product is a work that is one of the most visually stunning films of 2006. Scenery, costuming, cinematography and pacing all work synergystically to create a tableau that speaks volumes. Sparse in dialogue, it is a film that tells its story simply but effectively--letting the viewer's perceptions fill in the blanks. On a somewhat related note, http://www.jetlisfearless.com/game gives viewers an opportunity to paste scenes in whatever manner suits their fancy. It doesn't alter the story, but it can alter a viewer's perception of it.

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Like Hero and House of Flying Daggers before it, Fearless elevates what used to be perceived as puerile chop-sockey into a rarefied idiom that quietly, if sometimes brutally, speaks to a universal truth. Violence may rule the world, but it doesn't have to rule us.

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