Bodyguard, The

Released by: Well Go USA
Released on: September 6th, 2016.
Director: Sammo Hung
Cast: Sammo Hung, Andy Lau
Year: 2016
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The Movie:

The first film directed by Sammo Hung in almost twenty years, The Bodyguard (also known as My Beloved Bodyguard) tells the story of a man named Ding (played by Sammo himself). Though he was once a military man he's now working as a bodyguard, though he's basically retired. Age is catching up with him, he's not the young man he once was. He rents a place outside the city from Park, (Li Qin Qin), a woman who would like nothing more than to take the landlord/tenant relationship to the next level. He's friendly with his neighbor, Li (Andy Lau), whose daughter, Cherry, (Jaqueline Chan Pui Yin) sees Ding as a grandfatherly type.

Early in the film, Ding witnesses a murder carried out by a gang led by Choi (Deng Chao). The cops bring Ding in to identify Choi, but he flubs it and we're left wondering if, as Ding is getting on in years, dementia is starting to set in. When Li winds up running afoul of Choi's crew, Ding find himself having to keep Cherry safe from harm and having to fight back against the thugs, whether he wants to or not.

Don't be misled by the marketing behind this one. The trailers that were making the rounds prior to this release and now the cover art would lead you to believe that this is a hard edged martial arts film, the kind that Sammo used to be cranking out fairly constantly through the eighties and nineties. While it's true that there are a few action set pieces in the movie, and to their credit they are quite well done (the highlight is a scene where Ding is set upon by a group of combatants), this is much more akin to a character study than anything else. The film essentially paints a portrait of a man dealing with his failing health, the onset of old age and his determination to do what he can to protect those that he cares about. As he is older at this point, he has to adapt. He can't move the way he used to when he was younger, he's not as fast, his reflexes have slowed - but he's still more than capable of handling himself, the film makes that much very clear.

So much of this film rests on Sammo's shoulders not just as the director, but as the leading man as well. For the most part, he pulls it off. There are moments where it's a little hard to connect with the characters but by and large Ding is a likeable guy thanks almost entirely to Hung's thesping. Everything here is played completely straight, it's a dramatic role and not the comedic type that Hung has played often in his past. He handles it admirably and does the large majority of it using body language rather than dialogue. Additionally, Andy Lau is quite good here and Jaqueline Chan pretty decent as well. The supporting players all do fine work, but Sammo's the driving force here and, for better or worse, the only character we really wind up remembering.

It is a bit slow in spots and there are times where the relationship between Ding and Cherry is just too sugary for its own good, but this gets more right than wrong. As Sammo himself gets older it makes sense that he'd branch out and try something like this. As an action film, this is a total let down but as a dramatic character piece and a showcase for the man's abilities as an actor, The Bodyguard is very good indeed.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Shot on high grade professional digital video cameras, the transfer on this AVC encoded 1080p high definition release frames the movie at 2.35.1 widescreen and it looks excellent. As you'd expect, there's no dirt or debris here (one of the benefits of a digital to digital transfer) and detail is generally outstanding. Colors are nicely reproduced and look quite natural most of the time even if they are a little on the bleak side in terms of style. Black levels are strong throughout and contrast is solid. Some of the CGI used in the certain scenes look kind of silly and are obviously computer generated but outside of that (and let's be honest, that's a source issue not a disc issue), no complaints here. This is an excellent looking transfer from Well Go USA.

The Chinese language DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix is also very strong. There are moments of intense surround activity throughout that add to the movie's more intense moments, while balance and clarity remain strong throughout. The disc also includes a Chinese 2.0 mix in Dolby Digital format. Optional English subtitles are available.

There are six quick featurettes included here, each running less than three minutes in length - An All-Star Cast With All-Star Support covers the casting of the film and Sammo's influence, Sammo Hung Kindness Is His Calling Card looks at the legendary actor/director's penchant for treating people he works with well, About The Characters is a quick peak at the different main characters and the cast that play them, About The Action takes us behind the scenes of the stunts and action set pieces, A View Of A Legend On And Off-Screen gives us more insight into Hung and, last but not least, About The Girl covers Jaqueline Chan's involvement in the film.

Aside from that, we get a trailer for the feature, menus and chapter selection alongside a few other trailers for Well Go USA properties.

The Final Word:

The Bodyguard won't appeal to those who want a hard hitting action film but film fans who don't mind seeing Sammo stretch as an actor and play a part that was clearly very personal to him should be impressed. This isn't a perfect movie, it occasionally lapses into melodrama and

Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!