movie buff

Fearless

Director: Ronny Yu Yan-tai

Starring: Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh and Shidou Nakamura

The story: Li stars as Huo Yuanjia, a 20th century Chinese martial arts hero who is the sifu (master) of Bruce Lee's character in Fist of Fury (1972). Initially a proud and fierce hothead who is always looking for a fight, Huo rediscovers the true meaning of martial arts after his mother and daughter are killed in a brutal act of revenge by his enemies.

The star: Li recently declared that Fearless would be his last martial arts film. He starred in it with the intention of encouraging people to face up to challenges after hearing about China's rising suicide rates.

Li got his first big break in Shaolin Temple (1979). But he didn't achieve stardom until director Tsui Hark cast him in the majestic Once Upon A Time In China (1991). In recent years, Li has teamed up with French filmmaker Luc Besson to create a series of action flicks tailor-made for European and US audiences, including last year's Danny the Dog.

Why bother? Fans of Hong Kong movies will have few quality films to choose from this year. Packed with action and a plausible storyline, Fearless appears to be a good bet.