After reading A Kung Fu Swan Song, I decided last minute today to give this movie a try. I heard some comments here and there, but I have never really been a Jet Li fan (I’m impressed with his website though!). I think he’s got fantastic moves and is definately the REAL thing when it comes to Kung Fu. But when it comes to acting, it depends on the movie and is less consistent.
Fearless was much better than I expected. I didn’t go with much expectation … and this is in the context of not going to the movies for at least 2 months since Chicken Little. But perhaps it’s because of what’s on my mind lately that I was actually moved emotionally and intellectually at some points. In short, I didn’t just leave the movie appreciating some intense and excellently choreographed fight scenes. There was a story and insights that followed me back One thing for sure, to me it wasn’t to glorify the violence of Kung fu (or Wushu) which could have been the case, and I appreciated that there was more thought in the portrayal of some of the characters (so it wasn’t over simplistic that one nationality is painted a bad guy while another is the pure good guy.
I guess I liked the movie because I noticed and “felt” themes of honor, repentance, redemption, the bigger than personal vision, sacrifice, forgiveness, reconciliation, etc. so there were moments of connection.