Huo Yuan Jia (2006)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Ronny Yu

Writers:

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

Release Date:

22 SZEPTEMBER 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Biography | Sport

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:

Martial Arts | Redemption | Chinese | Revenge | Tragedy

Awards:

3 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
Zhigang Zhao	...	Zhou's Father
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Samantha Buck	...	Journalist
Jacky Heung	...	Master Chin's Godson
Chen Zhi Hui	...	Master Chin
Jason C. Lin	...	Presenter #2
Dave Mallow	...	Nong Jinsun (voice: English version)
Michelle Yeoh	...	Miss Yang (scenes deleted)
Ian Powers	...	Bellboy (uncredited)

Directed by
Ronny Yu

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Chris Chow		written by
Chi-long To		writer
Christine To		writer

Produced by
William Kong	....	producer (as Bill Kong)
Philip Lee	....	associate producer
Jet Li	....	producer
Er-Dong Liu	....	line producer
Buting Yang	....	producer
Ronny Yu	....	producer

Original Music by
Shigeru Umebayashi

Cinematography by
Hang-Sang Poon		(as Poon Hang Sang)

Film Editing by
Virginia Katz
Richard Learoyd

Casting by
Mike Leeder
Ean Tang

Production Design by
Kenneth Mak

Costume Design by
Thomas Chong

Makeup Department
Mark Garbarino	....	special makeup effects artist

Production Management
Helen Li	....	production manager
Zara Roberts	....	post-production supervisor
Michael Toji	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Chiu Wah Lee	....	first assistant director
Sean Liu Xiao	....	second assistant director
Woo-ping Yuen	....	assistant director (as Yuen Wo Ping)

Art Department
Zhanjia Yang	....	key art designer

Sound Department
Bobbi Banks	....	supervising adr editor
Nancy Barker	....	first assistant sound editor
Chris David	....	sound re-recording mixer
William R. Dean	....	sound effects editor
John Dunn	....	adr editor
Stephanie Flack	....	dialogue editor
Donald Flick	....	sound effects editor
Marshall Garlington	....	sound re-recording mixer
Shawn Kennelly	....	foley mixer
Susan Kurtz	....	dialogue editor
Laura Macias	....	foley artist
Chris Navarro	....	adr recordist
Steve Nelson	....	sound effects editor
Vince Nicastro	....	foley artist
Jay Nierenberg	....	sound designer
Stephen P. Robinson	....	sound designer
Stephen P. Robinson	....	sound effects editor (as Steve Robinson)
Anthony Roza	....	assistant sound editor
Martin Schloemer	....	sound recordist
Solange S. Schwalbe	....	supervising foley editor (as Solange Schwalbe)
Eric Thompson	....	adr mixer
Robert Troy	....	dialogue editor
Donald L. Warner Jr.	....	foley editor (as Don Warner)
Bryan O. Watkins	....	sound effects editor
Richard E. Yawn	....	sound designer
Richard E. Yawn	....	supervising sound editor
Matthew T. Duncan	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Shawn Broes	....	digital mastering editor
Yan Chan	....	digital compositor
Neil Greenberg	....	visual effects editor
Jesse Ho	....	animator
Joey Tang	....	visual effects
Victor Wong	....	visual effects supervisor

Editorial Department
Michael G. England	....	first assistant editor
Joe Fineman	....	post-production consultant
Skip Kimball	....	digital film colorist
Quan Lin	....	second assistant editor
Chris Regan	....	color timer
Ian Slater	....	first assistant editor
Dan Williams	....	post-production assistant
Lawrence Howard Williams	....	post digital media operator

Music Department
Sachiko Miyano	....	orchestrator
Shigeru Umebayashi	....	conductor
Tadashi Yatabe	....	music programmer

Other crew
Winston Emano	....	publicist
Flax Glor	....	publicist
Caroline Keichian	....	assistant to director
Jason C. Lin	....	assistant: Jet Li
Maria Lo Orzel	....	creative consultant
David Magdael	....	publicist
Stanley J. Orzel	....	creative consultant
Stephanie Pan Ying	....	production coordinator
Chow Hin Yeung Roy	....	assistant: producer
Bobby White	....	interpreter
Woo-ping Yuen	....	action choreographer (as Yuen Wo Ping)

Thanks
Michelle Yeoh	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Beijing Film Studio
• China Film Co-Production Corporation
• China Film Group
• Hero China International
• Wide River Investments

Distributors

• Rogue Pictures (2006) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Bazuca Films (2007) (Chile) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (2006) (Philippines) (theatrical)
• Delta Films (2007) (Peru) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2007) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Monopole-Pathé (2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Odeon Films (2006) (Canada) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Alliance Atlantis Home Video (2006) (Canada) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2007) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Highlight Film (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Hollydan Works (2006) (Serbia) (DVD)
• Medyavizyon (2006) (Turkey) (all media)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Video (2008) (Australia) (DVD) (director's cut)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc) (director's cut)

Special Effects

• Menfond Electronic Art & Computer Design Company

Other Companies

• Arigat-Orchestra  orchestra: Tokyo
• Asia Legend  front and end credits
• Avaco Creative Studio  recording studio
• China National Philharmonic Orchestra  orchestra: Beijing
• Danetracks  sound design and editorial
• Entertainment Post  video dailies
• Ex Ltd.  music production
• Hear Heart Studio  recording studio
• Kodak (Hong Kong) Ltd.  film supplied by
• Lakeshore Records  soundtrack
• Magic Film and Video Works  negative pull and data management
• Maruni Studio  adr recording studio: Japan
• Modern VideoFilm  digital intermediate
• Picture Mill, The  title design
• Runway  editorial storage
• Salon Films  camera equipment
• Salon Films  grip and lighting equipment
• Visual Sound Inc.  subtitles
• Visual Sound Inc.  translation
• Wilshire Stages, The  adr recording
• Wilshire Stages, The  sound re-recording
• Wonder Station  recording studio (as Wonderstation)
• audiomachine  advertising

Also Known As:

Fearless (International: English title) (UK) (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:

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

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 | Malaysia:U | Hong Kong:IIB | UK:15 | South Korea:12 | Ireland:15A | Netherlands:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | Germany:12 | Finland:K-15 | Australia:M | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | France:U (with warning) | Peru:14 | USA:PG-13 (cut) | USA:Unrated (uncut version) | Australia:MA (2008) (director's cut) | New Zealand:M | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Shanghai, China

Company:

Beijing Film Studio

Trivia:

The character played by Brandon Rhea in the film, was based upon a German military attaché who was based in China at the turn of the 20th Century and had a background in German fencing and weapons techniques.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Though the film takes place in 1910 and before, the western fencer Li faces in the beginning of the film uses a cavalry sword designed by George S. Patton in 1913. While very similar in design to earlier British cavalry swords, the Patton saber is readily recognizable by the lack painted hilt.

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:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#37.10)" (2007)

One of the best films of its genre

This movie has it all: a good story, based on real history; very good imagery and soundtrack; nice fighting scenes; last, but not least, a moral.

Jet Li plays a very important character in Chinese history, one that made Chinese people feel proud in a time when all their traditions were torn up by the interaction with the West. One can interpret the message of the movie in many ways. It is a movie about conquering yourself, about the meaning of honor and what it really means to be respected. Jet Li's character evolves from basically a glorified bully to the founder of a true Martial Arts competition based on respect of people and of fighting art. It is also a movie about how industry screws up... everything, really.

I personally feel that the film had enough material to be turned into a mini-series. The time from his personal tragedy to his realizing the meaning of his father's words it's very short and could have been expanded.

In conclusion, this is a great movie of Jet Li's and it's not only for martial arts lovers. I feel that his last "block busters" were meaningless violence films. Fearless is obviously NOT one of these movies. Enjoy.