Jet Li's Fearless [Blu-ray] [2006] [US Import]

The martial arts fans community is wide and diverse with some being severely critical of particular types of special effects and others being quite content with just the fight scenes; however lightweight the casting, direction, acting and storyline may be.I tend not to expect too much from the martial arts genre but do take issue with particularly poor storylines and/or direction. Indeed, there are movies out there - and some by Jet Li (of whom I hasten to add I am a great fan) - that I would have probably given 2 stars or less, that others have deemed 5-star contenders. Interestingly, most of what I consider Jet's bad ones have been the ones he has directed himself. My decision to add to the already long list of "Fearless" reviews is for the benefit of like minded sceptics who are fans of this genre but are resigned to the fact there is a pretty good chance the storyline is highly predictable and somewhat lightweight once the scene is set.It was with this frame of mind (sceptical) that I read the reviews on Amazon. The references to Jet's true classics like "Once Upon a Time in China" prompted me to take notice and I subsequently decided there was enough evidence here to persuade me to get a copy of the DVD and draw my own conclusions. So I did - both.And you'd be well within your rights to enquire how I think I fared on the 'returns for investment'. My response? Jackpot! And please note the capital "J"!This movie really comes close to unifiying this 'wide and diverse' community on what separates the bad ones from the good ones and the good ones from the great ones!I could not find a single thing mediocre about this movie which in my oppinion excels in every aspect of the genre and beyond. Casting, acting, direction, storyline, historical awareness.. it does it all .. It really is a five star epic and if there is any justice in this world (in matters such as these) will take up its place and deservedly so, in the hall of fame of the greatest martial arts movies of all time - however strict the shortlist may be!The summary:Pros: Has it all, great story line, superb fight scenes, beautiful cinematographyCons: Running time 99 minutes ONLY! There is sufficient material to stretch this movie to 180 and still remain faithful to the theme and retain its captive audience.Verdict: Don't rent it! BUY IT! This is one you want to own!Further advice: Don't buy the cheap versions with only dubbed English - and there are several of these out there. Get the proper copy and if you are not averse to subtitles, view it in its native language with English subtitles. SUPERB!

Came on time , good price, thanks amazon

I quite enjoyed this film in the cinema and on the initial DVD release. Some of the wirework was occasionally over-the-top, but there is enough well-performed and choreographed action to negate it, and it is nice to see Jet Li working with various traditional Chinese weapons. The film however did seem a little hollow in getting it's message across, and Jet Li has said in interview that he took the story of real-life martial arts master Huo Yuanjia, to convey his philosophy on martial arts, or wushu. These problems are addressed in the extended Director's Cut on the blu-ray, giving the film much-needed emotional depth, and even a little extra action! The quality of the picture and sound is also excellent on the blu-ray version. Not a great deal in the way of extras, but definitely worth purchasing for the Director's Cut. The only downside for me is the lack of historical accuracy in the story of Huo Yuanjia, a character referred to in films such as "Fist of Fury", "Fist of Legend" and "Legend of a Fighter", but whose real-life story deserves a proper biopic, as in the book "Fearless: The Story of Chin Woo Kung Fu".

I am a fan of martial arts movies and I have high expectations. This movie met them. There is much to be learnt from this movie, such as friendship, honour, humility, letting go and patriotic spirit. The characters are realistics and Jet Li's character, Huo Yuen-Jia was actually a real person who lived during that time. Without a doubt, the fight scenes were good and some of the best I have seen for a long time. It is good to see a variety of Western Martial arts against Chinese Kung Fu. It is not often you see how well Western swordsmanship and polearms fare against Eastern weapons. We often don't see Western martial arts at all, never mind seeing it as an artform, so this movie is a big eye opener. The balance between the moral message and the fighting is well balanced. The movie has been cut for final release and it would be nice to see a director's cut at some point in the near future. This is a marial arts movie for the informed and cultured movie goer.

I loved this movie, the story, the music, the way it is filmed..It is a masterpiece and a great acheavement. I don't want to spoil the plot and the twists like others do but I can still tell you that it's a story based on an historicaly true person. Now it is more a legend but the guy actually existed and its myth (as you can see) lives on.Some of the scenes are closer to petry (in my opinion) than to cinema, but the movie is not slow or too "scenic"; the fight scenes are AWESOME! Following Jet Li evolution in his last movies this is a step forward.It definitely worths watching and owning this film.

Jet Li once again is amazing in this film. He has allways had the edge over Van Damme, Steven Seagel and Arnie all because he can act and still impress people with his action scenes.This was ment to be Jet Li's last epic but he went onto do Forbidden Kingdom but I for one 1 am glad hes still doing these types of films.A must see and a great all round film.

This is one martial arts movie you MUST watch. Brilliant, utterly brilliant.Jet Li is simply fantastic in this. The only down side is a rather slow bitin the middle of the film, which didn't really bother me.The fighting is great, the story excellent and the acting good all round.Finally, the moral of the film is in truth what martial arts isall about. A Top Class martial arts movie with real grit.