A highbrow martial-arts picture in the tradition of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Jet Li’s Fearless has lofty ambitions but lacks the necessary talent. Li stars as real-life martial-arts legend Huo Yuanjia, who fought for the pride of China against foreign challengers at the turn of the 20th century. As it follows Yuanjia from childhood to his final match, Fearless means to be an epic historical piece and a stirring personal drama at the same time. No one involved, however, seems up to the task. Director Ronny Yu (Freddy vs. Jason) awkwardly transitions between time frames, while Li lacks the emotional range to carry such a demanding movie on his own.
