History Film / Fearless2006

* DisabledLoveInterest: Moon, Huo's love interest is blind.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Fearless_3.jpg]]

''Fearless'' (original title: 霍元甲) is a movie starring Creator/JetLi, directed by Ronny Yu and released in 2006. It is a [[VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory fictionalized biopic]] of famous martial arts master Huo Yuanjia (1868-1910).

Incidentally, Jet Li also starred in the 1994 movie ''Film/FistOfLegend'' (itself a remake of the Creator/BruceLee movie ''Film/FistOfFury''), where he played the fictional student of Huo Yuanjia out of [[YouKilledMyFather get justice for the death of his master]] after he is murdered [[note]]In RealLife, Huo seemingly died of arsenic poisoning, but this was likely accidental rather than foul play[[/note]], so while they have very different continuities, the film could be considered a SpiritualSuccessor of sorts to that one.

* ArtisticLicenseMartialArts:
** Jet Li's fighting style on screen does not resemble very much mizongyi, the school of kung fu used by the real life Yuanjia. Instead, it resembles more Li's natural wushu (which Yuanjia also practised, anyway).
** The real life Hercules O'Brien was a boxer, while the one from the film appears to be a professional wrestler. Also, he was an Irishman, while in the film he is American (and actor/ wrestler Nathan Jones is Australian).

* CompositeCharacter: Anno Tanaka, being a karate man with some judo moves, is a mixture of the Japanese opponents Huo is known to have fought through his life. According to sources, he faced an important judoka and later a karate master from the Goju-Ryu school, probably defeating both (though sadly their names or circumstances have not been registered.)

* DoomedMoralVictor: Huo continues his fight against Tanaka, despite being poisoned. He fought for the pride of China.
** Master Qin's relative who had killed Huo's mother and daughter. He waits by Master Qin's funeral pyre, thanks his godmother for taking care of the surviving relatives, then waits for an angry Huo to show up before committing suicide. Denying Huo his RoaringRampageOfRevenge drove him into a HeroicBSOD.

* ForgottenFramingDevice: In the extended version, at least. While the theatrical cut is set entirely in the Qing Dynasty, the extended version actually begins in modern times where a wushu spokeswoman (Creator/MichelleYeoh, as TheCameo) narrates the backstory of the founder, Huo Yuanjia, with the movie flashing back to the past. But at the end of the film [[spoiler: after Yuanjia's death]] the movie just ends without going back to the present.
* AFriendInNeed: Huo's ChildhoodFriend Nong Jinsun, though more of a SourSupporter at first, copies the Huo family's wushu manual to help his friend learn martial arts, [[spoiler: covers for some of Huo's debts, prevents the foreclosure of Yuanjia's old home, and after some convincing, gives Huo the money he needs to travel to Hong Kong and challenge O'Brien. After they properly reconcile, Jinsun sells his successful restaurant to provide start-up funds for his friend's Jingwu Assocation]].

* KatanasAreJustBetter: To a point -- Tanaka manages to slice Huo's ''metal'' (or at least metal shod) three piece staff out of the air when Huo hurls it directly at his face, leaving a visible slice in it's structure and later in the duel slices easily through two of the chains holding the staff sections together. However the weapons are otherwise shown to be evenly matched.

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: If it were not for Huo catching him, [[spoiler: this would have nearly happened to Hercules.]]

* MidfightWeaponExchange: During Huo's bout with Tanaka, with the former using a three-sectioned staff and the latter using a katana, both end up swapping weapons mid-fight. After [[WhatTheFuAreYouDoing Tanaka accidentally whacks himself in the head with the flexible weapon]], Huo pauses the fight for them to swap weapons back.

* OhCrap: O'Brien has two when his [[spoiler: body slam gets countered perfectly]] and when Huo [[spoiler: rescues him from impaling his head.]]

* WhatTheFuAreYouDoing: When Tanaka, the Japanese fighter, [[MidfightWeaponExchange swipes Huo's three-section staff during their fight (losing his katana to Huo in the process)]], both men switch fighting styles. Nearly averted at first, with Tanaka dual-wielding the outer sections competently. But all bets are off once Tanaka tries to do a fancy around-the-back spin move, and whacks himself in the head. Huo graciously returns Tanaka's sword, and Tanaka does likewise with Huo's staff.
** Also interesting is the fact that Huo and Tanaka don't really switch fighting styles. Instead of using a katana style, Huo swings the katana one-handed with many circular movements, exactly how he would wield a Dao (Chinese single-bladed sword), while Tanaka wields the three-section staff as it is done with the same weapon in traditional Okinawan kobudo. However, as mentioned above, the Japanese seems to have a bit less practice in said art than Huo in his.
* WorldOfHam: Everything is dramatic. Westerners are especially shouty.
** Foreign businessman are especially sinister. One of them strongly resembles a DastardlyWhiplash, and the corrupt Japanese businessman is basically reprising the same actor's role as Omura in ''Film/TheLastSamurai''.
* WorthyOpponent: Tanaka epitomises this trope - offering Huo a chance to fight the next day to make the contest fairer (after fighting three other opponents before him), immediately halting his attacks and attempting to stop the contest when Huo is taken ill and conceding the match and leading the cheering for Huo's victory when he realises Huo could have easily killed him with the final blow.
** The U.S. wrestler eventually comes to consider Huo this as well.

* ArrogantKungFuGuy: Huo is one before he learns better. His vanity and recklessness end up making him bankrupt his family's money on extravagant parties for his admirers, participate in random death matches to show off, and causes him to carelessly kill a rival martial arts master, whose family and students end up murdering his family in a MurderSuicide plot since they could never beat Huo personally.

--> Cat's claw? \\

* DrillSergeantNasty: In the director's cut, Huo beats up and scolds some of his students for not training hard enough, and [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking demonstrates the results of his training]] when he punches a wooden pole in two.

* CallBack: Huo's spinning forward punch, his killing technique. We first see him use it on Master Qin, killing him. He later uses it in his final match against Tanaka, though instead of going through with it, he pulls it at the last minute, illustrating how far he's come from what he once was.

** The real life Hercules O'Brien was a boxer, while the one from the film appears to be a professional wrestler. Also, he was an Irishman, while in the film he is American (and actor/ wrestler Nathan Jones is Australian). Moreover the result of the fight is in dispute; Either O'Brien lost by knockdown or he left town when Yuanjia accepted his challenge without fighting at all.

** The real life Hercules O'Brien was a boxer, while the one from the film appears to be a professional wrestler. Also, he was an Irishman, while in the film he is American (and actor/ wrestler Nathan Jones is Australian).

* CycleofRevenge: One that turns the film tonally upside-down. Huo Yuanjia, intending to restore honor to his pupils, challenged another martial artist, Master Qin, to a duel right on Qin's birthday, leading to Yuanjia beating Qin to death. Qin's godson then pulls a RevengeByProxy, killing Huo's mother and adopted daughter, before commiting suicide. Thus leading to Yuanjia losing everything in a single night and ultimately choosing to throw himself off a cliff...

* NeverTrustATrailer: The trailer gives you a pretty good idea of the plot of the last half-hour of the movie, giving the impression that its a much more action-oriented film.

* ProtagonistJourneyToVillain: Huo Yuanjia during the film's first StoryArc becomes more brutal to his opponents after he beat his childhood bully (twice in the director's cut) which culminates in his NoHoldsBarredBeatdown and killing of Master Qin.

* AFriendInNeed: Huo's ChildhoodFriend Nong Jinsun, though more of a SourSupporter at first, copies the Huo family's wushu manual, [[spoiler: covers for some of Huo's debts, prevents the foreclosure of Yuanjia's old home, and after some convincing, gives Huo the money he needs to travel to Hong Kong and challenge O'Brien. After they properly reconcile, Jinsun sells his successful restaurant to provide start-up funds for his friend's Jingwu Assocation]].

''Fearless'' (original title: 霍元甲) is a movie starring Creator/JetLi, directed by Ronny Yu and released in 2006. It is a fictionalized biopic of famous martial arts master Huo Yuanjia (1868-1910).

** Master Qin's godson, after killing Yuajjia's mother and adopted daughter, offs himself with a self-inflicted SlashedThroat.

** Tanaka, who declared Huo the victor [[spoiler:even though he's dying of poison]].

** Huo Endi, Yuanjia's father. In his fight with another martial artist at the beginning of the movie, even though he only lost because his opponent was an honourless bastard, he bowed and accepted his defeat without complaint.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: To a point - Tanaka manages to slice Huo's ''metal'' (or at least metal shod) three piece staff out of the air when Huo hurls it directly at his face, leaving a visible slice in it's structure and later in the duel slices easily through two of the chains holding the staff sections together. However the weapons are otherwise shown to be evenly matched.
* TheHeroDies: Huo himself at the end.

--> Cat's claw?
--> Tiger claw!

* DrivenToSuicide: After his family's death, Huo roams the countryside and nearly dies from drowning after letting himself fall from a boat.

* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Yuanjia comes home after finding out that [[Master Qin died of his injuries to discover his daughter, dead in her bed.]]

* PoorCommunicationKills: SO much. Had Yuanjia's disciple or ANY of his compatriots simply told him that Master Qin beat him up because he insulted his concubine, his mother, HIS DAUGHTER, Master Qin, and Qin's godson might still be alive.
* ProWrestlingIsReal: Possibly with Hercules O'Brien. He fights with what appear to be "show" wrestling moves instead of the catch-as-catch can grappling system used historically "real" wrestlers of the time.

* PoorCommunicationsKills: SO much. Had Yuanjia's disciple or ANY of his compatriots simply told him that Master Qin beat him up because he insulted his concubine, his mother, HIS DAUGHTER, Master Qin, and Qin's godson might still be alive.

* PoorCommunicationsKills: SO much. Had Yuanjia's disciple simply told him that Master Qin beat him up because he insulted his concubine, his mother, HIS DAUGHTER, Master Qin, and his godson might still be alive.