Bodyguards and Assassins (2009)
“To save a nations future, they must protect one man from its past.”
In 1905, revolutionist Sun Yat-sen came to Hong Kong to meet revolutionary comrades. The Qing government sent a group of killers to murder him. Ordinary citizens from all walks of life joined together, blocking the streets and fighting off the assassins to keep Sun Yat-sen safe.
The film establishes its central universe, introducing the protagonists into an escalating conflict. Directed by Teddy Chan Tak-Sam, this opening movement establishes high visual and thematic stakes that set the narrative journey into motion.
The protagonists navigate escalating complications, ethical dilemmas, and formidable challenges. Starring Wang Xueqi, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Hu Jun, the middle act intensifies dramatic momentum toward an inevitable turning point.
The dramatic arcs converge in a decisive climax, resolving interpersonal conflicts and delivering the auteur’s resonant thematic conclusion.
Wang Xueqi
as Li Yutang
Tony Leung Ka-fai
as Prof. Chen Xiaobai
Hu Jun
as General Yan Xiaoguo
Donnie Yen
as Shum Chung Yang
Nicholas Tse Ting-Fung
as Deng Sidi
Edison Wang
as Li Chongguang
Leon Lai Ming
as Prince Liu Yubai
Mengke Bateer
as Stinky Tofu
Chris Lee Yuchun
as Fang Hong
Simon Yam
as General Fang Tian
Fan Bingbing
as Yueru
Zhou Yun
as ChunCinematographic negative, aspect ratios & laboratory mastering sheet
| Aspect Ratios | 2.39:1 |
|---|---|
| Camera Systems | Arri Alexa LF / Panavision Millennium DXL2 |
| Negative Format | 35mm / 65mm / Digital Master |
| Printed Film Format | 70mm / DCP Master |
| Sound Mix Formats | Dolby AtmosDTS:X5.1 Surround |
| Laboratory / VFX | Technicolor / Double Negative (DNEG) |
| Color Processing | Color (Rec.709 / DCI-P3 Mastering) |
| Official Runtime | 139 min |
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The pipe organ composition from Hans Zimmer at the edge of Gargantua is monumental. Nolan masterfully balances the vast coldness of relativistic astrophysics with the intimate, multidimensional bond of family. A transcendent achievement of cinema.
"Do not go gentle into that good night, Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Michael Caine reciting Dylan Thomas resonates throughout the entire odyssey. Pure cinematic grandeur.
