by MARK SLUTSKY

After appearing in dozens of action movies, Chinese legend Jet Li recently announced that his latest, Jet Li’s Fearless, will be his last wushu (martial arts) movie. North American audiences probably know the man best for his appearances in Hollywood flicks of inconsistent quality, like the horrible, crypto-racist Lethal Weapon 4. But Li, who began his wushu training at the age of eight (and became a champion in his teens), has a substantial and deservedly revered Asian filmography.

So the retirement of the Once Upon a Time in China and Shaolin Temple star is kind of a big deal, and Fearless doesn’t skimp on the sentiment. The movie, directed by Ronny Yu (The Bride With the White Hair) is based on the true story of Huo Yuanjia, the fighting master who founded the still-extant Jingwu Sports Federation (and who, apparently, redeemed the spirit of a nation in a dark hour). Our hero starts as a spunky kid with big dreams, until his pride gets the better of him and he gets cut down to size.

But hey, the plot’s not really important here; it’s the scrappin’ that really matters. And on that Fearless delivers. Interestingly, most of the action in this one takes place in the ring, at various competitions and championships, and that really puts the focus on the fighting technique itself. Each match tends to have a slightly different setup—barehanded, using swords, swords versus poles etc., which keeps the action fairly varied despite the similar environments.

Though the cinematography is a little shaky for my taste, and the editing a little too fast and furious, there’s nonetheless some extremely exciting sparring that goes on. The film’s subtext might be a little iffy (with the nakedly nationalist theme that the Chinese must unite to keep out the scheming foreigners and thus win back their pride), but like the plot, it’s mostly easy to ignore in favour of the theatrics.

It’s sad to see such a skilled performer—and Li really is a physical genius, there’s no question, especially when he’s choreographed by fellow legend Yuen Wo Ping, as he is here—retire, but at least he’s going out at the top of his game.

Jet Li’s Fearless opens this Friday, Sept. 22

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