“A TENSE AND RIVETING PIECE OF ACTION CINEMA… IMPRESSIVE FIGHT SEQUENCES… BONE-CRUSHING VIOLENCE.” – TWITCH.
Winner of eight honours at the prestigious Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Action Choreography, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Costume and Make-up Design and Best Original Film Score, and the winner of the Best Actor (Wang Xueqi) and Best Supporting Actor (Nicholas Tse) prizes at this year’s Asian Film Awards, the epic, period action movie Bodyguards And Assassins is a dramatic fictionalized retelling of the suspenseful events of 1906 that eventually led to the 1911 Xinhai Revolution and the founding of the Republic of China.
Directed by Teddy Chan (The Accidental Spy) and featuring an impressive cast of Hong Kong and China’s biggest stars, including Donnie Yen (Ip Man; Kill Zone), Leon Lai (An Empress And The Warriors; Seven Swords), Xueqi Wang (Forever Enthralled; Warriors Of Heaven And Earth; The Red Suit), Tony Leung Ka Fai (Missing; The Myth), Nicholas Tse (Dragon Tiger Gate; New Police Story; The Medallion) and Simon Yam (Ip Man; Triangle), Bodyguards And Assassins is a sumptuously staged, action-packed blockbuster, full of political intrigue, tragedy and drama that will appeal as much to lovers of quality cinema as it will to martial arts aficionados.
On October 15th 1906, the man destined to become the Father of Modern China, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, is due to arrive in the British Colony of Hong Kong to discuss plans to overthrow the corrupt Qing Dynasty with a group of leading anti-Qing revolutionaries. Aware of Sun’s intentions, the Qing Court dispatches an elite army of assassins to the port where Sun is due to arrive, with orders to see to it that he never makes it to his appointment and does not leave the colony alive.
Receiving news of the proposed assassination, a newspaper editor and a local tycoon, both sympathetic supporters of the revolution, take it upon themselves to protect Dr. Sun at any cost. To help ensure his safety they recruit a motley band of fellow sympathisers, friends and acquaintances, all skilled in martial arts combat to act as Sun’s bodyguards. Additionally, they devise a risky plan to secretly replace the assassins’ target with a human decoy in an attempt to lead the killers away from their quarry.
As Sun arrives on the fateful day, the stage is set for a bloody confrontation in which a small group of selflessly courageous men and women will risk their lives fighting against hundreds of adversaries in a conflict that will determine the fate of millions.
Cleverly taking his time to establish his characters, their back-stories, motives and sub-plots in the deliberately paced first half of the film, director Chan expertly unleashes a barrage of non-stop, action set-pieces in a final hour that will leave viewers breathless.
Among the many standout sequences in a film that manages to be as emotionally involving and moving as it is exciting are a brilliantly directed sequence that echoes Brian De Palma’s homage (from “The Untouchables”) to Eisenstein’s famous Odessa Steps sequence from “Battleship Potemkin”, an extended free-running duel involving Donnie Yen and Cung Le, and a ‘man versus horse’ confrontation that is nothing short of jaw-dropping.
Bodyguards And Assassins will be released on DVD (£12.99) and Blu-ray (£19.99) by E1 Entertainment on 31st May 2010.
Suzanne Foster can’t escape her dreams. One mistake costs a devastating price, and nothing can fill the hole left in her heart. When she finds Seth Griffin, a love triangle moves friendship beyond their insatiable passion to star crossed lovers. Can true love prevail, or are they destined for heartache…Learn more about this author here: http://tinyurl.com/2coyvx2
Learn more about this book here: http://tinyurl.com/2fzb7qp Romance
When a demon breaches the barrier between death and life, the salvation of the world depends on the passions of a dark faery just coming into her power and the man willing to use her to avenge the destruction of his family.
Learn more about this author and book here: www.erinkellison.com Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Dark Fantasy
A discussion of the most overlooked and underdeveloped facet of the modern church, Slow Fade makes a compelling case for intergenerational relationships as the way to keep college-aged people engaged in faith. Learn more about this book here: http://tinyurl.com/23yrf4g Religion, Christian Life, General
In this town, gossip kills...
When a widely despised gossip columnist is shot to death, TV reporter Riley Spartz must secretly investigate a case in which she becomes the prime suspect. Amid murder, our heroine discovers news and gossip have more in common than she ever imagined. Learn more about this author here: http://tinyurl.com/39cvyj5 Learn more about this book here: http://tinyurl.com/35v7x5t Mystery Suspense
It’s been a year since a meteor collided with the moon, catastrophically altering the earth. For Miranda Evans, life as she knew it no longer exists. As the struggle to survive intensifies, Miranda must make a decision that will change her life forever. Learn more about his author here: http://tinyurl.com/2fmr2n5 Learn more about this book here: http://tinyurl.com/2b5v6re YA
Dominic St. Clair has gone as far from home as possible, working the boxing rings of South America, before anguish over leaving his sisters brings him back to Colorado. Learn more about this book: http://tinyurl.com/28j6m92 Learn more about this author: http://tinyurl.com/2aeumac Christian/Fiction/Historical
In the Scotland of King Arthur, a young female healer rescues a wounded stranger and grows to love him…but will their love bring pain or peace to their strife-torn land? Learn more about this book: http://tinyurl.com/29xeqgy Learn more about this author: http://tinyurl.com/235u8e6 Christian/Fiction/Historical
Warning: In addition to bad ass villains, kick butt heroines, truly inspiring lovin, and dark magic, this series contains one hunky holy man turned rebel vampire, a delicious and powerful sorcerer who sometimes sports fangs, a dirty talking cowboy who’s sometimes furry, and one very hot, very British, knife wielding shrink. Learn more about this book: http://tinyurl.com/36jxhzh Learn more about this author: http://tinyurl.com/2dhsdbg Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
A dark, gothic tale of romance . . . and murder. Jessamine Luxton has lived all her sixteen years in an isolated cottage near Alnwick Castle. When Jessamine begins to fall in love with a mysterious boy who claims to communicate with plants, she is drawn into the dangerous world of the poison garden. And in the right dose, everything is a poison, even love. Learn more about this book: http://tinyurl.com/28soe3l Learn more about this author: http://tinyurl.com/y9ajocj YA
The first book in the Solitary Tales suspense series will remind you what it means to believe in what you cannot see. Learn more about this book: http://tinyurl.com/35ubyld Learn more about this author: http://tinyurl.com/25oyjdk YA/Juvenile Fiction/Religious/Christian/Mysteries & Detective Stories
With passion and tenderness, Beth Redman shares an empowering message about God’s personal and intimate love for each of us—a powerful antidote to insecurity, shame, and rejection. Learn more about this book: http://tinyurl.com/25zoj88 Learn more about this author: http://tinyurl.com/37n2f6s Religion/Christian Life/Women’s Issues
