Huo Yuan Jia (2006)

Director:

Ronny Yu

Writers:

Chris Chow (written by)
Chi-long To (writer)

Release Date:

22 September 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History

Tagline:

"Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself makes you fearless." - Lao Tzu

Plot:

This film tells the story of Chinese Martial Arts Master Huo Yuanjia (1869-1910). Huo Yuanjia was the founder and spiritual guru of the Jin Wu Sports Federation.

Plot Keywords:

Patriotism | Birthday Dinner | Disciple | Friendship | Financial Crisis

Awards:

2 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Jet Li	...	Huo Yuanjia
Shido Nakamura	...	Anno Tanaka
Betty Sun	...	Moon (as Li Sun)
Yong Dong	...	Nong Jinsun
Hee Ching Paw	...	Yuanjia's Mother
Yun Qu	...	Grandma
Nathan Jones	...	Hercules O'Brien
Brandon Rhea	...	Belgian Fighter
Anthony De Longis	...	Spanish Swordman
Jean Claude Leuyer	...	English Boxer
Mike Leeder	...	Fight Referee
Jon T. Benn	...	American Businessman
John Paisley	...	English Businessman
Collin Chou	...	Yuanjia's Father
Masato Harada	...	Mita

Also Known As:

Fearless (International: English title) (USA)
Jet Li's Fearless (USA) (complete title)
Legend of a Fighter (Hong Kong: English title)
Untitled Jet Li Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence and martial arts action throughout.

Runtime:

UK:104 min | Thailand:111 min | Argentina:104 min | Philippines:105 min | USA:103 min | Hong Kong:141 min (Director's Cut DVD)

Country:

China | Hong Kong | USA

Language:

Japanese | English | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Norway:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Hong Kong:IIB | France:U (with warning) | Peru:14 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:Unrated (uncut version) | Australia:M | Netherlands:16 | Malaysia:U | USA:PG-13 (cut) | Portugal:M/12 | Ireland:15A | Germany:12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | South Korea:12 | Finland:K-15

Filming Locations:

Shanghai, China

Company:

Beijing Film Studio

Trivia:

Michelle Yeoh had in a small role which was cut to ease the film's running time from over two hours down to a more audience-friendly 106 minutes.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Huo Yuanjia and Master Chen fight in the restaurant, Huo slices the top of Chen's head, yet when Chen is brought to his house the cut is gone.

Quotes:

Huo Yuan Jia: Poison works very quickly. It has worked its way to my heart... Zhensheng, promise me you won't seek revenge. Revenge will only bring us more bloodshed. Please, that's not what I want. We must strive to become triumphant... Nong Jinsun, I only understand wushu. I practiced for many years to understand what Wushu is, what is wushu's real purpose. The competition must continue. One cannot choose how one's life begins. It takes courage to finish the final step.

Movie Connections:

References Clerks. (1994)

A Great Action Flick, Stunning Performance

This is the first martial arts film that I enjoyed very much. It has a very strong plot which is also based on a true story about an martial arts master, Huo Yuan Jia and together with great actors and actresses, a masterpiece is presented. As an Asian, I have already seen too much martial arts movie, however this one stuns me with the story and acting as I have mentioned above, but as well as their visual effects, every movement is shown clearly, one would find their heart beating hard as the fight is going on, the music in the film also fits perfectly with the film. I have to mention that this film is quite Hollywood standard and I believe it is because Jet Li had already learn a few elements to make a good Hollywood film when he was filming some Hollywood films a few years back. As Jet Li has said, this will be his last martial arts movie and wants to make it a good one, I think he has already fulfilled his dreams, because this is a truly Jet Li movie and I think a lot of people would like this film.