Fearless

The martial artist Huo Yuanjia is arrogant and quarrelsome in his youth. His hunger to prove himself unbeatable leads to a death in a fight and then to the destruction of his own family. Having lost everything he withdraws to the countryside and returns years later as another man. He goes on to challenge foreign fighters in defence of China's standing and leads the founding of the Jingwu school. After beating a Japanese opponent he dies in unexplained circumstances. Ronny Yu directed, with Jet Li in the lead. Nakamura Shido II, Sun Li, Dong Yong, Nathan Jones, Collin Chou and Masato Harada are in the cast. It opened in Hong Kong on 26 January 2006. It also became a legal matter. Huo Yuanjia's grandson filed a defamation suit in 2006, objecting to his grandfather being shown as violent and held responsible for deaths in the family. The Beijing courts dismissed the case in December 2006, finding that while the film is exaggerated and fictitious it contains no defamatory or libellous depictions. It took 68.1 million dollars worldwide and was the highest-grossing domestic film in Hong Kong in 2006. Rotten Tomatoes singled out the brilliantly choreographed fight scenes. Who it is for: viewers who like martial arts cinema and Jet Li. Who it is not for: anyone after historical accuracy. The life the film describes departs from the real Huo Yuanjia at important points, and that went as far as a courtroom.