Bodyguards And Assassins

Shi Yue Wei Cheng (Bodyguards And Assassins) / Teddy Chan (2009). Score by Kwong Wing Chan and Peter Kam. While Indiana Jones had plenty of fighting, running and danger, it was all a lark. “Bodyguards and Assassins” is deadly serious, life or death, and almost infinity sad in the action adventure based loosely on fact. It is China in 1906. Except for a small part of Hong Kong under British authority, China is under the heal of the Qing Dynasty. The opposition leader, Dr. Sun Yat-Sin, in exile in Japan, is planning a brief return to bring all the rebellious factions under one umbrella. A highly organized assassination squad has been training to kill Dr. Sun. This film, beginning three days before the return, shows how a group of amateur fighters is brought together to protect Sun and to draw the assassins to themselves while the meeting of rebel leaders is being held. This sequence of meeting Dr. Sun at the dock and the subsequent chase through the streets of Hong Kong concludes the film. This lengthy set-piece (just a few minutes short of an hour) is a great work of acting, action, editing, and music. All parts come together. There are some well-limned characters you come to know and care about – and mourn for. Although some Big Stars appear (Donnie Yen, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Bingbing Fan), this is an ensemble piece. Each actor contributes to the whole without any star turns. “Bodyguards and Assassins” garnered a record amount of nominations (18) at the Hong Kong Film Awards. It won 8 including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Film Score. My pick as one of the top films of the 2000s.