Some Thoughts On Jet Li's Fearless

This thing about martial arts film cliché that still are made to work, in terms of unfolding a narrative that is satisfying and in some ways surprising.

Yes, the above is a sentence fragment.

Anyway. This is just to say that I am surprised myself, that a word I keep coming back to in my head about Jet Li's Fearless is actually "beautiful," again, despite what I understand to be narrative arc and character clichés of a hero's internal and external journeys, or the simultaneous unfoldings of micro and macro narratives. The necessity of the hero journey, coming up and becoming so strong and unable to be defeated, that he becomes cocky and misguided. That he himself violates proper warrior codes, loses everything and must begin again. But I think the difference here is that Li's character Huo Yuanjia sincerely engages in this learning process, and that Li himself acts the part equally as sincerely. As well, I am not sure about the theatrical release version, but the unrated version is fairly unrelenting in its brutality, the extremes to which his character goes, consumed with his own rage, vengeance, and pride, and then proceeds to lose everything and everyone dear to him.

* spoilers below, in case you haven't yet seen this film *

The character dynamics between Li's Huo Yuanjia and Nakamura Shidou's Tanaka (I am becoming a Nakamura Shidou fan!) are of note, an honorable "warrior code," which is in a process of erosion or negation given Western infiltration into China and the rest of Asia at the start of the 20th century. But this is not to say all Western fighters are devoid of this honor code. When Huo Yuanjia fights the mammoth Hercules O'Brien, there's a point where O'Brien knows he's been defeated fairly, and this has to do with Yuanjia ultimately saving him from serious injury; Yuanjia not only restrains himself from delivering a final (or maybe even fatal) blow, but actually saves O'Brien from falling over and impaling himself on something awful. So it's compassion that Yuanjia has exhibited here. This is what he's had to learn.

But I bring up the final fight between Yuanjia and Tanaka, precisely because it is two Eastern warriors engaged in mutually respectful fighting; apart from having had this wonderful philosophical dialogue over tea previous to the fight, there's a scene where Yuanjia has taken Tanaka's weapon (a katana) and exchanged it for his own (this thing resembling nunchaku but with three metal bars chained together), and when it becomes quickly apparent that Tanaka cannot fight using this weapon, they each hold out to one another their respective weapons and calmly exchange then back. This is done in a manner that indicates they both trust that neither will take this opportunity to disarm the other. By sharp contrast is the Westernized Japanese diplomat (Westernized as indicated by his top hat, suit, and hobnobbing with similarly dressed Brits with waxed mustachios) who will resort to all kinds of dishonorable acts in order for a Japanese man to win this match (poisoning Yuanjia's tea and all). Thing is, I also get why this Westernized Japanese diplomat wants nothing more than for Tanaka to win; he does not want to look as though the Japanese can be easily pushed over by the West, for this is what is at stake here, with the term, "The Sick Man of Asia," being used to describe China and the Chinese people. Disproving this term is what now fuels Yuanjia to fight.

Now, in terms of Fearless being Jet Li's final wushu film, more power to him. Back to the cliché that the master must die in order for the student or apprentice to rise to the occasion, and to become the Master himself. Despite utilizing this time honored cliché, still, the film is effective, both for the character's journey and for the actor's "farewell" to the genre; it is effective because I believe it comes across as quite sincere and unpretentious (despite what film critics may have to say). Back to the unrelenting brutality, loss, and ultimately, redemption in the transcendence of vengeance. Here's one thing I am big on: commitment. The film commits to this brutality, hence does not take cute short cuts to bring us through the hero's journey to its inevitable end.

Addendum: I also wanted to say something about the stereotypical Asian hero not "getting the girl," in these martial arts films, though we see Western men gettin' all kinds of laid in the East. I was thinking of Toshirô Mifune's character, Musashi Miyamoto, in Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy, and what appears to be this belief or idea or reality that women can cloud one's commitment to learning to become a warrior. Not because women are that kind of mindless distraction, but because traditional honorable interactions with women entail commitment. That is to say, there isn't a prevalent air of irresponsibility, a casual fuck cuz you can and leave regardless of the consequences kind of thing, but rather, doing honor to the family, and properly assuming one's social role as a husband. "Husband" indicates social commitment. So it's not like Asian warriors are eunuchs and/or other types of sexless beings. I think they are brought up as warriors to have a little bit more respect and commitment for their art and to place women in a proper social context involving family and not individual sexual prowess. I think it's an arrogant, masculinist, and misogynist mindset of acquisition and conquest that Western heroes have to kick their enemies' asses and take their enemies' women, hence effectively emasculating their enemies. And this shows me some dire lacking of honor — in "real life," think of all the Vietnam War and Subic Bay abandoned children of American G.I's. In film, I refer back to Yuanjia and Tanaka, and the mutual respect they pay one another as warriors, and yes, as men. Think also about Stephen Chou getting the girl at the end of Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer; there's something very respectful, level-headed, and not lascivious happening there. Tell me if I am wrong on this one.