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Year One
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Fearless

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 24 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 42 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Action | Drama | Foreign
Written by: Chris Chow
Directed by: Ronny Yu
Release Date:
Theatrical: September 22, 2006
DVD: December 19, 2006
Running Time: 103 minutes, Color
Origin: Hong Kong / USA
Summary
RATING: PG-13 for violence and martial arts action throughout
Starring Jet Li, Nakamura Shido, Dong Yong, Betty Sun, Nathan Jones, Collin Chou, Bao Qijing, and Masato Harada
Jet Li's Fearless reunites the actor and marital arts superstar with producer Bill Kong ("Hero") and action choreographer Yuen Wo Ping ("Unleashed") as he portrays martial arts legend Huo Yuanjia, who became the most famous fighter in all of China at the turn of the 20th Century. (Rogue Pictures)
Also On Metacritic
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Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach
Much of the film's virtue lies in its straight-ahead narrative and uncomplicated morality. That and the undeniable charisma and virtuosity of its star.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek
There's something grand and enveloping about Fearless.
Read Full Review >Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
Li plays haughty, brilliant wushu master Huo Yuanjia, whose recklessness leads to tragedy after he becomes a champion at the end of the 19th century.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell
Though it somehow manages to be a movie about inner peace with crazy, incredibly staged fight scenes every 10 minutes, it is, first and foremost, a movie about inner peace.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
Billed as Li's final martial arts epic (would that Jackie Chan be so thoughtful), Fearless is fittingly peripatetic, finding the Hong Kong superstar ricocheting across the screen.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
With the exception of one sequence, this PG-13 movie is so youth-friendly that I thought I might take my 10-year-old. But that sequence, upsetting for those of any age, makes the movie better suited for mature 12-year-olds and older.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
One of those corny, lusciously mounted, almost predictably thrill-packed action movies you can't help but like.
Read Full Review >Premiere Monica A. Reyhani
Despite some amusing jabs at America's influence on traditional China, this film leaves even this American viewer feeling oddly patriotic (or maybe just wishing she lived in China.)
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
Li's performance is stronger here than it has been in previous films.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
The final scenes pack a surprising melodramatic punch.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Megan Lehmann
Witty choreography juices the pedestrian plot of Fearless, an earnest and technically accomplished biopic in which action star Jet Li flexes his limited dramatic muscles to portray kung fu master Huo Yuanjia.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Nathan Lee
Fearless sustains the tradition of ethically inflected Chinese action movies.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
Contrary to some reports, this is not Jet Li's last action movie--he already has another in postproduction--but it represents his farewell to wushu, the martial-arts tradition that made him an international star.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Felix Vasquez, Jr.
The theme behind Fearless is utterly simplistic, but universal: violence begets violence. It's a never ending cycle that becomes more and more vicious, until someone decides to stop it. It's a worthy final installment.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps
It's as subtle as a spinning kick, but some films aren't built for subtlety.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
As the very traditional hero, Li keeps us riveted through the fisticuffs, and he also carries off the film's heavier dramatic moments well enough -- though, as always, his lack of a strong personality prevents the movie from ever genuinely catching fire.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
A lavish biopic that gives Li one of his juiciest roles but is relatively light on the action his fans have come to expect.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Stephen Hunter
It's handsome, well-populated and offers beautiful scenery and settings. But "House of Flying Daggers" it ain't; maybe "House of Fallen Arches"?
Read Full Review >Village Voice Luke Y. Thompson
This is an action movie, and people don't come to be preached to; the "Terminator" flicks also favored world peace but didn't pause the action for nearly an hour to rub it in.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub
The movie is an enjoyable but flawed attempt at an epic story, with too much of the best action concentrated in the beginning.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Peter Debruge
The truth is, Jet Li has gotten soft in his old age. While fans of the "Once Upon a Time in China" star will be pleased to learn that at least half of Fearless is action, what they may not realize is just how mushy everything else is.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.6 (out of 10) based on 42 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Joao S. gave it a9:
Just loved it. Very good action scenes and story.
Yu C gave it a10:
A good film, good fight scenes, and I liked every part of it. Someone said the ending could be better, first things first "This is based on a True story". They can't go changing what happened in the real legend even though is loosely based on it, the real person died at the end due to poison and is a key part to what has happened. The proper Chinese title of the film Huo Yuan Jia (not fearless) is the actual name of the real legend happened in china and the martial art school he made still stands in china. Gabor in his review he didnt like Crouching Tider style films. Well one Chinese kung fu films has always been made in that way for decades is the way usually done and two Crouching Tiger's style is completely different style to Fearless'. If you watch enough asian films and drama you will understand what I mean.
Jim A. gave it a9:
One more usual movie with martial arts. That was my first thought about the film but I was completely wrong. This film is much more different than the the rest of this kind. It has a lot of surprises and a big value of different scenes. Furthermore the end of the movie completes the hole plot with a very interersting way!
Mike H. gave it a9:
I watched the director's cut (Which has around an extra 20 minutes of footage I think) of this and thought it was excellent, wasn't exactly fight after fight throughout the whole movie like I first thought which I liked, solid plot and excellent acting throughout, lasted two hours twenty minutes but I loved every bit of it, just one of those movies where you just sat back and let the movie take you in and wanted it to keep on going, truly stunning, I have watched movies like Hero and House of Flying Daggers but this seemed to be different in it's 'feel' and was overall better in my opinion, it just came across as much more beautiful and meaningful, if this really is Jet Li's final Martial Arts movie then it is truly an excellent one to go out on.
Sam gave it a9:
A great visual action movie with minimal special affects & wires. Ranks within the top 3 martial arts movies produced, even though I'm not a Jet Li fan. The action shots are mostly realistic and a good performance for the actors. Great movie to watch with the boys.
John B. gave it an8:
It's everything you would expect from Jet Li, and yes, it is cliche but good nonetheless. I definitely recommend seeing this movie if you like martial arts films.
Gabor A. gave it a3:
Loaded with just about every asian epic cliche. The plot is really just ten other movie compacted. Can't we bring something else over seas for a change? I know for a fact good movies are made in asia, but all we get are these Crouching Tiger formula followers. Oh, and Crouching Tiger sucked.
