Sunday, October 30, 2011

Bodyguards and Assassins (2009, Hong Kong)

With it's big budget and all star cast and years in the making, Teddy Chen's Bodyguards and Assassins had a lot to live and up to and thankful it did. The story is about a ragtag group of people getting together to provide protection for Sun Yat-Sen on his trip to Hong Kong in 1906. The Chinese Empress Dowager wants him assassinated to prevent him from fermenting rebellion. The first 80 minutes introduce the cast and has some action but it is the last hour that takes place in real time as the heroes try to protect Sun Yat-Sen from a seemingly limitless supply of bad guys. Stand out sequences include Donnie Yen versus Cung Le, and Leon Lai against 30-40 henchmen. The performances are good, with Nicolas Tse winning Best Supporting Actor at the 2009 HKFA Awards. The film also won for Best Director, Art Direction, and Action Choreography. The movie is streaming on Netflix and is highly recommended.

No comments: