Bodyguards and Assassins (2009)

[Sheng]

Originally Posted by Silver_Fox

The second time, I was completely engaged with the character development and intricacies of the plot. Whoever this older guy is who played Li Yutang is, GIVE HIM AN AWARD NOW.

It was the great Wang Xueqi in what amounts to a career-defining performance! He's a Mainland actor as you speculated and he did indeed get the “Best Actor” award for this by the HK Film Critics Society. Most recently he weighed in with another show-stealing performance as the multi-faceted gang master in REIGN OF ASSASSINS.

[Guest Yi-Long]

I'm mostly behind with these new movies cause it's hard to keep track on which ones are cut and butchered for their western release, and which ones are released uncut...

[BaronK]

What I find annoying is that they promoted this like it was a kung fu movie or something. Its not and not even close. Its a movie. A damn good one that should have been promoted as the movie it plays out to be.

I don't watch this for the action and don't look for it when there is none onscreen. i fully enjoy the picture itself. Some really good performances and I like the way the picture and situations played out although its already been said about Leon Lai's character.

I love Tung Wei's action style although this was more action style and story based in conception and execution. I know Donnie redid the stuff between he and Cung Le but it doesn't fit in any way and would prefer to see what Tung Wei's stuff with them looked like.

Really good picture.

[Guest Markgway]

It was the great Wang Xueqi in what amounts to a career-defining performance!

Yes, he was excellent.

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

What I find annoying is that they promoted this like it was a kung fu movie or something. Its not and not even close. Its a movie. A damn good one that should have been promoted as the movie it plays out to be.

I don't watch this for the action and don't look for it when there is none onscreen. i fully enjoy the picture itself. Some really good performances and I like the way the picture and situations played out although its already been said about Leon Lai's character.

I love Tung Wei's action style although this was more action style and story based in conception and execution. I know Donnie redid the stuff between he and Cung Le but it doesn't fit in any way and would prefer to see what Tung Wei's stuff with them looked like.

Really good picture.

Yeah me too.. I hate it when movie studios do that.. There is a word/phrase for it, forgot what it's called, 'False Advertisement?'

[Guest Markgway]

I'd say there's enough martial arts to justify its status as a martial arts movie.

Audiences these days don't have the appetite for the 90% kick fests they made in the 70s.

[massa_yoda]

I absolutely loved this one. I am working on getting a guest review posted on Shaolinchamber36. Look for it soon! Fortunately, I never saw the trailer that seemed to spoil it for some people. I do address this in my review. I did NOT know that Donnie redid his action scene though. That's very interesting and I wonder how much friction this caused on the set with Donnie making changes like this.

[ShaOW!linDude]

I did NOT know that Donnie redid his action scene though. That's very interesting and I wonder how much friction this caused on the set with Donnie making changes like this.

I thought I remembered reading a link to this story on here somewhere (probably in this very 20+ page thread:tongue:). DY wasn't satisfied with it or some such and brought Cung Le back and they did additional choreography over the course of a 24 hr period. It went something like that, I believe.

Boy, was I off. This was post #54 by DIP on page 6 of this thread.

Cung Le on working with Donnie Yen (courtesy of Rama's Screen):

RS: I’m Asian and I grew up in Asia watching all kinds of kung fu, martial art movies, watching Jet Li, Jackie Chan and all those guys and of course Donny Yen. I understand that you worked with him on BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS. He always seems serious on screen, was he like that in person?

CL: Donny Yen to me was a very kind, generous but intense person. I didn’t have any problem with him because when I got on set, I’m just as intense, if not, more. I was just as focused and I brought just as many ideas to BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS. We filmed for like 13-14 days straight and a couple of more days after. And I told Donny "Hey Donny, this fight scene that you and I are in, this is old school stuff, you’re Donny Yen, how come you don’t take charge in choreographing this?" and he’s like "I don’t wanna say anything and I don’t want the guy to lose his job", there’s so many other fight scenes that they could use his expertise on those scenes. We actually wrapped our scene and I was really unhappy, I told Donny and Donny felt the same way. Two months later I came back, they brought me back, Donny and I collaborated to shoot that scene that we did.. in 4 days. We shot and the last day Donny was "hey Cung, we can do a lot better but we need you a couple of more days" but I already needed to fulfill the agreement I had with Overture Films to be at Comic-Con to promote PANDORUM and Comic-Con is a big stage to promote PANDORUM and I said "I can’t do it bro, what we’re going to have to do is shoot straight" so Donny and I both shot for 24 hours straight to get the final shot and what we did in 15-16 days with that other fight coordinator, between Donny and I and his expertise cause I never wanna step on Donny’s foot, we did what we had to do to get it done in 4 days, amazing.

[massa_yoda]

Awesome. Thanks for that!

[ShaOW!linDude]

Well, he says he brought just as many ideas for the fight sequences (3rd sentence). But that doesn't mean they used them. Donnie has greater experience as a choreographer and I'm under the impression that CL assented to his and STW's decisions. That's the way it came across to me but what do I know.

[Travis]

I saw this movie last night and hated it. It was very much like a soap opera.

I found it long, slow, and boring and when the action finally came an hour and 20 minutes in, I was over it and pretty much just wanted the movie to end.

Every actor has a scene where they cry and I found that cheesy, and not in a good, fun way.

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

I saw this movie last night and hated it. It was very much like a soap opera.

I found it long, slow, and boring and when the action finally came an hour and 20 minutes in, I was over it and pretty much just wanted the movie to end.

Every actor has a scene where they cry and I found that cheesy, and not in a good, fun way.

You could have just fast forward to the action scenes and save yourself the hour and 20 minutes... The fact that you had to sit and wait that long for an action scenes means you're trying too hard bro....

[Travis]

I thought about fast forwarding the movie.

I don't watch movies just for fight scenes though, especially these days when I can just turn on the TV and see a MMA fight that is better than what you would see in a movie anyway.

I didn't like this movie because I found it boring, drab, and overly dramatic.

[Sheng]

Dude, I have no clue what you expected and I don't know if you have any interest or understanding in Chinese political history (a vague idea about Dr. Sun Yatsen's role in it is definitely helpful in grasping the essence of this), but to compare THIS movie to a "soap opera" betrays nothing but your own ignorance. (and that's diplomatically phrased!)

Dunno what your standards for a great movie are. Did anybody tell you to expect a nonstop MA show here? Well, like someone suggested, you could have used the fast forward button to get a piece of the action, but anyway... Point is that this is a character-driven, fictionalized historical drama first and foremost, the cast was incredible, the best pan-Chinese cinema has to offer right now, with not only Wang Xueqi weighing in with career-defining performances. Personally speaking, I haven't seen a more intense and more convincingly acted film in the last two years.

[Travis]

I really don't have any interest in Chinese political history and that is part of why I didn't like it.

I would much rather watch something like The Patriot with Mel Gibson.

I think this is more of a movie for Chinese people and most mainstream westerners wouldn't care that much for it.

I didn't really know what to expect from it and I didn't have high expectations. I was just hoping for a mildly entertaining movie.

Again, I don't watch movies just for martial arts scenes because generally it is hard to get excited watching movie fights these days when mma on TV is so common. I am looking for all around entertaining movies.

I also don't get why people get offended when I don't like a particular movie.

[massa_yoda]

Point is that this is a character-driven, fictionalized historical drama first and foremost, the cast was incredible, the best pan-Chinese cinema has to offer right now, with not only Wang Xueqi weighing in with career-defining performances. Personally speaking, I haven't seen a more intense and more convincingly acted film in the last two years.

Amen.

Again, I don't watch movies just for martial arts scenes because generally it is hard to get excited watching movie fights these days when mma on TV is so common. I am looking for all around entertaining movies.

I also don't get why people get offended when I don't like a particular movie.

Nothing wrong with having an opinion, people just have really strong reasons for loving and hating certain movies. For me, this is so much more than a martial arts film. You say you don't watch movies just for the martial arts scenes....but this movie is (to me) nearly flawless in the drama, characters, music, scope...so I guess I don't really know what you look for in the scenes in between the fights. But again, different strokes for different folks.

[Travis]

Yeah, I figured this forum is place to express opinions so I was just sharing my honest opinion. It seems some people get very offended when my opinion isn't exactly the same as theirs and I don't get that. It's not like I am telling the people that made the film that it sucks nor am I trying to be insulting about it.

I don't really think of the non-action scenes as filler scenes, I think they should also be entertaining. To me, this was not an entertaining film.

I just saw Bullets Over Summer and that has an action scene at the beginning and the end. The middle is a drama/comedy but those scenes are really entertaining and interesting as well. I am just looking for movies that are entertaining regardless of the genre.

[massa_yoda]

Yeah, I figured this forum is place to express opinions so I was just sharing my honest opinion. It seems some people get very offended when my opinion isn't exactly the same as theirs and I don't get that. It's not like I am telling the people that made the film that it sucks nor am I trying to be insulting about it.

I don't really think of the non-action scenes as filler scenes, I think they should also be entertaining. To me, this was not an entertaining film.

I just saw Bullets Over Summer and that has an action scene at the beginning and the end. The middle is a drama/comedy but those scenes are really entertaining and interesting as well. I am just looking for movies that are entertaining regardless of the genre.

I like all sorts of stuff people hate and vice versa, so don't get discouraged. I agree about the non-action scenes needing to be entertaining. I didn't mean to say 'filler', that wasn't the right word. IMHO, the non-action scenes in B&A worked well. But again, that's just me. It's all about what you want out of your action movies.

[Phoenix]

Just scanned the last few posts, and I too, like films some people hate and vice versa. But about the MMA thing, I think kung fu choreography will always (at least in a good film) be very entertaining and excitingly shot. I would never get that from a real life contest where two opponents have to pound the hell out of each other. A very loosely related argument would be someone saying, why watch any of the Rocky films when real boxing matches are televised? That's not a very good example, I admit.

Some of the classic kung fu action scenes contain elements of action that I will probably never see anywhere else.

edit-also, different people find different stuff entertaining. What pleases one person may bore another person to death.

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

I really don't have any interest in Chinese political history and that is part of why I didn't like it.

I would much rather watch something like The Patriot with Mel Gibson.

I think this is more of a movie for Chinese people and most mainstream westerners wouldn't care that much for it.

Chinese political or World history in general??? So you only care for American history and that's why you would rather watch 'The Patriot?'

If that's the case, you are really missing out on some great films from around the globe my friend....

[Travis]

I would care more about a film that is on American or Philippine history more than on history of some other country in general. I think The Patriot and Braveheart are both great films, but I think the reason I preferred The Patriot to Braveheart is that The Patriot is about American history and I relate that more than to Scottish history.

I only mentioned The Patriot earlier because that is also a fictionalized film based on a real historic event and I think it is a great film.

[QueMuchita]

I love this movie also but I have to admit on the first viewing of it I was disappointed because I guess I was expecting it to be a lot more of a action movie but each time I watch it now I like it more and more.

[DiP]

Great film. Politics don't interest me much but the conflict between the Manchus and revolutionaries provides alot of engaging moments in the story. On top of that is a great direction, cast/performances, music, sets, CGI, and cinematography. Action was decent but it doesn't showcase anything significant that we normally come to expect in choreography. It's more intact with the story and characters.

I see that a mention of reality martial arts being more enjoyable than onscreen fighting was given some posts back. REALLY?! Has UFC really got some people twisted or something? Action movies are fictionalized, period.

[kngfu]

I was expecting to be bored, but the exact opposite was true. I loved it and was impressed by Donnie Yen's acting throughout the movie.

[BLfan]

It is strange that Cine-Asia in the UK is releasing this film on DVD on 16th April 2012?

I have the UK blu ray version released by E1 entertainment.