Director: Sammo Hung
Notable Cast: Sammo Hung, Jacqueline Chan, Li Qinqin, Andy
Lau, Feng Jiayi, James Lee Guy, Tomer Oz, Hu Jun, Feng Shaofeng, Song Jia, Tsui
Hark, Karl Maka, Dean Shek, Yuen Biao, Yuen Qiu, Yuen Wah, Eddie Peng
Sammo Hung’s career has always been much more diverse than
many of his fans give him credit for. Even within the realms of his action
films or comedies, Sammo has pushed boundaries and experimented with new
techniques and genre shifting that has made his stuff feel fresh – if not
occasionally hit or miss. I mention this in reference to the initial backlash
of critique for his latest film The
Bodyguard (known as My Beloved
Bodyguard outside of the US) and how it wasn’t action oriented enough. Yes,
Sammo’s first directorial effort since 1997 proves to be an uneven affair as it
blends a variety of genres and he tries his hand at some modern techniques, but
this was something that I was expecting going in and thusly, it didn’t irritate
me the way that it did for so many. When The
Bodyguard hits its stride, it’s something to behold. It’s just that it
still has a very uneven narrative due to the genre blending and flow that it
doesn’t always keep its momentum.