Director: Teddy Chan Tak-Sum
Cast: Wang Xueqi, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Hu Jun, Nicholas Tse, Wang Bo-Chieh, Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Li Yuchun, Mengke Bateer, Fan Bing-Bing, Eric Tsang, Simon Yam, Zhou Yun, Cung Le
"Bodyguards and Assassins" tells a fictional account of an assassination attempt on Chinese revolutionary Dr. Sun Yat-sen when he visited Hong Kong on October 1905 and the efforts of a group of "bodyguards" to protect him.
In order to enjoy this film, you'll need to set yourself the proper expectation first. The film was marketed as a martial arts/action movie with Donnie Yen as the lead actor, which is a little misleading. Actually, very little action happens in the first hour and all the fight scenes/action sequences seen in the trailer only occurs in the second half of the film. In addition, Donnie Yen is not the main actor in this film but instead, part of an ensemble cast.
The first half of the film focuses on introducing the main characters and their motivations for protecting Dr. Sun Yat-sen during his visit to Hong Kong. Each cast members delivers solid performance, especially Hu Jun who plays the Xiao-Guo, the head assassin and Nicholas Tse who plays Ah-Si, the rickshaw puller. The film does take its time to set up the stage for the big finale in the second hour when all hell breaks loose.
Overall, "Bodyguards and Assassins" is more of an political drama than an action film and may disappoint those who are expecting Donnie Yen to single-handedly wipe out the bad guys. With the proper expectations, this film is quite enjoyable thanks to its solid direction and ensemble cast.
Score: 8/10
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