Jet Li's Fearless
Fearless film poster
Directed by	Ronny Yu
Produced by	William Kong
Written by	Ronny Yu
Starring	Jet Li Nakamura Shido Collin Chou Betty Sun
Distributed by	UIP (Europe) Rogue Pictures (U.S.) China Film Group (China)
Release date(s)	January 26, 2006 March 18, 2006 March 23, 2006 June 23, 2006 August 24, 2006 September 22, 2006
Running time	105 min. 140 min. (Director's cut)
Language	Mandarin Cantonese Japanese English
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Fearless, known in Chinese as Huo Yuanjia (Chinese: 霍元甲; pinyin: Huò Yuánjiǎ) and Jet Li's Fearless in the United Kingdom and the United States is a 2006 Chinese film directed by Ronny Yu and starring Jet Li. It is loosely based on the life of Huo Yuanjia, a legendary Chinese martial artist who challenged foreign fighters in highly publicised events, restoring pride and nationalism to China at a time when Western Imperialism and Japanese manipulation were eroding the country. Jet Li stated in an interview that this film is his last wushu martial arts epic, a point also made in the movie's television promotions and other publicity. Fearless was released on June 23, 2006 in the United Kingdom, and on September 22, 2006 in the United States. Fearless is a 1993 movie directed by Peter Weir and written by Rafael Yglesias from his novel, which stars Jeff Bridges, Isabella Rossellini, Tom Hulce, Rosie Perez, Benicio del Toro, and John Turturro. ... Fearless is a 1993 film directed by Peter Weir and written by Rafael Yglesias from his novel of the same name. ... Image File history File links Fearless_film. ... Ronny Yu (Chinese: ) (born 1950) is a Chinese director, producer, and movie writer. ... Ronny Yu (Chinese: ) (born 1950) is a Chinese director, producer, and movie writer. ... Jet Li (Simplified Chinese: 李连杰; Traditional Chinese: 李連杰; pinyin: Lǐ Liánjié; born April 26, 1963) is a Chinese martial artist, actor, Wushu champion, and international film star. ... Nakamura Shido (中村獅童; born 14 September 1972) is a Japanese actor and Kabuki actor. ... Collin Chou (born August 11, 1967 in Taiwan), sometimes credited as Ngai Sing, is a Taiwanese actor best known in the United States for his portrayal of Seraph in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. ... United International Pictures (UIP) is a joint venture of Paramount Pictures (owned by Viacom) and Universal Studios (owned by NBC Universal), to distribute some of the two studios films outside United States (including territories) and Canada. ... Rogue Pictures is a division of Focus Features, the specialty film division of Universal Studios, which is a division of NBC Universal. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Hong_Kong. ... is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... is the 77th day of the year (78th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Korea. ... is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is on all of the Northern Chinese dialects. ... This article is on all of the Yue dialects. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is 霍 (Huo) Huo Yuanjia (Chinese: ; pinyin: ) (c. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... The history of Chinese language cinema has three separate threads of development: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China, and Cinema of Taiwan. ... Ronny Yu (Chinese: ) (born 1950) is a Chinese director, producer, and movie writer. ... Jet Li (Simplified Chinese: 李连杰; Traditional Chinese: 李連杰; pinyin: Lǐ Liánjié; born April 26, 1963) is a Chinese martial artist, actor, Wushu champion, and international film star. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is 霍 (Huo) Huo Yuanjia (Chinese: ; pinyin: ) (c. ... Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ... The May Fourth Movement in 1919 marked a turning point in the history of Chinese nationalism. ... For the computer game, see Imperialism (computer game). ... Wushu may refer to: Chinese martial arts, or fighting systems from China. ... is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Tagline: "Fate made him a warrior, courage made him a hero"

A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. ...

Plot

Jet Li portrays the life of martial arts master Huo Yuanjia. The plot differs greatly from the actual life of Huo Yuanjia. Jet Li (Simplified Chinese: 李连杰; Traditional Chinese: 李連杰; pinyin: Lǐ Liánjié; born April 26, 1963) is a Chinese martial artist, actor, Wushu champion, and international film star. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is 霍 (Huo) Huo Yuanjia (Chinese: ; pinyin: ) (c. ...

The movie starts off with Huo Yuanjia fighting 3 Westerners: a boxer, a spearfighter and a fencer. Huo Yuanjia beats them all, and makes it his habit to bow to the opponent. Just as he is about to fight Anno Tanaka, the final contestant, Huo Yuanjia has a flashback. In literature, film, television and other media, a flashback (also called analepsis) is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. ...

The story flashes back to when Huo Yuanjia was a small boy. His father, Huo Endi, was a great fighter but did not want his asthmatic son to follow in his footsteps, and hence refused to teach Yuanjia martial arts. Huo secretly watched his father's training and taught himself how to fight. Huo Endi (Chinese: ) (1836 – 1917) was the father of famous Chinese martial artist Huo Yuanjia. ... For other uses, see Asthma (disambiguation). ...

The young Yuanjia then witnesses his father "losing" a Lei tai match; in actuality, his father struck the winning blow of the match, because he delivered a fatal technique which he mercifully pulled short so that his opponent would not be killed. However, his opponent dishonorably struck back after Huo Endi's winning blow, causing Huo Endi to "lose" the match when he is knocked off the stage. Yuanjia is taunted by the son of the man who defeated his father and he steps up to defend the Huo family name. Yuanjia gets beaten up by the boy and he swears never to lose again. The Lèi tái (Traditional: 擂臺 Simplified: 擂台 – “Beat (a drum) Platform”) is a raised fighting platform, without railings, where often fatal weapons and bare-knuckle martial arts tournaments were once held. ...

As the years pass, Yuanjia grows into a powerful fighter, winning fight after fight on the Lei tai until he becomes known as one of the greatest fighters in Tianjin, China. However, as his success grows, he becomes arrogant and increasingly ruthless, unlike his late father. When a rival martial arts master named Qin Lei (Master Chin in the US version) apparently injures one of Huo's followers, Huo forces Qin to fight him to the death during Qin's birthday celebration. Yuanjia's businessman friend, Nong Jinsun, urges him to settle the matter later, but Yuanjia refuses, insulting Nong. After much effort, during which the fighters demolish a restaurant, Huo—unlike his father who had previously held off during the Lei tai match—kills Qin with a fatal blow. However, when he returns home, he realizes that his mother and daughter (Jade in the US version) have been killed in revenge. Guided by fury, he goes to Qin's home and finds Qin's Godson, who admits to slaughtering Huo's family, and that he alone was responsible. Qin's Godson then commits suicide before Huo can kill him.As he leaves, his pupils approach, and force the pupil that was injured by Qin to tell Huo that the reason Qin attacked his pupil was because the pupil had slept with Qin's concubine (in the American version he insults Qin's mistress). Crazed with grief and shame, Huo flees Tianjin and wanders aimlessly for many miles, no longer caring about himself. A disheveled, greying wanderer, he nearly drowns in a river, but is saved by Granny Sun (Grandma in the US version) and her blind granddaughter, Yueci (Moon in the US version). They bring him back to their village and guided by their simple acts of kindness, Huo begins to learn the value of kindness and mercy.   (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Postal map spelling: Tientsin) is one of the four municipalities of China. ... A swampy marsh area ...

In 1907, Huo Yuanjia returns to a very different Tianjin than the one he had left. No longer a comfortable rural village, it is now a bustling city, crowded with foreign troops and merchants. There, he makes peace with his past—visiting the graves of his family and apologizing for his faults, and paying his respects to the family of Master Qin.

He then reconciles with Nong Jinsun and challenges the American fighter, Hercules O'Brien, who was making headlines defeating Chinese fighters and dismissing them as the 'Weak men of the East'. To the astonishment of the foreigners, Huo not only wins the fight, but the admiration of O'Brien in the process by saving O'Brien's life. Huo Yuanjia's fame begins to spread with successive challenges with other foreign fighters, and with funding from Nong Jinsun, he sets up Jing Wu Men, a martial arts school in Shanghai. Huo Yuanjia, founder Chin Woo Athletic Association (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ; lit. ...

The members of the foreign Chambers of Commerce fear that Huo Yuanjia's victory will fan anti-western sentiments in the Chinese people and lead to revolts, so they seek to humiliate him. They challenge him to a match in which he will take on four foreign champions in a single evening: a British boxer, a German lancer, a Spanish fencer, and a Japanese martial artist. Though Jinsun urges Huo to refuse such an unfair challenge, Huo decides to accept, adding that afterwards, he intends to take a break and visit Granny and Yueci. He also accepts an invitation to join the Japanese challenger, Anno Tanaka, for tea. While there, they have a discussion about tea. Tanaka claims that because each tea has its own characteristics, there are different grades to tea. Huo claims that the grade of the tea does not matter when one is in a good mood. Tanaka is impressed by this answer and moves the discussion to martial art styles. Huo maintains that no one style is superior to another. Tanaka asks then why are there so many competitions. Huo claims that although there is no superior style, the ones who practice them have different skill levels, and therefore competitions help people uncover their weaknesses. Tanaka is impressed by this answer and they enjoy tea together.

The match was now found to have taken place on September 14, 1910. The flashback is over. Huo Yuanjia faces Tanaka in a titanic battle. In the first round, they fight with their weapons of choice. Yuanjia uses a Three section staff and Tanaka uses a Katana. In the middle of the round, each fighter manages to disarm the other and they end up exchanging weapons, whereupon it is clear that Tanaka has little to no experience with the three section staff. After they return each other their chosen weapon, the first round ends in a draw. However, both Huo and Tanaka have also formed a silent friendship based on mutual respect. Three-section staff The sanjiegun, or three-section staff (三節棍 , sān jié gùn), is a Chinese flail weapon that consists of three wooden or metal staffs connected by metal rings or rope. ... For other uses, see Katana (disambiguation). ...

Before the second round, Huo drinks from a teacup that was switched unseen with his teacup, while he was fighting in the first round. In the second round, to be fought without weapons, Huo has difficulty breathing, loses his strength, and starts vomiting blood (the teacup he drank from was poisoned with arsenic). Tanaka and Huo's students immediately demand that the fight be stopped, but Huo replies that they might as well finish it since he will die regardless.

In his weakened state, Huo is no match for Tanaka but sees an opening to seize victory by delivering the same fatal technique that he had used to defeat and kill Master Qin. However, at the last second, he pulls the strike, letting it land without any power behind it, just like his father did in the start of the movie. As Huo collapses, Tanaka realizes both Huo's mastery and his mercy and helps Huo back to his feet, raises his arm and declares him the victor. The crowd from all sides cheer as they call out Huo's name.

When the furious Japanese diplomat confronts Tanaka, accuses him of throwing their victory away, and calls him a disgrace to Japan. Tanaka, perhaps knowing that he was the one who was behind the poisoning, angrily slams him against a pillar and repeats that Huo won the match; end of story. The scene is left off with the crowd gathering around what is depicted to be Huo's corpse.

The movie ends with a scene of Huo practicing his Wushu on a flower-covered hill, with Yueci watching from a distance. Huo turns to see Yueci as she hurries towards him. The film ends with the two meeting eyes, presumably for the first time ever.

Characters

Note: Chinese names order the family name before the given name.

• Huo Yuanjia (霍元甲; Hanyu Pinyin: Huò Yuánjiǎ) – The main character, who starts as a talented fighter.
• Nong Jinsun (農勁蓀; Hanyu Pinyin: Nóng Jìngsūn) – Huo's childhood friend, who finances Huo's forays into fighting.
• Yueci (月慈; Hanyu Pinyin: Yuècí) (Moon in the U.S. versions) – A peasant girl who nurses Huo back to health.
• Hercules O'Brien - A beefy American champion whom Huo challenges.
• Anno Tanaka (田中安野, Tanaka Anno^?) – The Japanese challenger to Huo.

Pinyin (拼音, Pīnyīn) literally means join (together) sounds (a less literal translation being phoneticize, spell or transcription) in Chinese and usually refers to Hànyǔ Pīnyīn (汉语拼音, literal meaning: Han language pinyin), which is a system of romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration to roman script) for Standard Mandarin used in the...

Cast

• Jet Li – Huo Yuanjia
• Nathan Jones – Hercules O'Brien, American wrestler
• Yong Dong – Businessman and close friend of Huo Yuanjia, Nong Jinsun
• Collin Chou – Yuanjia's father, Huo Endi
• Nakamura Shido – Anno Tanaka, Karate, Judo & Kenjutsu practitioner
• Betty Sun – Yueci (Moon)
• Hee Ching Paw – Yuanjia's mother, Qijing Bao
• Mike Leeder – Referee Randall
• Ian Powers – Bellboy Dante
• Anthony De Longis – Anthony, Spanish fencer
• Brandon Rhea – Hans, German spearfighter
• Jean Claude Leuyer – Peter Smith, British boxer
• Masato Harada – Mr. Mita

Jet Li (Simplified Chinese: 李连杰; Traditional Chinese: 李連杰; pinyin: Lǐ Liánjié; born April 26, 1963) is a Chinese martial artist, actor, Wushu champion, and international film star. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is 霍 (Huo) Huo Yuanjia (Chinese: ; pinyin: ) (c. ... Nathan Darren Jones (born August 21, 1970 in Gold Coast, Queensland) is an Australian professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and actor. ... Collin Chou (born August 11, 1967 in Taiwan), sometimes credited as Ngai Sing, is a Taiwanese actor best known in the United States for his portrayal of Seraph in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. ... Huo Endi (Chinese: ) (1836 – 1917) was the father of famous Chinese martial artist Huo Yuanjia. ... Nakamura Shido (中村獅童; born 14 September 1972) is a Japanese actor and Kabuki actor. ... An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline or one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. ... Anthony Charles De Longis, born March 23, 1950, in Glendale, California, United States, is an American actor, stuntman, and choreographer. ... Masato Harada (原田眞人 Harada Masato, alt. ...

Production

Alternate versions

The film was originally approximately 140 minutes long, but to fit market demand, it was cut to 105 minutes, and scenes by Michelle Yeoh and a fight between Jet Li and a Thai boxer, portrayed by Somluck Kamsing, were removed. A special release of the film in Thailand in March 2006 reinserted the scenes with Somluck (but not Michelle Yeoh), making its new running time approximately 110 minutes. In January of 2007, Ronny Yu's original 140 minute Director's Cut was given an official DVD release in Hong Kong, featuring the full Michelle Yeoh sub plot as well as the fight with Somluck Kamsing. Dato Michelle Yeoh Choo-Kheng (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Cantonese (Yale romanization): yèuhng jí kìhng; born August 6, 1962) is a Chinese Malaysian actress and dancer, well known for performing her own stunts in the action films that brought her to fame in the early 1990s. ... Somluck Kamsing (sometimes Somrak Khamsing, born January 16, 1973) is a Thai boxer. ...

Universal has announced that the full 141 minute Director's Cut will be released on DVD in North America in July 2008. ^[1] July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ...

Other names

• Some promotions, including television and AMC Theatres billed the film as Jet Li's Fearless.
• The film is also known as Spirit in Japan.

AMC Promenade 16 multiplex in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles, California. ...

Connections with other films

Comparisons can be drawn between this film and one of Jet Li's earlier films, Fist of Legend. The character of Huo Yuanjia is the master of Jet Li's character in Fist of Legend, Chen Zhen; in the earlier movie, Chen Zhen returns to China from Japan to avenge the murder of Huo Yuanjia, which is depicted in Fearless. The films also explore similar thematic material: in Fearless, Huo Yuanjia eventually learns that the true purpose of martial arts is self-improvement and self-development, while combat with others is useful only as a means of testing one's progress, and he teaches this lesson to his Japanese opponent. In Fist of Legend, Chen Zhen is told the same lesson by his own samurai opponent, who claims that martial arts are a means of improving one's physical health, but if one wants to kill a man, then the best way is to use a gun. Fist of Legend (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; literally Hero of Jing Wu) is a 1994 Hong Kong martial arts film starring the martial artist Jet Li. ... Chen Zhen (Chinese: ) is purported to be a Chinese martial artist who was a student of Huo Yuanjia. ...

In an earlier film Fist of Fury (formerly known as The Chinese Connection), Bruce Lee portrayed Huo Yuanjia's student Chen Zhen, who seeks revenge for his poisoning. This film was the archetype of Fist of Legend. Jing Wu Men redirects here. ... Bruce Lee (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: Lǐ Xiǎolóng; Cantonese Yale: Léih Síulùhng; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Chinese-American martial artist, philosopher, instructor, and martial arts actor widely regarded as the most influential martial artist of the 20th century and a... Fist of Legend (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; literally Hero of Jing Wu) is a 1994 Hong Kong martial arts film starring the martial artist Jet Li. ...

Nakamura Shido (Anno Tanaka) appears as an extra on Fist of Legend. Near the beginning of the movie, after Chen Zhen and Funakochi Fumio leave the school, they walk down a crowded street behind a line of soldiers. The last soldier seen in that line is a very young Nakamura Shido. Nakamura Shido (中村獅童; born 14 September 1972) is a Japanese actor and Kabuki actor. ... Fist of Legend (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; literally Hero of Jing Wu) is a 1994 Hong Kong martial arts film starring the martial artist Jet Li. ... Nakamura Shido (中村獅童; born 14 September 1972) is a Japanese actor and Kabuki actor. ...

The 1982 Hong Kong film Legend of a Fighter is also based on the life of Huo Yuanjia. Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ...

The weapon fight between Jet Li's Huo Yuanjia, armed with a three-section staff, and Nakamura Shido's Anno Tanaka, armed with a katana, is meant to evoke the final showdown in Fist Of Fury, where Bruce Lee counters a katana-wielding Riki Hashimoto with a nunchaku. For other uses, see Katana (disambiguation). ... Jing Wu Men redirects here. ... For Nintendos Wii Remote Nunchuk attachment, see Nunchuk. ...

Reception

Controversy

In February 2006, a great grandson of Huo Yuanjia demanded an apology for the inaccuracy portrayed in Fearless. In the film, Huo did not have any offspring as his only child was killed. Huo in real life has 7 grandsons and 11 great grandsons. No apology was offered, and the complaint came to nothing. This was because the great grandson was advised that a court case was unlikely to succeed, because the producers had not stated that the film was intended to be historically accurate. ^[2]

Box office

Fearless opened in Hong Kong on January 26, 2006. The film played to blockbuster business, eventually grossed an exceptional $HK $30,201,600 HKD by the end of its run.^[3] is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

On September 22, 2006, Fearless was released in 1,806 North American cinemas under the title Jet Li's Fearless. In its opening weekend, it placed 2nd at the box office to the sequel to Jackass, grossing $10,590,244 USD ($5,863 per screen). It was Jet Li's seventh film in a row to open to over $10 million.^[4] The film went on to gross a meek $24,633,730 USD by the end of its North American run, and its total worldwide gross is $67,129,516 USD.^[5] is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jackass Number Two (also known as Jackass Two or Number Two) is the sequel to the 2002 comedy film, Jackass: The Movie, itself based upon the MTV series. ...

Soundtrack

Asian pop superstar and actor Jay Chou wrote and sang the theme song to this movie, also named "Huo Yuanjia". In the song Jay Chou sings in a soprano voice for a few segments. Although the song became a huge hit on Chinese download charts, it was heavily criticized for its repetitiveness and the inaudible nature of its lyrics. The film's soundtrack was composed by Shigeru Umebayashi. Jay Chou (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chou Chieh-lun; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chiu Kia̍t-lûn) (born 18 January 1979) is a World Music Award-winning Taiwanese musician, singer, producer, actor and director. ... This article is about the voice-type. ... Shigeru Umebayashi (born February 19, 1951 in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka) is a Japanese composer. ...

References

2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 108th day of the year (109th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic way. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 108th day of the year (109th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic way. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 108th day of the year (109th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official Site
• Fearless at the Internet Movie Database
• Fearless at Rotten Tomatoes

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