Bodyguards and Assassins Blu-ray

Bodyguards and Assassins

 (2009)

Bodyguards and Assassins Blu-ray delivers stunning video and audio, but overall it's a mediocre Blu-ray release
'Bodyguards and Assassins' concerns efforts by a group of martial artists to protect Dr. Sun Yat-sen who is popularly referred as the Father of Modern China, from an assassination attempt while visiting Hong Kong to raise funds at the beginning of the 20th century.

For more about Bodyguards and Assassins and the Bodyguards and Assassins Blu-ray release, see the Bodyguards and Assassins Blu-ray Review

Starring: Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Xueqi Wang
Director: Teddy Chan

Bodyguards and Assassins Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov, June 11, 2010

Winner of the Best Actor award (Wang Xueqi) granted by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society, Teddy Chan's "Shi yue wei cheng" a.k.a "Bodyguards and Assassins" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors E1 Entertainment. The only supplemental features on the disc is a behind the scenes featurette. With optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Father and Son

In Teddy Chan's Bodyguards and Assassins an important man has to make it to a meeting in the heart of Hong Kong where the future of China will be determined. A group of men are asked to escort the man once he arrives in the city. They all agree understanding perfectly well that along the way some of them will be killed. A second group of men are asked to do whatever is necessary to prevent the man from reaching his destination. The year is 1906 and the name of the important man is Dr. Sun Yat-sen.

Before Dr. Sun reaches Hong Kong, we are introduced to his bodyguards. First, is a powerful newspaper tycoon, Li Yue-tang (Wang Xueqi, The Founding of a Republic), who senses that China is on the verge of major political and social transformation. He has a son, Li Chung-guang (Wang Bo-Chieng, Winds of September), who is convinced that his father is a coward because he wants him to stay as far away from politics as possible.

Sum Chung-yang (Donnie Yen, Ip Man) is a gambler who has lost plenty in his life. In addition to money, he has also lost his life (Fan Bingbing, Flashpoint) and daughter to another man.

Ah Si (Nicholas Tse, Dragon Tiger Gate) is a poor rickshaw boy madly in love with a beautiful girl. But he has never had the courage to approach her, which is why eventually Li Yue-tang does on his behalf.

Chow Tofu (Mengke Bateer) is a giant ex-Shaolin monk who likes protecting the weak and poor. He knows kung-fu but does not know how good of a fighter he is.

Lau Yuk-bak (Leon Lai, Fallen Angels) is a beggar who has lost the woman (Michelle Reis) he once loved. He is also a great warrior who isn't afraid of death.

Fang Hong (Li Yuchun) is the proud daughter of General Fang Tian (Simon Yam, Election). When her father is brutally killed by a group of imperial assassins, she joins the men guarding Dr. Sun.

Chen Xiao-bai (Tony Leung Ka Fai, Ashes of Time Redux) is a good friend of Li Yue-tang and leader of the Resistance. One of his ex-students, Yan Xiao-guo (Jun Hu, Everlasting Regret), is also one of his greatest foes. Chen must make sure that Dr. Sun leaves Hong Kong alive. Yan must make sure that he does not.

You could probably guess now what happens once Dr. Sun reaches Hong Kong - a giant battle between his bodyguards and the assassins ensues. Many of them die; some in truly spectacular fashion. At the end, however, Dr. Sun leaves Hong Kong, and soon after that China becomes a republic.

I did not particularly enjoy this film and feel fairly confident stating that anyone who isn't a hardcore martial arts fan would not either. I felt that its constant flip-flopping between action and drama seriously affected its rhythm, which in return made it impossible for me to care about the main characters.

What disappointed me the most, however, is the manner in which Dr. Sun - a legendary man regarded by many in China as one of the greatest politicians the country has ever had - is portrayed in the film. Here, he is nothing but a shadow figure who barely even speaks, not the visionary responsible for the overthrowing of the last imperial dynasty of China.

On the positive side, the many fights that you would see in Bodyguards and Assassins are quite well done. There is one mass scene featuring Leon Lai, in particular, where he encounters a group of assassins that looks terrific. As he fights them, a few of them throw giant hooks that rip his body apart.

Earlier this year, Bodyguards and Assassins won the Best Actor award (Wang Xueqi) granted by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society.

Bodyguards and Assassins Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Teddy Chan's Bodyguards and Assassins arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors E1 Entertainment.

This is a solid high-definition transfer. However, it is not identical to the one used by MegaStar for the Hong Kong release of Bodyguards and Assassins. Fine object detail is excellent, clarity pleasing and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film. The UK high-definition transfer is slightly brighter than the HK high-definition transfer. Its color-scheme is also different. The light yellow-orange tint from the HK high-definition transfer has been replaced with a light green tint. Also, some of the daytime blues appear slightly richer on the UK high-definition transfer.

Once again, edge-enhancement and macroblocking are not an issue of concern. There are no traces of heavy noise-filtering or serious stability issues either. When blown through a digital projector, the high-definition transfer conveys wonderful depth and fluidity. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing debris, scratches, marks, or stains to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Bodyguards and Assassins Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Cantonese LPCM 2.0. For the record, E1 Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

The Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is solid. The bass is powerful and punchy, the rear channels very active and the high-frequencies not overdone. Additionally, the dialog is crisp, clean, stable and very easy to follow. Also, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review.

Obviously, the Cantonese LPCM 2.0 track lacks the dynamic intensity of the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Many of the elaborate action scenes, for example, are not as effective (test the scene with the massive explosion that occurs half-way through the film). The dialog, however, is just as clean, crisp, stable and easy to follow.

Bodyguards and Assassins Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras

 

Behind the scenes - cast and crew members discuss the film's production history, characters, special effects, shooting locations, etc. The featurette is broken into four episodes and contains plenty of raw footage from the actual shooting of the film. In Mandarin and Cantonese, with optional English subtitles.

-- Character (23 min).

-- Costume and make-up (4 min).

-- Set design (3 min).

-- Action (5 min).

Bodyguards and Assassins Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

 

British distributors E1 Entertainment have put together a competent package for Teddy Chan's Bodyguards and Assassins. I was not terribly impressed with this film, but fans of the genre it belongs to may disagree with me. Please keep in mind that this Blu-ray disc is Region-B "locked". RENT IT.

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