Jet Li gives kick to kung fu biopic "Fearless"

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.

"Fearless," reportedly the final film Li will make in the traditional wushu style, did excellent business when it opened earlier this year in East Asia, besting the opening weekends of "Hero" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

Western audiences less well-versed in the legend of the Chinese hero can't be expected to respond as well -- the film is slated to open August 4 in the U.S. -- and might be left frustrated by the shortcuts director Ronny Yu ("Freddy vs. Jason") takes in the telling of his tale.

Still, there is no shortage of bone-crunching brawls, expertly choreographed by the celebrated Yuen Wo Ping ("The Matrix" trilogy, "Kill Bill") in a spare, old-school style that makes the occasional use of wires and special effects look strangely incongruous.

Who needs CGI when you've got Li dispensing with an adversary during a rain-soaked clash one-handed while clutching an umbrella?

The film opens in a beautifully realized turn-of-the-century China, where Huo -- famous for founding the Jingwu Sports Federation, the school Bruce Lee's character belonged to in the 1970s classic "Fist of Fury" -- is taking part in an inventively staged tournament to defend China's honor against foreigners who have labeled his countrymen "the weak men of Asia."

Huo squares off against four formidable opponents, representing the imperialist powers in China at the time, and the resulting death match is a dozy, with Wo Ping skillfully blending an array of fight styles and Li displaying an elegant mastery of both traditional weaponry and hand-to-hand combat.

Just as Huo prepares to face the final challenger, Tanaka (Nakamura Shidou, in a sadly underused role), the film flashes back to his childhood in Tianjin, where the seeds of a resolve to greatness are sown by the humiliation of his martial artist father (Collin Chou) in a public duel.

The keen kid grows into a cocksure and dissolute young man, mowing down opponents with punishing speed, despite the protestations of his restaurateur best friend Jinsun (Dong Yong) and against the advice of his mother (Paw Hee-ching), who cautions him against succumbing to hubris in the first of many fortune-cookie platitudes littering the script.

Tragedy almost inevitably strikes when Huo goes too far and kills a rival in a drunk rage (trashing Jinsun's eatery in the process).

A vengeful disciple then slaughters Huo's family, leaving him so distraught that he wanders the countryside in a daze before winding up in a remote mountain village, where an old peasant lady and her beautiful blind granddaughter, Moon (Betty Sun), inspire him to use his powers for good.

Li ("The One," "Hero," "Unleashed") seems to welcome the chance to expand his emotional repertoire beyond a death-ray stare. Although his performance in the early scenes is aggressively theatrical, he grows into the role.

Most of the supporting players, however, are shortchanged. Moon, Tanaka and American strongman Hercules O'Brien (Nathan Jones) were seemingly created as plot devices rather than real characters, and Yu too often turns to cheap sentiment to replace emotional resonance.

Yu sliced 40 minutes, including all scenes featuring Michelle Yeoh, from the film just before its theatrical release, yet editor Virginia Katz keeps the pacing even.

Production designer Kenneth Mak's elaborate sets suit the epic scale of the period piece, varying as the action shifts through visceral fight scenes to moments of quiet beauty in the mountains.

CAST:

Huo Yuanjia: Jet Li

Moon: Betty Sun

Nong Jinsun: Dong Yong

Anno Tanaka: Nakamura Shidou

Huo's father: Collin Chou

Huo's mother: Paw Hee-ching

O'Brien: Nathan Jones

Mita: Masato Harada

CREDITS:

Director: Ronny Yu

Assistant director: Yuen Wo Ping

Screenwriters: Chris Chow, Christine To

Producers: Bill Kong, Jet Li

Executive producers: Han Sanping, Jet Li

Director of photography: Poon Hang Sang

Production designer: Kenneth Mak

Music: Shigeru Umebayashi

Costume designer: Thomas Chong

Editor: Virginia Katz