The Bodyguard (2016)

Truly Dreadful Film

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Sammo Hung stars in The Bodyguard not to be confused w/Kevin Costner's film of '92 or even the great My Bodyguard w/Chris Makepiece & Adam Baldwin. This plays loosely like a film named Memories of a Killer where a hitman struggles w/his craft as he slowly becomes swallowed by the onslaught of dementia. In this case, Hung is a former military man who still has the action bonafides but even something like finding the keys to his home becomes a debilitating chore. Again we have an uneasy mix of violent kung fu w/extreme sentimentality which are in constant odds w/each other but feelings trump action here & not for the better leaving this heartfelt exercise feeling very futile.

Years ago, I remember seeing some of Sammo Kam-Bo Hung's movies he made in the 1980s and enjoying them. So when this recent effort of his popped up on Netflix, I decided to give it a look. Sadly, this movie for the most part is a letdown. First, if you are expecting Hung to show off the kung fu wizardry he showed in the past, you will be very disappointed. He only has TWO scenes in the movie where he shows off his martial art skills. Even worse is that in these two scenes, his fight scenes have the trademarks of many bad martial art movies, that being the camera is zoomed extremely close to the actors, and the editing is extremely quick. I realize that Hung is in his 60s now, but I am convinced he still could have been better showcased.But that is not the only problem with this movie. Past IMDb user complaints about the movie being slow and dull are unfortunately correct. There's very little action in the movie (with or without Hung), and there is barely a plot. The movie more often than not seems to be spinning its wheels.I will admit that Hung gives a pretty good and sympathetic performance, and the movie on a technical level is first rate, looking very slick and expensive. But the movie is all the same unsatisfying. Stick with Hung's 1980s movies instead.

I am really at a loss as to why this movie gets such bad critical reviews. I found it to be a very enjoyable movie.Sammo Hung is a long-time mainstay of Hong Kong cinema and it is good to see him directing again after two decades.The leads in the movie all do an excellent job. The relationship between Sammo Hung's old man, suffering dementia, and Jacqueline Chan's mischievous young girl is beautifully played. Andy Lau manages to make his character almost likable, even though he is a wife-beating ogre.The supporting cast are also very good. The three old guys who make fun of Sammo's character are hilarious. Tsui Hark makes a welcome cameo as one of the three old guys.The action scenes are very well filmed, with Sammo in typically good form, despite his advancing age. All in all, I can thoroughly recommend this movie to all fans of the genre. You'll have an enjoyable 98 minutes of viewing!

Let me start this review with a translated quote used in the film: The old man is like Kung Fu Panda I have no clue if they truly said that originally. Despite, this quote does sum up the abilities of Sammo Hung's character Ding. Ding is a retired Central Security Bureau officer from Beijing who is in the early stages of dementia. He is a man full of regret and remorse but chooses to seclude himself rather than confront the issues that are plaguing him. One big strain on him is the fact that his granddaughter got missing while he was watching over her. But then at one point in time Cherry Li , a little girl from next door sneaks into his apartment to hide there after fighting with her father. Which is the start of an unique friendship.One thing you will have to understand that this Sammo Hung vehicle isn't the typical martial arts film he used to make. Sammo has gotten old and apparently he wanted to address this. So most of the focus is on Ding being an old man. He receives some backup from old friends to make this statement. People like Yuen Baio, Dean Shek, Yuen Wah, and Tsui Hark to name but a few. These are nothing but glorified cameo's. But since I had not read anything about the film in advance I was pleasantly surprised to see them. For me it wasn't a disappointment like some reviewers have stated. More so because they had been given the impression to come into action as well. Now that would have been something I must admit so I do understand the criticism. Although it did not hurt what they were going for in the film. At it's core this film is about Ding coming to terms with old age, dementia and guilt. The action is just in service of this.This explains the fact that there is not that much action. And while I also was expecting more I understand that somehow this would not be fitting regarding the theme. Or even would destroy the message that Sammo Hung wants to make clear to the audience. But don't despair the little action that is present is more than satisfying. Especially in the finale where Sammo goes Steven Seagal on the bad guys. Mainly using his arms and where he is using his opponents power against them. It makes sense to me that on old man would be limited in his move set so that was a nice touch.Andy Lau also is involved in this film as an actor and producer. He plays the low life father of Cherry and basically is the reason why trouble starts in the first place. His role while significant is small and just right as he manages to evoke enough emotions. Another thing you have to understand is that this film doesn't go that deep into issues like dementia or bad parenting. Instead it tries to appeal to your emotions about these issues. And this is something that Sammo Hung does real well.So for me this film was well worth the watch and while I was expecting a more action packed adventure I got something just as good in return. We all become old one day and then we can't do the things we used to do. You have to be prepared for that.