The Bodyguard From Beijing
by Kazuya Konaka
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Christy Chung, Collin Chou, John DeMita, Kent Cheng, William ChuDirector: Kazuya Konaka
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Cantonese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 95 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-11-10
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: CAV Distributing
Movie Reviews of The Bodyguard From Beijing
Movie Review: Jet Li at his best
Summary: 5 Stars
I had never heard of Jet Li before Lethal Weapon 4 arrived in theaters. I'm a Mel Gibson fan so I naturally watched that movie. Jet Li was in it for maybe just over a half an hour but his fantastic moves nearly stole the film away from Gibson's humorous dialogue. Afterward, I was in search of Jet Li movies. Since then, I have seen about five and The Bodyguard from Beijing is my favorite (it's about on par with Lethal Weapon 4 but that wasn't really a Jet Li film). It has everything any action fan could ask for: a decent plot, well-developed characters (as good as possible for a Hong Kong film), humorous dialogue and situations, as well as long action sequences that are absolutely breathtaking.Ching (Jet Li) is a bodyguard from China who is assigned to protect a woman named Michelle Yeung (Christy Chung), a schoolteacher who witnessed a murder committed by a corrupt businessman. It seems she will be testifying at the trial as a witness and the businessman will stop at nothing to prevent that from happening, thus entering Ching as the man who must protect Michelle. Naturally, Michelle hates Ching the moment she sets on eyes on him, but slowly begins to fall for him despite the fact she already has a boyfriend (a very rich one, no less). Ching begins to have feelings toward her, too, and his image of a hardened bodyguard softens throughout the film.
The number one question any Hong Kong film fan will ask first about this movie is if it has any good action. Yes, Bodyguard from Beijing has some spectacular action sequences that range from shootouts to an amazing martial arts fight between Li and the main villain. The shootouts aren't typical Hollywood where the hero blasts all the villains away without breaking a sweat. In this film, Li constantly moves around (quite gracefully too) to avoid being shot and displays some excellent footwork.
Li is charismatic as usual and is very much likeable in almost all of his films. Christy Chung is far from annoying as some people seem to think, and Kent Cheng is quite hilarious.
Action fans should look for this film. It certainly wouldn't hurt to spend just over an hour and a half watching this film.
Summary of The Bodyguard From Beijing
Hong Kong martial arts master Jet Li plays a bodyguard from the Beijing secret police, sent to Hong Kong to protect a beautiful young witness to a mob killing, played by Christy Chung. Li turns her home into a high-security prison, complete with video cameras surveying every room, even her bedroom. Furious, Chung resists his efforts to protect her--until the threat to her life is made abundantly clear in a spectacular shopping mall shootout. As is natural under such circumstances, romance begins to bloom, much to the dismay of Chung's lawyer boyfriend, who hired Li in the first place. Made in the last few years before the British province of Hong Kong was returned to the rule of mainland China, The Bodyguard from Beijing makes many (possibly anxious) jokes about the differences between the austere Communist bodyguard and the lackadaisical H.K. police. Li's character is so consistently stone-faced that his usual boyish charm is repressed, and the movie emphasizes gunplay over acrobatic kung fu action, but there are still kicks galore and the usual Hong Kong combination of spectacular violence and outrageous sentimentality--all captured in stylish, glossy cinematography. And how often do you get to see venetian blinds used as an offensive weapon? --Bret Fetzer
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