Fearless

Jet Li's story makes him the man for the movie.

Herald rating: * *

Chinese star Jet Li lost something in translation when he took his martial arts skills to Western screens, kicking his way through dreadful movies with titles like Romeo Must Die and Danny the Dog.

Here, he's back in historic China in what he's announced will be his last chop-socky, sorry, wushu feature.

Given the occasion, some would hope it's the historic China of director Zhang Yimou whose 2002 epic Hero Li appeared in before the director went even more extravagant with House of Flying Daggers.

But no, it's the historic China of Ronny Yu, the Hong Kong-born director who had some form as a martial arts director before decamping to Hollywood to add Freddy Vs Jason and Bride of Chucky to his CV.

Which might explain why, despite Li's high-flying efforts and the the lightly CGI-assisted fight choreography of Woo-ping Yuen, it's simply not very good.

Hu is not much of a storyteller or stylist, and the script's loose basis on fact doesn't help things either.

Li plays late 19th/early 20th century martial arts master Huo Yuan Jia, who loosely did for the downtrodden Chinese what that Cinderella Man guy did for the American working man in the Great Depression. Li might seem the man for the job, especially as this resembles his earlier Once Upon a Time in China. Like Hou he was a martial artist who became a star because of his fighting skills, but thought differently about it when he reached middle age.

And its story is a classical redemption tale involving pride, arrogance, family tragedy, much wandering in the wilderness, a pretty blind girl, and the final dawning realisation that humility and restraint can go hand in hand with the ability to kick someone in the chops really really hard.

Fearless begins at the end with Hou's big showdown in which he defends China's pride against the best fighters from the European and Japanese colonial powers. Yes it's the kick-boxer rebellion.

But, as a movie it's dazed and out for the count long before the end credits roll.

Verdict: Jet Li's last martial arts flick packs plenty of punch but little else of interest

Cast: Jet Li Director: Ronny Yu
Rating: M, contains violence
Running Time: 104 mins
Screening: Village, Hoyts, Berkeley cinemas