Bodyguards and Assassins (2009/Vivendi DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: C Extras: B+ Film: B+
The year
is 1905, it is China, the Qing dynasty rule is ending, corrupt and failing
the revolutionaries are getting stronger each day, but one who stands
above all the rest, Sun Yat-Sen has a plan bring together all the
different revolutionary factions and cordinate a revolution so big China will
never be the same again. The historic meeting will take place in Hong
Kong, and in one hour, revolutionary leaders will decide
the fate of China.
The government will do anything to stop
this meeting from taking place and sends an army of soldiers and assassins to
kill anyone who is involved. It is up to
a local group people, everyday men and women to protect this meeting at all
cost to ensure the future of a citizen's freedom.
Ordinary businessmen, vendors, students, priests, white collared workers are
caught up in one of China's
biggest historical revolution. Fathers,
mothers, brothers, sisters, friends and rivals find themselves acting as
decoys, buying time for Sun Yat-Sen meeting to take place. For one hour the people must stall government
assassins, soldiers and even become living shields. That regardless of who they are, where they
are from, their own dreams, hopes, future are nothing compared to the dreams,
hopes and future of a nation.
This film was more about the people and citizens of China than
the historical figure Sun Yat-Sen, how ordinary people of Hong Kong choose to become extraordinary one day. Over their daily lives, daily
bread and all the things they valued, how on that day they
choose to sacrifice it all for a revolutionary change. As much as each one of them would
have liked to remain impartial or uninvolved and to continue on
with their daily lives, the townspeople find themselves caught up with the
winds of change. In the hopes
of making a better future, personal sacrifices were made, to finding
a cause which their lives were worth dying for.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image is not bad, but the Dolby Digital 5.1
soundmix was a little weaker than usual, even for a lossy mix. A Blu-ray could correct that. Extras include behind the scenes featurettes,
interviews with cast and crew and international trailer.
- Ricky Chiang
