{K " «gt Li stars in? "“ Fearless (shaven ad, main picture); AM Hero (Top and / 2nd from top, right); 8 students learn the j art of kung fu from a grand master at Shao Lin Temple
L .-\ng I.ee‘x (Tour/ling Tiger. Hidden Dragon xhow ed the induxtry what wax poxxihle. groxxing £90 tnillion in the ['8 alone in 20m: three yearx later l.i‘x own Hero heeame the lirxt loreign language moy ie e\ er to top the ['8 hox olliee.
\Vith l't'tlllt'H. l.i hopex to eontinue thix pattern ol xtieeexx. l’rodueed hy the tnan hehind hoth thexe hitx and direeted hy homeeoming Hollywood \eteran Ronny Yu (IV/eddy \‘.\. .luxon. Sly] .Ylttlc'l. like ltx predeeexxorx it eomhinex amhitioux aetion hair pin ehoreography and Hollywood produetion \aluex.
But where eritiex at home eomplained that lilmx xueh ax (Vina/ting 'Iigw: Hidden Dragon xaerilieed authentieity to da/xle the \Vext. when l-i'urlt'n dehuted in (‘hina laxt (‘hinexe New Year it wax warmly reeei\ ed. taking llX) million Yuan (£0 million) and enjoying ()0‘2 audienee approyal ratingx.
('ertainly part ol thix appeal wax the lilm‘x
xetlueneex.
patriotic xtoty line. Baxed on an hixtorieal eyent. it tell.x the xtory ol a (’hinexe pri/e lighter named lluo Yuanjia. w ho. through hix kung lu aehieyementx emerged ax a galyanixing national xymhol in the yearx lollowing the dixaxti‘otix Boxer Rehellion.
.let [i hopex that hy retelling Yuanjia'x ,xtory he ean galyanixe a whole new generation ol('hinexe .‘oung people. "Material lile in (‘hina hax itnproyed greatly in recent yearx. But I wax xhoeked to learn that a quarter ol a million people eommit .xuieide here eaeh year.‘ explainx the xtar. who hax preyiotixly campaigned on mental health i.x.xuex on hehall ol the ('hinexe Red ('roxx. 'l5earlexx tellx young people to helieye in themxelyexf
In thix .xenxe. l'i'tt/‘li'.x.\ (made in part with xtate money i relleetx extahlixhed notionx ol lilm making in (‘ommunixt China. that einema xhould perlorm a moral and patriotie lunetion — a point
JET Ll
JET Ll REMAINS
THE ONLY STAR
OF A LETHAL
WEAPON MOVIE
TO BE CLASSIFIED
‘A NATIONAL TREASURE' BY CHINA'S COMMUNIST RULERS
reiterated hy ('hinexe l’rexident llu .lintao when xpeaking on the ltlllth anni\erxar_\ ol ('hmexe einema in Heeemher laxt year. 'I‘he xtate ‘ltonxored ‘lluahiao :\wai’dx'. hilled III the loeal (’hina’x eyen ineludex ‘pati'iotixttr ax a eriterion tor reeognition. laxt year'x winnerx ineluded /.hang /iyi though not Mr .Ilt'moirx u; (I (it'ixlm. whieh wax hanned
metlia ax ()xeatx.
l‘eettthe ll xhow ed ('hinexe tlell‘t‘\\t‘\ lending IN the .lapanexe.
l.i realixex he ix xpeaking to two \ery dillerent audieneex. at home and ahroad. "l'he \Yextern audienee t‘eettgltixex lltttl a IIIH\IL‘ xltowx a perxonal opinion; hut part ol the (‘hinexe audienee helieyex that il a ('hinexe eharaeter ix the Item. the lilm ix making a eomment ahout ('hina: that national pride ix at xtake.'
:\nd while l.i ix keen to xtrexx hix eharaetet”x ultimate reieetion ol \ iolenee. thix xtill meanx that I't'tll'/('\\ might juxt he the lirxt l'lx' xutnmer hit where (almoxt) all the \illainx are w externerx. while all the good guyx are ('hinexe. Yuaniia'x xtory takex plaee in ('hina‘x eoaxtal portx. under the xhadow ol loreign oeeupation. lle lightx and deleatx the phyxieally impoxing loreign ehampionx one hy one. eulminating in a eontext with a lighter lrotn the old enemy. .lapan.
We can expeet more ol the xame in xummerx to eome. 'l‘he (‘hinexe moxie induxtry ix looking healthier now than at any time in the laxt (Ill yearx. generating xalex ol xome 3 hillion (UN million) Yuan laxt year already eomparahle to Hollywood. xayx the (‘hinexe go\ernment and growing. Meanwhile. the reeent deeixion to premiere The [M \i'm‘i ('m/t' in lleiiing lour hourx helore it opened the ('annex I‘ilm lextiyal hax heen interpreted loeally ax a xign ol the xet‘iotixnexx with whieh the international xtudiox yiew the (‘hinexe market.
Baek at kung lu'x lame aeademy. a luture playing the \illain doexn‘t particularly trouhle a group ol the older wextern traineex who haye made the long trek eaxt to xharpen up their martial artx xkillx. It‘x jtixt the xame in Hollywood. they xay. w hieh hax olten heen a ehext—lwating ehampion ol Ameriean patriotixm. Tattooed and lull ol muxele. rexting alter morning drill. the wextern xtudentx look xlow' hexide their ('hinexe trainerx. ax though all their muxeular hulk hax lortned in the wrong plaee.
’Sometimex the (’hinexe mm ie eompaniex come here looking lor loreignerx to work ax extraxf xayx a young heeleake named ()liyer. an ex—xeryieeman lrom St Louix. 'Sometimex they want you to light; hat the laxt time I wax juxt a hy xtander. and the hero ximply puxhed me out ol the w ay.‘
Thix ix the ineyitahle late. it xeemx. ol the wextern kung lu extra. .-\nd. juxt ax ineyitahly. hell he eoming xoon to a multiplex near you.
Fearless is on general release from Fri 23 Jun.
.92 , .' 7", .. THE LIST 25