Jet Li's Fearless

An antic martial-arts fable with factual roots, Jet Li’sFearless—with Li as Huo Yuanjia, an early-20th-century fight champ whose hubris costs him dearly—preaches nonviolence amid kick-ass Yuen Wo Ping--choreographed brawls. The contradiction is glaring and Huo’s post-trauma exile perfunctory, but a genuine sense of life-altering loss pervades Fearless’s latter half. And Li, who claims he’s through with chop-’em-ups after this, deserves credit for bowing out gracefully. What would there be to look forward to otherwise—Jet Li’s Cartilageless? (Now playing; Click here for venues.) — Mark Holcomb