Greetings,
Again, this flick looks far from lame. Anything with Ji Chunhua gets my attention.
mickey
a huge set…
…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
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
I wonder what kind of release this might get in America
I was hoping Red Cliff 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
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)
Donnie makes NYT
And to think, we knew him back when…
An Action Star Moves to the Lead
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.”
Coming in December 18
There’s a long overview video - follow the link.
Roundup of films coming to cinemas in last two months
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
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.
This article is a little dated…
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, which opens this week.
New (Bodyguards and Assassins) Trailer = Action Orgasm [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”
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.
Opens this weekend
And here’s the upshot of my interview with Cung: Cung Le on STRIKEFORCE: EVOLUTIONS & BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS
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.
[QUOTE=doug maverick;976469]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.[/QUOTE]
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.
Incoming reviews
Who will be the first here to post their review?
‘Bodyguards and Assassins’ helps Chinese cinema enter the big leagues
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
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.
One more
Went over the word count on the last post…:o
Finally! A great Chinese flick
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.
[QUOTE=GeneChing;977327]Who will be the first here to post their review?[/QUOTE]
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
It’s a hit
Even the NYT took notice.
Reimagining a Pivotal Year in China
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
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
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.
B&a
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
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!
Another review
Still looking for Asian box office results…
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
i cant wait for this.
$35 million
I’m not sure how that rates in the scale of box office draws in Asia.
Local films draw crowds across Asia
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.
This is getting such good reviews…
… I don’t want to get spoiled by the hype.
Watch This: Bodyguards and Assassins
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.
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).
uhhh,
Check u tube…it is all there, before it goes.
mickey