Bodyguards and Assassins starring Donnie Yen

[doug maverick]

from sina dailen news. via wu-jing.org


Peter Chan Enshrouds March in Dark October

-- Dark October --
Dark October, produced by Peter Chan, is slated for production in March. Director Teddy Chan was planning the film back in 2004 when the investor committed suicide resulting in the production being stalled. With Peter Chan stepping in, financing for the 1.5m yuan film has been secured. The cast is likely to include Chow Yun Fatt and Donnie Yen, and perhaps Lau Ching Wan, Jacky Cheung, Leon Lai, Aaron Kwok, Ji Jin Hee, Kwon Sang Woo.

In Dark October, Sun Yat Sen (Chow Yun Fatt) heads to Hong Kong to raise funds for uprising activities. Learning of assassination attempt by the Manchu government, the businessman (Leon Lai) in Hong Kong who is responsible for receiving Sun Yat Sen hires elite bodyguards (Donnie Yen et al.) to protect him, eventually escorting him back to Guangzhou safely. Sina, Dalian News

chow yun fat and donnie in a film together could be epic.

[jethro]

Sounds good. I hope to see those 2 together. It will be funny to see Donnie protecting Dr. Sun Yat Sen rather than trying to kill him like he did in OUATIC 2.

[doug maverick]

so there has been no news of this film but looks like sina is reporting that chow yun fat is out, due to his confucius film. the cast and further info about the film is listed below.


Dark October Mugged by Bodyguards and Assassins

-- Bodyguards and Assassins --
At today's press conference for Bodyguards and Assassins (formerly Dark October), a movie on a group of people protecting Sun Yat Sen against assassination when he was in Hong Kong to raise funds on October 15, 1905, the cast was formally announced.

At this stage, it's not known who'd be playing Dr Sun Yat Sen, after Chow Yun Fatt, who's doing the film on Confucius that begins filming around the same time, declined the offer. Director Teddy Chan explains that Sun Yat Sen is not the key figure in Bodyguards and Assassins, rather the film shows the history of Hong Kong through a group of people protecting Sun Yat Sen.

The partial cast announced includes "Gambler" Donnie Yen, "Beggar" Leon Lai, "Rickshaw Puller" Nicholas Tse, "Revolutionary" Tony Leung Kar Fai, "Assassin" Hu Jun, "General in Exile" Simon Yam, "Police Commissioner" Eric Tsang, "Mistress" Fan Bing Bing, "Scion" Wang Bai Jue, Wang Xue Qi and Zhou Yun.

Among the various characters, Donnie Yen's role is particularly of great import, full of suspense and development. Unlike the others, he isn't a patriotic or righteous person initially, even in the final instance, he's still uncertain of his own stand. Fan Bing Bing plays Donne Yen's wife, but remarries tycoon Wang Xue Qi to be his mistress due to a twist of events.



While Nicholas Tse had actually auditioned for this film several years ago before the production was held up, it's until only recently that his role as the rickshaw puller, one that would lay down his life for Dr Sun, was confirmed.

Hu Jun, as the main villain, one sent by the Manchu government to assassinate Dr Sun, would be shaving his head bald. Hu Jun would also be joining Jingle Ma's ongoing production Hua Mulan starring Vicki Zhao, playing a Hun general.



The 150m yuan film produced by Peter Chan, action directed by Stephen Tung Wai, begins production in early April 2009 and would be released in December 2009. Sina


also the film is called bodyguards and assassins now.

[Zenshiite]

I think I prefer Black October as the title.

[doug maverick]

black october is a bit more ominous, then bodyguards and assasins which make it sound like a generic kung fu flick.

[Zenshiite]

Exactly, it sounds like a bad English title for an old Shaw Brothers flick.

[doug maverick]

i think thats what their counting on. they want someone like dragon dynasty or magnolia to snatch up the english language rights before they start shooting. and bodygaurds and assassins is a better sell then dark October.

[Lucas]

wait....confucius film?

[SimonM]

Yes, Chow Yunfat is booked to play Kongzi.

[Lucas]

sweet. should be some straight sword play in it then :D

[doug maverick]

so appereantly they are pulling out al the stops for this film spending 43million yuan on rebuilding shanghai attached is a pic of the scale map a promotion one sheet(poster) and a promo vid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbBKmiocDcM

[GeneChing]

...it's in the Dragonball thread. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showpost.php?p=920951&postcount=32)

[GeneChing]

Old Nick had it really hard. :rolleyes:
Persis Khambatta (http://www.poster.net/khambatta-persis/khambatta-persis-photo-persis-khambatta-6233681.jpg) would kick his ass in a baldness hardship contest.

Nicholas Tse Went all out for New Role (http://english.cri.cn/6666/2009/05/04/1321s481418.htm)
2009-05-04 12:57:03 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Tian Tian

Hong Kong actor Nicholas Tse has gone all out for his new role in Director Teddy Chan's 'Bodyguards and Assassins' (formerly 'Dark October').

The actor had his head shaved bald, for the first time, to play a 'rickshaw puller' role in the upcoming star-studded film.

However, Tse has to undertake more than that. The actor who usually appears on screen with a squeaky-clean, handsome image will make do with a scared face in the film. Special makeup for his character allegedly takes hours to do.
Moreover, the actor also needs to devote time to sun bathing in order to get tanned and look more like a weather-beaten rickshaw puller.

The film 'Bodyguards and Assassins' tells the story of a group of people protecting Sun Yat-Sen against assassination when he was in Hong Kong raising funds on October 15, 1905.

Director Teddy Chan once explained that Sun Yat-Sen is not the key figure in Bodyguards and Assassins, rather the film shows the history of Hong Kong through a group of people protecting Sun Yat-Sen.

The power cast also includes Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, mainland popular actress Fan Bing Bing, veteran actor Wang Xueqi and Hu Jun. Pop singer Li Yuchun would make her screen debut in the film.

The 150 million yuan film produced by Peter Chan begins production in early April 2009 and will be released in December 2009.

[doug maverick]

nic tse is pretty tanned already they trying to make him black??? anyway thats not going all out, freaking Bobby Dinero(he told me to call him bobby on the set of righteous kill so im gonna stick to it, you never know who might be read, LOL) once flew back from making a film in italy to be a taxi cab driver to prepare for his role in taxi driver, now thats going all out.

[Tensei85]

Awesome! It sounds like this is going to be a great year for Chinese action flicks, can't wait!

[GeneChing]

I'm taking the liberty of updating the title of this thread, Doug. ;)

click for pics

Bodyguards and Assassins (http://english.cri.cn/6666/2009/05/13/1221s484228.htm)
2009-05-13 13:42:11 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Liu Wei

The first posters of the upcoming movie "Bodyguards and Assassins" (formerly as "Dark October") were released during the Cannes Film Festival, held May 13-24 in Cannes, France.

The movie is about a group of people protecting Sun Yat Sen against assassination when he was in Hong Kong to raise funds in October 1905.

The 150m yuan film produced by Peter Chan, action directed by Stephen Tung Wai, begins production in early April 2009 and would be released in December 2009.

[doug maverick]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8QkGsDGSw&feature=player_embedded


from what i can see this film is going to be big...

[brothernumber9]

How about that? Cung Le maybe in his biggest role ever. Simon Yam is int it, so I'm all in.

[doug maverick]

would love to see donnie vs cung. hopefully when donnie does another modern day actioner or when he does chen zhen.

[Shaolinlueb]

chen zhen.


**** what movie is that from?

edit nvm. i got it now. fists of fury :o

[mickey]

Greetings,

Again, this flick looks far from lame. Anything with Ji Chunhua gets my attention.

mickey

[GeneChing]

...unfortunately the pics in this article are mostly of the stars and don't really capture the size of the set. They do show the size of Mengke Bateer...

'Bodyguards and Assassins' Opens Shooting Base (http://www.alivenotdead.com/-Bodyguards-and-Assassins-Opens-Shooting-Base-news-669650.html?r=andhpnewsbig)
2009-06-17 13:58:02 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Tian Tian

After a two-month long shoot, director Teddy Chan's 'Bodyguards and Assassins' has opened to the media.

Meanwhile, the magnificent replica of the 1905's Central of Hong Kong, built up in Songjiang, the western suburb of Shanghai, has wowed audiences.

Heavyweights for this action flick made an intriguing appearance after producer Peter Ho-Sun Chan opened the old door to the big film set.

Leading man Donnie Yen was escorted in by rickshaw while actors Hu Jun, Eric Tsang and Fan Bingbing arrived on horseback. Singer Li Yuchun who also landed a role in the film arrived gracefully in a traditional sedan chair. Wang Xueqi and Wang Bojie also made flashy appearances.

Danny Boyle who headed the jury for the 'Golden Cup' Awards (or Jin Jue) at the Shanghai film festival also made an appearance alongside other jury members.

Peter Chan joked, "Though it's the first time the film set - the Hong Kong Central in 1905- has been opened to the media, I've shown friends and special visitors around several hundred times as a tourist guide."

Reportedly, it took about one year and 43 million yuan to build the set, which is almost as big as ten football fields. It vividly represents the Central, downtown Hong Kong in 1905, also the most active business area back then, by clustering exotic colonial-style buildings, gothic architecture and south Asian flavoured arcades.

The film 'Bodyguards and Assassins' tells the story of a group of people protecting Sun Yat-Sen against assassination when he was in Hong Kong raising funds on October 15, 1905.

The power cast includes Hong Kong action stars Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, mainland popular actress Fan Bing Bing, veteran actor Wang Xueqi and Hu Jun, and singer Li Yuchun.

The film, which cost around 150 million yuan to make, will be released in December 200

[GeneChing]

I was hoping Red Cliff (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46417)would get a better release and since that hasn't happened, I can't imagine this will.

Action! A new type of kung fu movie is set to hit the screens (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-08/06/content_11833887.htm)
www.chinaview.cn 2009-08-06 09:35:07

Film director Teddy Chan makes a gift to actress Michelle Reis at the closing ceremony of the shooting of the film "Bodyguards and Assassins." The film marks actress Reis' return to the screen after her marriage to business tycoon Julian Hui last year.

BEIJING, Aug. 6 -- Director Teddy Chan has a vision of a different kind of martial arts movie. One that doesn't neglect emotions and storyline in favor of the action. "Bodyguards and Assassins" is to be released in December. Hong Kong filmmaker Teddy Chan's 10-year dream has finally come true as his highly anticipated period epic "Bodyguards and Assassins" finished its three-month shooting recently at a huge replica of 1905 downtown Hong Kong built in Shanghai's suburban Songjiang District.

The action-packed film, with a budget of 150 million yuan ($22 million), is due for release on December 18.

"I have revised the script several times over the past 10 years," Chan says. "The story really moved me a lot. I believe it can move the audience as well."

This time, Chan, known for his popular action films "Downtown Torpedoes" and "Purple Storm," wants to give kung fu film more historical relevance and magnitude, even if the storyline is fictional.

The film centers on a group of martial artists who try to protect revered Chinese revolutionary Dr Sun Yat-sen from an assassination attempt when he was in Hong Kong raising funds on October 15, 1905.

Its all-star cast includes veteran actors Donnie Yen, Tony Leung, Nicholas Tse, Leon Lai, Michelle Reis and Fan Bingbing.

But a big surprise to director Chan were the stunning performances from the 2005 "Super Girl" champion Li Yuchun and Chinese basketball star Mengke Bateer. Both had no previous acting experience.

"Li plays a martial arts talent while Bateer plays a bodyguard of Dr Sun Yat-sen," Chan says. "Their impressive performance submerged my former worries about first-time actors."

Veteran actors also take on new challenges in the movie.

In contrast to his former handsome and squeaky-clean image on the screen, Hong Kong actor Tse had his head shaved bald, for the first time, to play a "rickshaw puller" with suntanned skin and scarred face.

To get close to the heart of the character, Tse even wore special makeup while he was sleeping.

The film also marks actress Reis' return to the screen after her marriage to business tycoon Julian Hui last year.

Reis plays a woman who helps a beggar summon up courage and find new meaning in his life. The beggar, played by Lai, later becomes one of the martial artists to protect Dr Sun Yat-sen.

Director Chan notes that all the cast hopes to break out of the kung fu film stereotype with beautiful, sincere emotions, an in-depth storyline and more cultural connotations.

"The film portrays the gracious and bright side of human nature such as one's love for family, patriotism and dignity in the face of death," he says. "There are so many unsung heroes behind the Chinese revolution which overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911. We should show our respect for their devotion and sacrifice."

In addition to its star-studded cast, another highlight of the film is its magnificent set which reproduces the Hong Kong of a century ago.

It depicts Hong Kong's prosperity and vibrancy with a cluster of exotic colonial-style buildings, Gothic architecture and South Asian flavored arcades. About 500 homes, 200 shops and 4,000 signboards were created.

It took about a year and 43 million yuan to build the set, almost as big as 10 football fields.

"This film setting is the biggest of its kind in the history of Chinese cinema," director Chan adds. "It will be reserved for other film projects such as Andrew Lau's new action film."

It is a challenge for anyone to take charge in such a big film production. Lau actually helped direct several scenes when director Chan was busy, for which he received a special gift from the crew ?? a 1905 Hong Kong banknote.

The movie is also the debut production of Cinema Popular, a film company founded by Peter Chan and Chinese mainland director Huang Jianxin.

Peter Chan is one of the few Hong Kong directors adept at different genres, both art-house films and commercial war epics.

The period actioner "Bodyguards and Assassins," in his eyes, is an attempt to make a "new mainstream commercial film," which aims to attract audience from all over the world with more universal storylines, sensational acting and inspirational scenes that touch the soul.

Cinema Popular plans to produce 15 films in three years including the fantasy film "Jung Ku The Man from 18th Hell," suspense thriller "Queen's Road Ripper" and comedy film "The God of Wealth."

(Source: Shanghai Daily)

[GeneChing]

And to think, we knew him back when (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=119)...

An Action Star Moves to the Lead (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/arts/20iht-donnie.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1)
By SONIA KOLESNIKOV-JESSOP
Published: August 19, 2009

SHANGHAI — Over the past 26 years, the actor Donnie Yen has developed a dedicated following in Asia for his impressive martial arts skills, and a cult status internationally for his roles in popular action movies, including “Once Upon a Time in China II,” “Hero,” “Shanghai Knights” and “Seven Swords.” But until recently, he had, he said, “never tasted what it meant to be a superstar.” Instead, in big-budget movies, he often played in the shadow of established Asian stars like Jet Li and Jackie Chan.

But with “Painted Skin” and “Ip Man,” two Asian-box-office successes in 2008, Mr. Yen’s star is finally rising. “He’s been around as along as the two Js,” said Daniel Yun, managing director of MediaCorp Raintree Pictures, referring to Mr. Li and Mr. Chan. “For a long time he was the third choice; but with his films making big money at the box office, he’s become the leading man to watch.”

“Painted Skin,” which was co-produced by Raintree Pictures, grossed 230 million yuan, or about $33 million, at the Chinese box office last year, making it the second most successful film of the year there, behind John Woo’s “Red Cliff.”

“Donnie is the ‘it’ action person right now,” said the producer and director Peter Ho-Sun Chan, who cast Mr. Yen, 46, in “Bodyguards & Assassins,” a big-budget period action film directed by Teddy Chen that is set for release in Asia in December, and about six months later in Europe and North America. “He has built himself into a bona fide leading man, who happens to be an action star.”

Mr. Yen seems to approach his newfound success with healthy skepticism. In a recent interview in Shanghai, where he was filming his final scene for “Bodyguards & Assassins,” the actor commented that he had “a lot of new friends” now — whereas in the late ’90s he couldn’t find anybody to help finance “Ballistic Kiss,” his second film as a director and producer.

“Now all the producers are calling me and I’m having films lining up all the way to 2012,” he said. “It’s beginning to sink in that after 26 years in the industry I’m finally having my break.”

In addition to completing “Bodyguards & Assassins,” in which he plays a gambler who agrees to protect the Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-Sen during his brief 1905 visit to Hong Kong, Mr. Yen also recently finished work on Daniel Lee’s “14 Blades.” In the $20 million Ming-era martial arts movie, to be released in February in Asia, he plays Green Dragon, a sword-fighting special agent.

Mr. Yen acknowledges that he has tended to avoid expanding his acting abilities. “I came in to the industry by total accident,” he said. At 19, he was spotted in Hong Kong by the director Yuen Woo-ping while traveling from Beijing — where he had been studying martial arts — back to the United States, where his family had been living since he was 11. Mr. Yuen was looking for a new kung fu movie hero and, impressed by Mr. Yen’s skills, offered him the part.

“Even though I was learning all the dramatic techniques, it never sunk in that at the end of the day I should be an actor,” Mr. Yen said.

He also believes that directors had never really encouraged him to act. “It was more ‘come in, fight, look cool, show your muscles,”’ he said, laughing.

That is changing, however, and Mr. Yen said his confidence has grown. “It’s only in the last three years I started to concentrate on acting,” he said. He added that it wasn’t until the 2008 martial arts epic “An Empress and the Warriors” that he felt he “was the character.”

“When I made people cry on the set I thought ‘I must have done something right,”’ he said.

This month, he started shooting the sequel to “Ip Man,” in which he plays the title role — a part which Mr. Yun of Raintree Pictures said he felt would ultimately define Mr. Yen as an actor. The “Ip Man” films are based on the life of the eponymous martial arts master, who taught, among others, the kung fu superstar Bruce Lee. While the first installment focused on Ip Man’s life in China in the 1930s, the sequel will look at his early years in Hong Kong and his first meeting with a young Bruce Lee. “Ip Man 2” is set for release in Asia in May, and Mr. Yen has already committed to shooting “Ip Man 3” if the sequel is successful.

The actor said that he had prepared very seriously for the film. “I’m a very energetic man, but Ip Man was the opposite, he was very slow,” he said. “So for months, I was talking slow, walking slow, even drinking tea slowly.”

Despite his growing success, Mr. Yen is realistic about the type of films he will potentially be offered. “I don’t think there will be heavy, complicated characters written for me, even if they now know I can do emotional,” he said. “I don’t think you’re going to see me in a film without action because I don’t think investors are going to put their money in such a film. That’s not what the audience wants to see me in.”

And as a veteran action star, he’s also aware the career clock is already ticking. He said that he had noticed that, with age, the time he needed to recuperate from an action sequence was increasing. “I’ve actually given myself a retiring deadline for acting of 50,” he said. “I want to push myself to the limit, but I don’t want to be hanging around.” But, he said, he still planned to be involved in movies.

“I know I can still have some influence in the action directing department and raise the bar,” he said. “I still have a lot of ideas.”

[GeneChing]

There's a long overview video - follow the link.

Roundup of films coming to cinemas in last two months (http://english.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20091112/101587.shtml)
2009-11-12 09:25 BJT

The stars of Bodyguards and Assassins, Leon Lai, Donnie Yen and Fan Bingbing, switched on Hong Kong's first set of Christmas lights on Tuesday in the tourist friendly Tsin Sha Tsui district.

Director Teddy Chen and producer Peter Chan also joined the cast for the festive ceremony.

The epic Bodyguards and Assassins tells the fictional story of a group of bodyguards protecting the leader of China's modern democratic revolution Dr. Sun Yat-sen from assassination during his trip to Hong Kong in 1905.

The film is set to open in late December.

Action star Donnie Yen plays an imperial guard in director Daniel Lee's martial arts movie 14 Blades. Lee and Yen introduced the film at a news conference Tuesday in Hong Kong. The film is to be released in February.

The story is set in Ming Dynasty, when the China's emperor possessed a group of 14 elite assassins, the imperial guards. With unique martial arts skill they devoted their lives to serving the emperor above the law. Yen plays the team leader, Blue Dragon, who escapes and becomes the most wanted criminal in the territory.

Chow Yun-fat says he had to check himself into a Beijing hospital earlier this week after catching a cold while filming mainland director Jiang Wen's upcoming movie Let the Bullets Fly.

Chow stars as a ruthless but funny Chinese criminal during Nationalist Party rule in early to mid-20th century China. The film will be released late next year.

At the production's news conference, director Jiang Wen said his cast, which also includes Cannes award winning actor Ge You, would look after winning the awards, and he would take care of the story.


Peter Chan's upcoming blockbuster to feature an Asian all-star cast (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainment/view/1013023/1/.html)
Posted: 22 October 2009 1425 hrs

SINGAPORE: Award-winning Hong Kong director Peter Chan was in Singapore on Monday to promote his upcoming blockbuster Bodyguards and Assassins.

Costing more than US$23 million (S$32 million) to produce, Assassins and Bodyguards is a story based on a group of bodyguards protecting Sun Yat Sen from assassins in 1905 Hong Kong.

Produced by Chan and directed by Teddy Chan, Assassins and Bodyguards will feature more than 10 well-known stars across China and Hong Kong, making it one of the most eagerly anticipated Asian movies at the end of the year.

The stellar cast includes Donnie Yen, Wang Xueqi, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Nicholas Tse, Hu Jun, Leon Lai, Eric Tseng, Li Yuchun, Simon Yam, Fan Bingbing, Zhou Yun, Wang Po Cher, as well as a guest appearance from Michelle Reis.

While in Singapore for the first round of publicity, Chan said the reason for selecting a star-studded cast was mainly due to commercial viability.

"I could have replaced Leon Lai and Maggie Cheung in Comrades with Chinese actors since the characters were supposed to be from China," explained Chan, using his award-winning Comrades, Almost a Love story as an example to illustrate the importance of featuring well-known celebrities.

When the press asked Chan whose performance among the fourteen big names left a deep impression on him, the 45-year-old director listed two names: Donnie Yen and Nicholas Tse.

"The first one is Donnie Yen. In the past, I used to see him heavily involved in fighting scenes," he said. "This time round, he has more emotional scenes as compared to the past and there were a few crying scenes where he was in his element."

He then added that Yen is also a perfectionist: "(Yen) requested to include an action scene which eventually cost the team to exceed the filming duration for ten days.

"However, the effects turned out brilliantly and have never been seen before in an Asian film. Yen just went on with his role and did not ask for anything in return."

Chan shifted his attention to Nicholas Tse next.

The 29-year-old actor plays an 18-year-old naive character, a drastic transformation from the usual cool and suave roles Tse usually undertakes.

"10 years ago, he had to act as a 30-year-old when he was 18," said the producer. "Now, it's the opposite. I was very surprised and pleased when he managed to bring out the innocence and naivety of his character. In the past, he just had to act cool. This is a refreshing change."

Tse's professionalism also etched a deep impression on Chan.

"There was a scene where (Tse) was beaten up by Hu Jun for protecting Sun Yat-San and he requested for a real fighting scene," he said. "In the end, I got his close friend (a martial arts instructor) to punch him. The friend kept punching his face for more than 10 times till his face was swollen and I decided that was enough."

While having a star-studded cast does have its perks, it is a big headache for the producers when the egos start kicking in. Did Chan encounter any particular problems?

"I faced more problems in Warlords (which feature Jet Li, Jackie Chan and Takeshi Kaneshiro). It doesn't take 14 big names to create a problem, two is already more than enough to handle," Chan laughed.

What about the rumoured disagreement between Donnie Yen and Leon Lai?

"There are absolutely no problems. Don't believe the reports! The ones who are having problems are not reported instead," said Chan, who has indirectly opened up another can of worms.

When pressed by the media to reveal which big names were giving him problems, the bespectacled director replied with laughter: "I would not tell you, of course."

Body and Assassins is scheduled to be release on December 18 in Singapore.

[GeneChing]

But I just spoke to Cung Le and he reminded me that B&A opens next week, same week as his next fight. It's going head-to-head with Storm Warriors (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=975587), which opens this week.


New 十月圍城 (Bodyguards and Assassins) Trailer = Action Orgasm (http://twitchfilm.net/news/2009/11/new-bodyguards-and-assassins-trailer-action-orgasm.php)[Updated with Longer Version]
by X, November 26, 2009 9:20 AM
Action, Asia, Drama, Martial Arts

Oh mommy.

First one to set the mood, second one to tell a story, third one... I haven't seen it. But the fourth trailer is certainly for the action fan who's been asking himself if Hong Kong still has it, and it should answer the question pretty explicitly. Of course the action takes center stage, but the HK replica set is truly stunning both in detail and artistry.

Releasing on December 18, the film is set in 1905 Hong Kong, as a group of bodyguards attempt to protect Sun Yat-Sen from an onslaught of, well, assassins. Directed by Teddy Chen, this bad boy stars a who's who of Chinese cinema, from Leon Lai to Donnie Yen, Eric Tsang, Fan Bingbing, Hu Jun, Nicholas Tse, Simon Yam, Tony Leung Ka-Fai and even Jacky Cheung (cameo, I suppose?). The $23 million action blockbuster did well at the recent AFM, selling to the UK, Canada, Middle East and Korea.

But enough with the chatter. Action!Follow this link for the new trailer.


Jackie Cheung will not play Sun Yat Sen in "Bodyguards and Assassins" (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainment/view/1020712/1/.html)
Posted: 26 November 2009 1651 hrs

HONG KONG : Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung will not play revolutionary leader Sun Yat Sen in upcoming movie "Bodyguards and Assassins", the film's production team announced on Wednesday.

Cheung, 48, will instead play revolutionary Yang Quyun who accompanied Sun when he returned to Hong Kong in 1894. His character will have little screen time and will sacrifice himself early in the film.

Produced by award-winning Hong Kong director Peter Chan, "Bodyguards and Assassins" is a story based on a group of bodyguards protecting Sun Yat Sen from assassins in 1905 Hong Kong.

Cheung's involvement in this film has been wrapped in so much secrecy that most of the main cast were not even aware of it. The production team also sealed off the set to shoot his scenes.

The film's director, Teddy Chen, said Cheung has decided to donate all his earnings from this film to charity.

Costing more than US$23 million (S$32 million) to produce, it features more than 10 well-known stars across China and Hong Kong, making it one of the most eagerly anticipated Asian movies at the end of the year.

The stellar cast includes Donnie Yen, Wang Xueqi, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Nicholas Tse, Hu Jun, Leon Lai, Eric Tseng, Li Yuchun, Simon Yam, Fan Bingbing, Zhou Yun, Wang Po Cher, as well as a guest appearance from Michelle Reis.

"Bodyguards and Assassins" is set to hit the big screen in mid December.

[GeneChing]

And here's the upshot of my interview with Cung: Cung Le on STRIKEFORCE: EVOLUTIONS & BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=864)

[doug maverick]

one thing ill say about cung and the reason why i like him...he is very accessible, ive sent him messages once or twice on myspace...just asking questions about true legend and this film. and he answered promptly and fully. without no airs whats ever. so im really pulling for him to be the next big asian action star.

[Fa Xing]

one thing ill say about cung and the reason why i like him...he is very accessible, ive sent him messages once or twice on myspace...just asking questions about true legend and this film. and he answered promptly and fully. without no airs whats ever. so im really pulling for him to be the next big asian action star.

I've had him respond to me as well. Ever since I first saw him fight, I was hooked. If anyone has ever seen "The Making of a Champion" you will notice that he is one of the most down-to-earth individuals there is.

[GeneChing]

Who will be the first here to post their review?

'Bodyguards and Assassins' helps Chinese cinema enter the big leagues (http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/bodyguards-and-assassins-helps-chinese-cinema-enter-the-big-leagues-1841115.html)
Relax News
Tuesday, 15 December 2009

It has been a big year for Chinese cinema -- and it's about to get even bigger. The Teddy Chan-directed Bodyguards and Assassins opens this Friday, December 18 -- a star-studded action adventure produced by a brand new studio that hopes to establish Chinese film as a major international force.
(Relaxnews) -

It has been a big year for Chinese cinema - and it's about to get even bigger. The Teddy Chan-directed Bodyguards and Assassins opens this Friday, December 18 - a star-studded action adventure produced by a brand new studio that hopes to establish Chinese film as a major international force.

The US$23 million (€16 million) production is the first to come under the umbrella of Cinema Popular (http://www.cinemapopular.com), a collaboration between Hong Kong producer-director Peter Chan, mainland Chinese producer Huang Jin-xin's We Pictures and China's Polybona International production house.

And when Chan announced the film back in March, he made it crystal clear that it would be the first of many. "The Chinese market is growing at an astonishing rate,'' he said. "And the whole world is watching. We want to harness all the talent there is and start to produce films on a truly international scale.''

Hence Bodyguards and Assassins has gathered the talents of Chen - a Hong Kong-based director who guided Jackie Chan in the Hollywood-funded Accidental Spy (2001) - and some of the biggest names in Chinese cinema, among them action star Donnie Yen, the veteran Wang Xueqi, Hong Kong heartthrob Nicolas Tse, acclaimed actor-singer Leon Lai and one of the most popular female actress in mainland China, Fan Bingbing.

The film is set in the Hong Kong of 1905 and focuses on a group of bodyguards sent to protect the revolutionary hero Dr Sun Yat-sen from assassination.

On Friday, Bodyguards and Assassins goes into wide-release throughout China - and its producers have been busy visiting film festivals in recent months trying to drum up support for an international release.

Chinese cinema has been enjoying a record-breaking year in 2009 with - on average - a new theatre opening every day in mainland China. The locally produced epic The Founding of a Republic - made to the mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic - in November became the highest-grossing film in the country's history, when it passed the 406 million yuan (€40 million) mark.

More and more international filmmakers are looking to find a way to tap in to the mainland Chinese box office which is growing by 25 percent per year. In 2008, the country's cinema ticket sales were worth 4.3 billion yuan (€430 million).


Bodyguards stars dish dirt (http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20091217-186389.html)
Thu, Dec 17, 2009
By Joy Fang

VETERAN Hong Kong producer- director Peter Chan and Chinese actress Fan Bing Bing take no prisoners when it comes to talking about the people they have worked with.

The two dished on subjects covering everything from Bodyguards And Assassins stars, to, well, plastic surgery.

Both were in town yesterday, along with Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Ka Fai, 51, and Hong Kong director Teddy Chen, to promote the film.

Chan, 47, revealed that it was not easy getting the stars together to make the movie. In fact, like James Cameron's Avatar, which took 15 years to reach fruition, it took a whopping 10 years before he could get started on Bodyguards.

Sure, building the set - the largest life-size set of the early 1900s that Hong Kong studios have built - and securing funding were among many obstacles he had to face.

But the major challenge came from getting the cast together.

The film boasts an impressive line-up of major Asian stars, including Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Wang Xueqi and Eric Tsang.

"Movie stars are very reluctant to work in ensemble movies because they get compared (to one another)," said Chan, who spoke to reporters at Raffles City Convention Centre. "It has always been a difficult task to cast more than one male lead."

Perhaps the most difficult to pin down for his role was Yen, the Hong Kong martial artist actor.

Yen, 46, who has been in martial- arts movies for years, finally had his big break with Ip Man last year. He was cautious, said Chan, of his next move.

"He's also a very sensitive person and a perfectionist in a way. And he's not very secure about himself as an actor. He would always come back and say, 'Can I look at the playback and can I do it again?' He keeps wanting to excel."

Luckily for Chan, some stars were easier to persuade than others, one of them being Hong Kong-based actor and Cantopop singer Leon Lai, who was the first to commit to the film.

"His role is very independent, so it's very self-contained in the way that he could actually take that role and not worry that he'll be overshadowed by anybody else," explained the film-maker.

Lai plays Liu Yu-bai, or The Beggar, a washed-up opium addict living in destitution pining for a lost lover.

Chan was not the only one open to dishing out information. Fan, 28, who plays a concubine in the film, was equally forthcoming when my paper asked about her relationship with Zhang Ziyi.

Nasty rumours of petty catfights with Zhang, who produced Sophie's Revenge, which Fan starred in, had been flying around.

But they are totally not true, said the starlet.

"Our relationship is very good, we are very happy working together. Our generation of female actresses are actually quite united, because everyone hopes to work together for the movie to do well," she said.

What about her take on plastic surgery? Fan was rumoured to have gone under the knife.

And, in 2006, she went as far as to get a team of plastic surgeons to examine her face to disprove the rumours.

"I wouldn't get plastic surgery done myself," she said. "My pain threshold is too low."

But she added: "Women want to beautify themselves, it's natural. As long as they don't harm their bodies or go to extremes, I don't think it's a problem. A lot of Korean stars have done plastic surgery and it's nothing shameful," she said.

But, all rumours and problems aside, Chan and Fan have a good thing going in Bodyguards. It's a big-budget movie that is being well-received by audiences. The movie was made on US$23 million (S$32 million), and is attracting buzz with its action sequences and intriguing premise.

It was picked up for distribution in Britain, Canada and Korea last month at the American Film Market.

"I really hope the audience likes this movie," said Chan.

"Besides its action scenes, it's an emotional film, too. You will feel anxious, scared, touched and will cry.

[GeneChing]

Went over the word count on the last post...:o

Finally! A great Chinese flick (http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20091217-186378.html)
Thu, Dec 17, 2009
By Tay Yek Keak

I FLUNKED my Chinese-history test in school but, even then, I am quite sure that this thing in Bodyguards And Assassins didn't happen.

I don't think that back in 1905, Sun Yat Sen, the Father of Modern China, was protected in Hong Kong by a gambler, a beggar, a rickshaw man, the winner of the 2005 Super Girl singing contest in China, and a super- tall giant who once won an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs.

(I digress with the latter two, but the bios of pop star Li Yuchun and former hoops star Mengke Bateer, who play a gongfu gal and a street hawker respectively, are just too wild to ignore completely.)

In Bodyguards And Assassins, fiction is incorporated with an actual historical figure and, boy, am I glad that it was done.

The film is about a motley group of patriots protecting revolutionary leader Sun from lethal assassins sent by the Qing Empress.

As the VVIP travels by rickshaw to secret meetings, they defend him stage by stage, like a poor man's version of the Secret Service.

Now, you know how the saying goes, that the best things are always kept for the last?

Well, unless an Oscar winner about the Yangtze River comes up between now and the end of this month, to me, this year's best China-Hong Kong film has been kept for the last.

Now, I love Chinese-language films like Infernal Affairs, Perhaps Love and Comrades, Almost A Love Story, but I've been grumbling about the lack of good stories in such flicks lately.

Case in point: the recent The Storm Warriors.

But Bodyguards has restored my faith in the Speak Mandarin Campaign.

Let me clarify. I'm not talking about Chinese arthouse films.

Those are naturally marked up on quality - in terms of story, script, acting, setting, and tortured souls.

I'm talking about commercial movies made for the entertainment of the least common denominator - films that allow a shallow, star-struck movie fan like me to get excited when Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Nicholas Tse, Tony Leung Ka Fai, perpetual bad guy Hu Jun, and Eric Tsang (in his, I think, 1,000th movie) show up.

Bodyguards combines three things that I like: historical personalities, martial arts, and a throwback to old action flicks - Eastern wuxia pian and spaghetti Westerns - where match-ups of good vs evil take place along the way as mini-showdowns.

Kind of like Bruce Lee fighting his way up the pagoda against various opponents in Game Of Death, or Manchester United playing five teams to reach the FA Cup final.

Actually, structure-wise, Bodyguards reminds me of a Bruce Willis movie called 16 Blocks, where copper Bruce protected valuable witness Mos Def from other corrupt cops.

Bodyguards is a bit like that, except the heroes zip past shophouses and wonton-mee stalls.

Now, the most significant thing about Bodyguards is the way the first half was devoted to fine acting fronted mainly by a seasoned China actor, Wang Xueqi, who plays the rich tycoon that puts the Band Of Brothers (and one sister) together.

His face is etched with the dilemma of preserving his self interest or serving the greater good of the nation.

I think the same quandary of to-be or not-to-be was posed in writing the story of Bodyguards.

Luckily, in its mix of historical drama, fiction and action, it turned out really well.

[Lucas]

Who will be the first here to post their review?

when can i expect this in my neck of the woods, or will i have to wait till i can buy it on dvd? i dont even see it on fandango

[GeneChing]

Even the NYT took notice.

Reimagining a Pivotal Year in China (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/24/arts/24iht-chen.html)
By SONIA KOLESNIKOV-JESSOP
Published: December 23, 2009

SHANGHAI — Big, star-studded ensemble casts with their many egos are notoriously difficult to handle, and for Teddy Chen, the director of the Chinese blockbuster “Bodyguards and Assassins,” it was no different.

The film, which opened throughout most of Asia last week, features some of the hottest Chinese stars of the moment: the martial arts hero Donnie Yen, the Hong Kong actor-singer Leon Lai, the veteran actor Wang Xueqi, the Hong Kong heartthrob Nicholas Tse and Fan Bingbing, one of the most popular actresses on the mainland. There are also cameo roles by the Hong Kong star Michelle Reis and by Zhang Hanyu, the lead actor in “Assembly,” a 2007 film by Feng Xiaogang.

Over the summer, while still on the film’s set on the outskirts of Shanghai, Mr. Chen admitted to finding the experience stressful. Peter Chan, one of movie’s three producers, said he felt he also had to stay on the set throughout most of the production to “calm everybody down.”

“Movie stars are movie stars, and an ensemble cast is the one thing that scares them most,” Mr. Chan said. “They’re concerned another actor could outperform them; they could get less screen time if that’s the case. They’re afraid of letting themselves be at the mercy of the film director and producer, who have more control over the movie’s final editing because they can play out one character more than another.”

But the difficulties seem to have been worth it: “Bodyguards and Assassins” (Shi yue wei cheng) and its stars’ performances have been given the thumbs up by Chinese distributors, who dedicated 70 percent of cinema screens in the country to its opening weekend. Not surprisingly, the movie claimed the No.1 spot for Dec. 18-20, earning 74.8 million renminbi, or about $11 million. With the release of the Hollywood film “Avatar” delayed in China until early January, Mr. Chan said he is confident that “Bodyguards and Assassins” is on target to bring in a total 300 million to 350 million renminbi, which would make it one of the most successful Chinese-made movies ever.

It has been well-received by critics, with the journalist Zei Xin of Chengdu Daily noting, “The film provides what most Chinese commercial blockbusters’ lack — concrete contents and attention to details.” The movie has been sold for distribution next year in Britain and Canada.

The film takes the audience back to Hong Kong, circa 1905. The Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen is due to spend a few crucial hours in the British colony, meeting other revolutionaries to plot their next move in their battle to take control of China, and the Qing empress has sent an army of assassins to kill him. With the British government deciding to stay on the sidelines, it’s up to a group of misfits — including a tofu hawker (the former NBA player Mengke Bateer), a gambler (Donnie Yen) and an opium-addicted beggar (Leon Lai) — to protect him; all of them are, of course, martial arts experts.

Mr. Chen said the inspiration for the script came from the 1973 movie “The Bodyguard,” directed by his father, Tung Man Chan. “It was just a hard-core action movie,” said Mr. Chan, who recalls going to his father’s film set as a child. But while the original film focused on a couple of characters, the new one incorporates a broader cast.

While the new version is still a fast-paced action movie, Mr. Chan believes it is closer to a disaster film in its structure. It’s reminiscent of “The Poseidon Adventure,” “Towering Inferno” or “Titanic,” he said, in that “the first half of the film is spent presenting the various characters who are going to be summoned to the task, while the second half is about the disaster” or the attempted assassination of Sun Yat-sen and how the characters deal with it.

Mr. Chen said he started working on the film 10 years ago and had faced several financial setbacks. Key to the $23 million film was an elaborate $5 million set, at one-to-one scale, of a Hong Kong neighborhood in 1905, including the historic Pottinger “Stone Slab” Street.

“I tried to talk him out of building such an elaborate set because I thought it was too expensive,” Mr. Chan said. “In hindsight, I realize he was right to hold out for it. The film set actually became the single thing that drew all the people together; it worked like magic in a way because every star who came to the set was so impressed, it gave them that extra push.”

CCTV vid

"Bodyguards and Assassins" sweeps big screen (http://english.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20091223/101917.shtml)
2009-12-23 10:08 BJT

From "Perhaps Love", "The Warlords", to "Bodyguards and Assassins", Peter Chan has become the only Hong Kong director to compete with mainland heavyweights like Chen Kaige, Feng Xiaogang and Zhang Yimou. Fresh from the first weekend showings of his latest film, let's take a look at how it has performed.

Since Thursday night's premiere, "Bodyguards and the Assassins" has taken seventy thousand yuan from its nationwide screenings. At a cinema in Beijing, all showings from noon to nine at night are sold out.

Audience feedback has been quite good. While some are impressed by the actors' performances, some think the mainstream theme has some entertaining elements, making it more intriguing.

According to an internet poll, sixty three percent of cinema goers give the film a score above ninety, while four out of five think both the drama and the martial arts scene are excellent.

It seems that the story about bodyguards who protect Sun Yat-sen, the forerunner of the Chinese democratic revolution from assassins will pave the way for box office success in the days to come.

I'm very curious as to what kind of political message is embedded in this film.

'Bodyguard and Assassins' debuts in Taiwan (http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/arts-&-leisure/2009/12/23/237683/Bodyguard-and.htm)
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Eagerly anticipated action thriller, Bodyguards and Assassins, premiered at a star-studded event in Taipei last night.

The Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall was a fitting venue for the Taiwan premier of the film — which documents the story of eight body guards skilled in martial arts, who strive to protect R.O.C founder Dr. Sun Yat-sen, from relentless assassins in 1905 Hong Kong.

The event was attended by cast members Nicholas Tse, Fan Bing-bing, Wang Po-chieh, Hu Jun, Eric Tsang, and Chris Li Yu Chun, although leading lights Leon Leung and Donnie Yeh were unable to attend.

The film, which premiered in China on December 18, before raking in almost RMB 75 million at the Chinese box office in its first three days, is expected to attract international acclaim.

[GeneChing]

I guess it's still doing well. I haven't found a good source for Asian box office results. Anyone got one?

Entertainment: A 10-year labour of love (http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/20091228084735/Article/index_html)
2009/12/28
Betty Lim

Nothing could stop Bodyguards and Assassins director Teddy Chan from realising his dream, not even the death of a close friend. BETTY LIM has the story.
IT took 10 years to make, cost millions of Chinese renminbi, involved hundreds of extras and boasted a large set that included a city!

For a story that had to be told, the action/historical epic movie Bodyguards and Assassins (currently showing in cinemas nationwide) is a testament to director Teddy Chan’s dedication.

Teddy and producer Peter Chan had to endure a lot while making the movie. The filmmakers faced one crisis after another during the film’s 10-year gestation.

“I felt very passionate about this story right from the start and nothing could stop me from finishing it,” said Teddy at a press conference recently.

Not even the death of one of his close friends and financiers, the resulting bout of depression that came after that; and even after everyone advised him to give up and let go.

“There comes a time in everyone’s lives when something happens that defines you,” said producer Peter.

The film was backed by the Chinese government and other financiers. Although fictional, the story is a “what might have happened” account of Dr Sun Yat-sen’s visit to Hong Kong in 1905. It revolves around an assassination attempt by China’s imperial forces on the man they perceived as a threat to the foundations of the Manchu dynasty.

The movie showcases the efforts of a band of ordinary citizens and kung fu masters who are roped in to protect the visiting VIP.

The philosophy of doing whatever it takes to achieve something, mirrors what the characters had to go through in the story. They are willing to sacrifice themselves to protect the man who would one day be known as the Father of Modern China.

When asked how this movie could appeal to the non-Chinese, Peter said: “It is not so much a story about Dr Sun as it is the story of the man in the street.

“Each character in the movie is just an ordinary person, but becomes a hero because of what they did.

“So it is the same universally. We may be called to do something for a good cause: heroism is universal."

The 12 big names who agreed to be in the movie were instrumental in making it memorable. It was evident that the cast, which included Donny Yuen, Tony Leung Kar Fai and Wang Xueqi worked as a team.

Yuen portrays “The Gambler,” a character who at the beginning of the movie is the anti-hero. He would do anything for money to feed his gambling habit. Later, he redeems himself by fighting and dying heroically to save the statesman.

Other leading cast members include Leon Lai as “Beggar,” Wang Po-Chieh as “Heir,” Nicholas Tse as “Rickshaw Puller,” Hu Jun as “Assassin,” Eric Tsang as “Police Commissioner,” Simon Yam as “General in Exile,” Fan Bing-bing as “Concubine,” and Zhou Yun as “Fiancee”.

Kudos to Leung and Wang for their powerful performances. Leung plays the intellectual revolutionary who inspires his students with his pen and rhetoric, while Wang is the patriarch, businessman and closet supporter of the revolutionary movement.

The movie has been described as a kung-fu movie with intellect and emotion. And it is.

One of the most touching scenes is when Leung realises that his favourite student, who happens to be Wang’s son, has been picked to be the decoy for Dr Sun, which means certain death.

When Leung tries to conduct a re-balloting, the son pleads with him not to do so, arguing that he should not be treated differently just because he is Wang's only son. “After all,” he declares, passionately, “isn’t this what we are fighting for: democracy and equality?”

Wang is effective as the businessman with a heart of gold and a father who loves his son but who, as a Chinese, does not want to openly show it.

The father-son relationship played out by the two Wangs shows the love and respect they have for each other, even when the son is at an age when rebelling against authority is beginning to set in.

Another thing going for the movie are the fighting scenes which are so spectacular and realistic that you can almost feel the excruciating pain when a body hits the wall or table after having been kicked or thrown about.

Through it all, you will be impressed by the attention to detail — from the costumes to the street lamps to the Chinawear.

However, there are a few niggling details. Leon Lai is one of them. He is somewhat wooden and there’s something wrong with his hair!

The other is in the CGI of the Hong Kong skyline in the early 1900s. The junks and ships are clearly computer-generated while the mansions on the hills of Hong Kong island seem out of proportion.

Other than these two minor complaints, everyone should watch this 10-year labour of love. Many of you may even start googling the story of Dr Sun Yat-sen right after the movie!

[GeneChing]

Still looking for Asian box office results....

Bodyguards & Assassins (http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=41725)

THIS movie is about a historical event which saw ordinary people rallying together to protect the man who is destined to be the father of modern China. Yet Bodyguards & Assassins is more than a history lesson.

True, the main character is Dr Sun Yat-sen but ultimately, it is the people and their sacrifices that make this a memorable movie. Of course, the excellent action sequences and emotional portrayals of the characters also add to the attraction. And the glimpses of the personal aspects of the characters are the parts that put a lump in your throat, so be forewarned and watch it with a stash of tissue on hand.

The story begins with the news of the imminent arrival of Dr Sun in Hongkong for a secret meeting to establish a united anti-Qing revolutionary front. The revolutionists plan for his safety but the Qing government is determined to stop him and sends hundreds of trained and vicious assassins to do the job.

In the distance of 13 blocks, a small group of dedicated ‘bodyguards’ must place their very lifes on the line for this man who is the hope of millions as massive and relentless attempts are made to make sure he doesn’t leave the British colony alive.

With blood and bodies littering the streets, Bodyguards & Assassins can be a rather violent film but it is also well balanced with human touches that form the souls of the movie.

At the same time, if you are into star-watching, this is the movie for you as the main cast consists of numerous big names not only from Hongkong but also from China and Taiwan, with many more in cameo roles. There is really no one lead actor here and each is given an image that is totally different from what the audience is used to – like Nicholas Tse’s disfigured rickshaw rider look or Leon Lai’s unkempt and bearded beggar image. Even the usually dashing Donnie Yen appears in the form of a disheveled gambler.

Then, there is the authentic looking sets that take you back to those historical times.

All in, Bodyguards & Assassins will appeal to the audience and is an excellent watch. – Sharyn Yap

Cast: Donnie Yen, Tony Leung Kar-fai, Leon Lai, Wang Xue-qi, Nicholas Tse, Hu Jun, Cung Le, Fan Bing-bing, Wang Po-chieh, Li Yu-chun, Simon Yam, Eric Tsang

Director: Teddy Chan
E-Value: 8
Acting: 8
Plot: 8

Updated: 10:07AM Tue, 29 Dec 2009

[Shaolinlueb]

i cant wait for this.

[GeneChing]

I'm not sure how that rates in the scale of box office draws in Asia.

Local films draw crowds across Asia (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BT0KL20091230?type=filmNews)
Patrick Frater
Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:02am EST

HONG KONG (Hollywood Reporter) - It is not just "Avatar" and "2012" that have set records in Asia over the Christmas period. Homegrown films also shared the box office booty.

In India, "3 Idiots" collected more than $21.3 million in its first four days after playing on a record 1,760 screens. The gross takes it past the opening record set by "Ghajini" in the same release slot last year.

"3 Idiots," based on the novel "Five Point Someone" by Chetan Bhagat, takes a wry look at India's education system as it tracks the misfortunes of a trio of friends in engineering college. It stars Aamir Khan and was directed by Raj Kumar Hirani.

In China, the action thriller "Bodyguards and Assassins" has amassed $30.4 million since its December 18 release. Including sales from Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan, where it opened on Christmas Eve, the regional cumulative total has passed $35 million.

[GeneChing]

... I don't want to get spoiled by the hype.

Watch This: Bodyguards and Assassins (http://shanghaiist.com/2010/01/04/watch_this_bodyguards_and_assassins.php)
By Jonathan Chow

This season's much watch holiday movie, Bodyguards and Assassins is a highly anticipated action drama and studded with almost as many stars as Founding of the Republic. But this debut film of Cinema Popular, a collaboration between Hong Kong and Mainland filmmakers, is not your typical kung fu flick.

The plot of Bodyguards and Assassins revolves around Sun Yat Sen’s crucial 1905 visit to Hong Kong, where he met with revolutionaries from all regions of China to share his strategy for overthrowing the Qing Dynasty. The Empress Dowager learns of Sun’s plans and sends out her assassins, led by the eyebrowless giant, Yan Xiaoguo (Hu Jun), to kill him upon arrival. Meanwhile, Chen Shaobai (Liang Jiahui), Sun’s trusted colleague arrives in Hong Kong ahead of time to ensure Sun’s safe passage with businessman Li Yutang (Wang Xueqi). Together, they recruit an unlikely band of bodyguards from all walks of life each with their own skills and motivations for protecting Sun.

But what could have become a full-on fists-bared kung fu extravaganza chose instead to emotionally engage audiences with human drama. Instead of jumping from fight scenes and ending with astereotypical boss battle, ‘Bodyguards’ spends the first half of the movie introducing each character, setting up the complex web of motivations for either killing or protecting Sun, and gradually building up the dramatic tension to a boiling point.


The movie saves its many fight scenes for the second half, which focuses entirely on the tumultuous day of Sun’s arrival when all hell breaks loose. Yet each fight sequence manages to carry a lot of emotional death and you never get the feeling that the story was ever compromised to show off flashy kung fu.

But what was most surprising about the film was its democratic undertones. The opening sequence shows Jackie Cheung cameoing as an intellectual quoting Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and telling his students that they will someday see a democratic China, before getting shot in the head by a Manchu sniper. The entire movie is about martyrs (not all of them with the most heroic aspirations) who end up fighting for and/or dying for democratic ideals against a government trying violently to suppress them.

In the end, this is more than a kung fu flick. It's a historical epic/tragedy with action elements - and it's shocking how historical the filmmakers were allowed to get. Either the ideals of these revolutionaries flew past the heads of the relevant ministries... or alternatively, they've decided the Chinese public's already too ingrained in now's ideals to ever draw the connections we saw.

In any case, it's definitely one of the few Chinese films actually worth watching in theaters right now. Check out show times here.

[brothernumber9]

Has anyone watched this yet? Is it really good?
I am waiting for a copy with english subs that I hope will arrive soon (hope I don't get duped like I did with Chocolate).

[mickey]

uhhh,

Check u tube......it is all there, before it goes.

mickey

[brothernumber9]

I got a chance to watch Bodyguards and Assassins the other day. I didn't walk away afterwards thinking "wow", although it was worth a watch. In my opinion, the film would have been better if it had been broken up into either a second movie, or even three. There were just too many characters and sub-stories to try to develop in only one two-hour flick. I suppose one could argue though that the film was really about the "story" behind the story of Sun Yat Sen's secret meeting in HK and the unknown sacrifices made, therefore deep character development was not necessary. I actually would have preferred, even if they didn't go into much detail of the characters themselves, if they would have had a few more meaningful dialogue scenes between some of them.

Nonetheless, there were times that I thought the acting was pretty compelliing, particularly fron the actor that plays the print shop owner, and although there weren't any fight scenes that will necessarily last for a long time in my memory, they weren't bad either, (less some overly cgi animated blood splatter). Overall it was just a good film with a lot of potential, just not great.

On a side note, I don't know any mandarin at all, but was convinced enough by Cung Le's one spoken line in the film that he sounded authentic to a completely untrained ear. Lastly, if anyone is a big Simon Yam fan, don't get too excited, he plays a very minor part in the film.

[GeneChing]

First I should say that if you're expecting this to be the next awesome kung fu flick, you should get that idea right out of your head. There is some decent kung fu action, but B&A is more about several complex story arcs, a few of which end in fight scenes. There's some decent action for sure, but not enough of it for the ravenous kung fu fan, who will feel that it is drowned by plot. The action is a lot of wire work - to a comic book level - although Donnie again shows his virtuosity by adding his take on parkour to the mix.

The sets and costumes are amazing. It's a gorgeous film. It's also rather melodramatic with a ton of characters with complicated relationships. There's a bit too much weepy violin music and too many patriotic speeches for my taste. In contrast, there's some really nice plot developments - every character has skeletons in the closet and are all haunted by them. Those turns in character development are very rewarding from a storyline point of view. It's got a great cast and they all deliver some fine acting. Donnie turns in his best acting performance to date. First Jet, then Jackie, now Donnie, busting out some real acting. It's odd. I have mixed feelings about that. The Donnie vs. Cung fight is entertaining, the best on screen fight for Cung so far, but overall, it's not mind blowing.

Cung and Xing Wu are in it; both are friends who I've hung out with a bit (although Xing Wu would certainly need his memory jogged to recall our Shaolin Temple days). Both are villains, so I'm not sure what that says about the martial company I keep.

SPOILERS:
There are some good ninja attacks. The moral of most of those fights is when the villains bust out their hooks-on-chains, run like hell. Also, wtf didn't they just shoot some of the villains earlier? They had the **** pistol. When you have a gun - shoot. Don't waste your time on kung fu. The final action sequence was very Road Warrior to me.

[brothernumber9]

I agree on the set and costume designs. I remember from one of the early posts depicting how they built the whole town just for the film, and to accurately illustrate the scenery and lifestyles of the time. The street sets were aesthetically remarkable. The DVD I got did not have the actors credits subbed so I don't know many of the actors or characters names, although I had seen some of their faces in other films.

[SPJ]

bought the DVD from Taiwan.

I saw it last nite.

Maybe too much for kids.

--

the tall shaolin monk selling stinky toufu--

--

may people and civilains died during the critical hour of meeting--

they are pitted against professional soldiers from Qing

---

donnie yan a longtime gambler did the right thing in the end--

her wifie left him b/c the daughter--

---

:cool:

[SPJ]

the iron fan against crowd of ninja hooks with chain

---

[GeneChing]

Red Cliff II (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46417) does well too with 13

Kung fu thriller leads Hong Kong award nominations (http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1176812&lang=eng_news)
By MIN LEE
Associated Press
2010-02-09 06:00 PM

An action thriller about kung fu masters protecting modern China's founding father Sun Yat-sen has garnered 19 nominations at the 29th Hong Kong Film Awards, including best movie, best director and best leading actor.

Besides "Bodyguards and Assassins," the other top contenders among nominees announced Tuesday are John Woo's historical epic "Red Cliff II" _ with 13 nominations _ and the police thriller "Overheard," which has six.

The three movies are competing for best picture honors against Jackie Chan's "Shinjuku Incident" and "KJ: Music and Life" _ a documentary about a Hong Kong music prodigy.

Chan's drama about an illegal Chinese immigrant turned gangster in Japan hasn't received much attention because director Derek Yee, worried about the violence in the movie, didn't release the film in mainland China.

In the best director category, Woo will face off against Yee, "Bodyguards and Assassins" creator Teddy Chan, "Overheard" filmmakers Alan Mak and Felix Chong, and Ann Hui, who made the family drama "Night and Fog."

Hong Kong's Simon Yam is double nominated in the best actor contest. The veteran is in contention for playing a physically abusive husband in "Night and Fog" and a cobbler in "Echoes of the Rainbow." Yam's competitors are Wang Xueqi from "Bodyguards and Assassins," Lau Ching-wan from "Overheard" and Aaron Kwok, who portrayed a policeman turned murder suspect in "Murderer."

China's Zhang Jingchu, who played Yam's wife in "Night and Fog," is up for best actress, along with Wai Ying-hong from "At the End of Daybreak," Shu Qi from "Look for a Star," Sandra Ng from "Echoes from the Rainbow" and Zhao Wei, who portrayed the Chinese folk hero Hua Mulan.

The annual awards will be announced on April 18.

[RAYNYSC]

I just saw Bodyguards and Assassins & enjoyed it should do well at the Hong Kong Film Awards....

[doug maverick]

ok finally saw it...and donnie should eat his words about that parkour scene, didnt even touch the pubic hair of casino royal...it was all just very basic running and jumping and wires. nothing special nothing that even came in the realm of what i consider one of the best foot chase scene ever filmed in a movie period. probably in the top 3. so donnie eat your words with hot sauce.

as for the movie i actually liked donnies character the best his had the most layers and was the most complex i wish the actors would have shaved there heads, the ones who wore wearing fake wigs, made their heads look gigantic and comical. also liked the character of the old rich business man, and i felt for him the most he wanted china to be free but not at the cost of his own family and i could kinda see that. his friend who was all self righteous i hated him, because from what they showed he had no family he had nothing to lose, so he could talk all that freedom bull**** because the reality was he wasnt sacrificing anything but himself. old man had his wealth and family both put on the line. and donnies story was really good too, enjoyed both of them....the story as a whole was kinda blah, a little too patriotic for me. i wish it would have dwelved in more with all the arrangment of characters. 3.5 out of 5

[SPJ]

It is not necessary for Donnie to run against incoming horse.

true. Donnie wanted to keep Dr. Sun alive and tried to stall the chief assassin a bit.

but use something else to stall the horse, a trap, a gun, fire, sands---something

way too dramatic

iron fan man would be gone or dead already and kept standing up --

shaolin tall monk would be gone already but came back--

way too dramatic

in real life, they would be gone already--

yes, the movie keeps you on your heel till the last moment when Dr, Sun aboarded a ship to be away from HK.

yes many people would die before you see the establishment of the first republic in asia

next year 2011 will be the centenial or hundred years anniversary for 1911--

but more down to earth approach would have make the movie more real

--

the merchant lost his son

many more chinese sons and daughters will be lost before the revolution is over

---

the nationalist flag was white sun in the blue sky

now we added red blood all over the ground representing the blood shed and sacrifice of many--

so blue sky white sun and whole ground red--

--

:cool:

[SPJ]

http://www.taiwandc.org/twcom/103-flag-roc.gif

[pazman]

Didn't notice this thread until today.:(

Saw the movie when it was released. Didn't see the previews for the movie and I thought my girlfriend was going to drag me to a historical film. I knew something was up when all the kung fu cliches started showing up, leading up to the chase/fight scene which took up half of the movie.

Wow, what a surprise. Not really a "pure" kung fu movie yet one of the best kung fu movies I've seen in a long time.

[GeneChing]

There's video if you follow the link.

Recommended five films on HK Film Critics Society Awards (http://english.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20100322/103148.shtml)
2010-03-22 14:17 BJT

The Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards held their 16th annual ceremony on March 3rd. On today's edition of Countdown we recommend five of the Films of Merit.

No.5 "Shinjuku Incident (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51787)"

The 2009 crime/drama stars Jackie Chan and is directed by Derek Yee. Chan plays a Chinese tractor mechanic nicknamed Steelhead, who enters Japan illegally in search of his fiancee, Xiu Xiu, played by Xu Jinglei. He finds out that Xiu Xiu married a Tokyo gang leader. The desperate Steelhead encounters a Chinese woman named Lilly and becomes involved in gang combat.

No.4 "Prince of Tears"

"Prince of Tears" is a historical drama by Hong Kong director Yon Fan, starring Taiwan idol Joseph Chang and Wing Fan. It tells of the love, hate and separation of four young people in 1950's Taiwan. It took the director five years to accomplish the epic and the movie was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 66th Venice Film Festival.

No.3 "Written By"

"Written By" is a Hong Kong fantasy film co-written, produced, and directed by Wai Ka-Fai, and starring Lau Ching-Wan and Kelly Lin. Lau plays a lawyer killed in an accident, leaving behind his wife and daughter. He is resurrected as a character in his daughter's novel, where he finds himself a grieving husband who lost his family and his sight during a car accident, living in an alternate reality.

No.2 "Overheard"

It's a Hong Kong crime thriller starring Lau Ching-Wan, Louis Koo and Daniel Wu as a trio of police officers conducting surveillance on a public company, where a man, nicknamed "Boss" is the chief suspect. When crucial information on a surging share was intercepted, a moment of greed led the team into cross fire between police and the boss. Greed is one of the original sins, and is the central theme of the movie.

No.1 "Bodyguards And Assassins"

In 1905, Sun Yat-Sen, the pioneer of Chinese Democratic revolution, intends to come to Hong Kong to discuss plans for revolution with fellow Tong-meng-hui members to overthrow the corrupt and crumbling Qing Dynasty. Empress Dowager Cixi sends a group of assassins to kill Sun. And a group of revolutionists from all walks of life get together to protect Sun. Produced by Peter Chan and directed by Teddy Chen, the action drama features an all-star cast including Donnie Yen, Tong Leung, Leon Lai, Zhou Xun and Nicholas Tse.

[GeneChing]

I was going to put this on our Asian Film Festivals thread (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48392), but then decided to put it here as there weren't any other martial arts films of note.

FILMS/ BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS (http://fest10.sffs.org/films/film_details.php?id=7)

Shi yue wei cheng

World Cinema
Hong Kong/China, 2009, 138 minutes

SHOWTIMES

Sun, May 02 / 6:45 / Castro / BODY02C
CREDITS

dir
Teddy Chen

prod
Peter Ho-Sun Chan, Huang Jianxin

scr
Chun Tin-nam, Guo Junli, Wu Bing, James Yuen

cam
Arthur Wong

editor
Derek Hui

mus
Chan Kwong-wing, Peter Kam

cast
Donnie Yen, Nicholas Tse, Leon Lai, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Simon Yam, Wang Xueqi

source
We Distribution Ltd, 8/F Hay Nien Building, 1 Tai Yip Street, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong. FAX: 852-2366-0661. EMAIL: sales@wedistribution.com.

web
http://www.cinemapopular.com

CAUSES
Politics & Government Reform

Bodyguards and Assassins

Hong Kong circa 1906 existed in a strange political limbo, ruled by the British Empire but nestled alongside dynastic China. While the ancient Qing Dynasty was turning its back on the ever-encroaching modern world, many Chinese were embracing the ideas of republicanism and democracy, and Hong Kong’s in-betweenness made it a freewheeling haven for political exiles and revolutionaries. Bodyguards and Assassins tells the story of a 1906 visit to Hong Kong by exile, revolutionary and future “Father of the Nation” Sun Yat-sen. The Empress Dowager orders his assassination, Sun’s Hong Kong followers determine to protect him and thus is an epic born. This is an action movie as only Hong Kong can do it, with tremendous panache, a wide streak of sentimentality and, of course, spine-snapping martial arts combat. The film is a glorious vision of a teeming, ramshackle, turn-of-the-century Hong Kong, achieved with massive sets, seamless computer graphics and a huge all-star cast of absolutely terrific actors (and about a million extras). Anchoring the sprawling dramatis personae is the great Wang Xueqi (whose filmography extends back to some of the great Chinese Fifth Generation films) as businessman-turned-revolutionary Li Yutang. The first half of the movie is an intricate political thriller, as the various factions maneuver into position and plenty of foreshadowing plot points click into place; the second half is, well, just plain thrilling. It’s a rousing, electrifying mix of history, revolution and kung fu.

—Tod Booth

Presented in association with Center for Asian American Media. North American Premiere.

[GeneChing]

S.F. gets it first. :p

THURSDAY, MAY 6 | CLOSING NIGHT CELEBRATION | PROGRAM 61 | 7:00 PM | A/JAT
BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS (http://asianfilmfestla.org/2010/program-guide/program-61/)
DATE: THURSDAY, MAY 6
TIME: 7:00 PM
VENUE: A/JAT
BUY TICKETS

BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS (Shi yue wei cheng)
(Hong Kong, 2009) Dir.: Teddy Chan; Scr.: Tin Nam Chun, Junli Guo, Bing Wu, James Yuen
35mm, 139 min., color, narrative, in Mandarin w/ E.S.

BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS, this year’s Festival Closing Night attraction, continues the trend of history-grounded works we’ve seen from Hong Kong filmmakers of Festivals past: Stanley Kwan’s ROUGE (Festival 1992) observes Hong Kong’s urbanization through the filter of a courtesan’s ghost seventy years removed from the present day; Mabel Cheung’s THE SOONG SISTERS (Festival 1998) offers a dizzying overview of history courtesy of three socialites whose lives intertwine with world events; while works such as Wayne Wang’s LIFE IS CHEAP…BUT TOILET PAPER IS EXPENSIVE (Festival 2004) casts a wary eye on Hong Kong’s post-1997 handover from the Great Britain. Director Chen’s latest, a liberal retelling of revolutionary Sun Yat-Sen’s fateful 1906 trip to Hong Kong to rally squabbling factions against the Qing Dynasty, is certainly one of Hong Kong’s most lavish tellings of its history, even more so than last year’s Donnie Yen starrer IP MAN (2008). Imagining a Hong Kong not unlike the wild wild West, Chen and company deliver a tense, taut tale that paints history through the eyes of opposing forces as well as those of ordinary people goaded into extraordinary acts of bravery and heroism.

In the days leading up to Sun’s April 16, 1906 trip to Hong Kong, Qing Dynasty operatives, under orders from the Empress Dowager Cixi, organize to assassinate Sun (referred to as “Sun Wei”). Meanwhile, the revolutionaries led by Chen Shaobai (Tony Leung Ka Fai) and businessman Li Yutang (Wang Zueqi) race to assemble a team of bodyguards to safeguard Sun on his perilous yet fateful meeting with fellow Tongmenghui members to overthrow the Qing. This being a Hong Kong action movie first and foremost, complications leading up to Sun’s arrival ensue: rebel forces led by exiles Qing general Fang Tian (Simon Yam) are ambushed by Qing assassins; British police led by police chief Smith (Eric Tsang) threaten a shut-down of Li’s newspaper, a major sounding-board for revolutionary foment; and Chen himself is kidnapped by Qing agents in the wake of the attack on general Fang’s men. The fate of the revolutionaries, rendered in a series of striking cinematic set-pieces, offers a prelude to the main act that dominates the film’s entire third act: on the fateful day of Sun’s arrival, the remaining revolutionaries, including Li’s headstrong son Chongguang (Wang Po-Chieh), his trusty sedan driver (Nicholas Tse), Fang Tian’s orphaned daughter Hong (Li Yuchun), an outcast Shaolin monk who goes by the nickname “Stinky Tofu” (Mengke Bateer), a police officer bent on redemption after his gambling addiction costs him his family (Donnie Yen), and Liu Yubai (Leon Lai), a highly-skilled martial artist whose specialty is the Iron Fan, organize a risky decoy maneuver in constant threat by the very skilled and ruthless legion of Qing assassins.

At turns lavish and kinetic, BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS recalls recent forays into Hong Kong’s history and star-crossed relationship with its British colonizers (Ronnie Yu’s 2006 FEARLESS starring Jet Li is one recent example), and offers multiple opportunities for many of its stars to shine, however briefly. As a work of history, the merits of its accuracy is secondary to depictions of heroism expected of the fanboy crowd — we’re guessing that the opportunity to see Donnie Yen, Li Yuchun, Mengke Bateer, and Leon Lai lay spectacular waste to Qing assassins will meet with rousing approval from tonight’s audience. Yet in the end, BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS finds a knowing kinship with John Woo’s recent epic RED CLIFF, another slow-burning action epic that takes care to cultivate a special bond between its myriad characters and its audience. In that respect, the revolutionaries — not to mention director Chen — will have succeeded, splendidly.

— Abraham Ferrer

BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS
DATE: THURSDAY, MAY 6
TIME: 7:00 PM

[hskwarrior]

Now this is an awesome movie....really awesome.

Donnie Yen, and Cung Le.

check it out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilZ2Qe2wUhw

[doug maverick]

we've discussed this film for almost a year: http://kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53158

got up your search fu man. and it was lame

[SPJ]

It is an action packed film

it keeps you on toes till the very end.

i still think some realism into some of characters may make the tales more real or down to earth.

---

:cool:

[sanjuro_ronin]

Which DVD version should I get?

[sanjuro_ronin]

TTT you mofus !

[GeneChing]

Enter to win Bodyguards & Assassins on DVD (http://www.kungfumagazine.net/index.html)! Contest ends 6:00 p.m. PST on 08/11/2011. Good luck!

[Shaolindynasty]

Now this is an awesome movie....really awesome.

Donnie Yen, Philip Ngand Cung Le.

check it out



Your statement was missing something so I thought I'd correct it for you:cool:

[GeneChing]

See our Bodyguards & Assassins DVD winners (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1125331)thread.