For his first film as director in close to two decades, Hong Kong cinema legend Sammo Hung turns to more than just the action cinema he’s best known for. Also taking on lead actor and action choreographer duties, Hung stars in
as Mr Ding, a former member of the elite Central Security Bureau protection unit who’s now living in far northern China.
Life in retirement is far from idyllic, however: the old man is experiencing early signs of dementia, and he’s haunted by the devastating loss of his granddaughter, who vanished earlier while under his care. Now a loner who’s been deserted by his daughter, Ding is about to have his life shaken up as trouble storms into his small local community.
One of Ding’s few companions is a young girl, Cherry (Jacqueline Chan), who lives next door and hides at the old man’s home after arguments with her gambling-obsessed dad, Li Zhengqin (Andy Lau). Li is up to his neck in debt, and when an opportunity for a reprieve on what he owes comes up, he seizes it. Li is tasked with heading across the nearby China-Russia border to steal a bag of jewels and cash from local gangsters.
The mission turns ugly, however, once Li angers not just Russian crime figures but the thugs who hired him, and he promptly goes into hiding. When the situation leads to Cherry being put under a care order and then disappearing, old Ding feels compelled to step in.
Though The Bodyguard’s plot outline may read as a recipe for wall-to-wall action, Hung clearly had more on his mind as director than just deploying his famed action choreography. The Bodyguard regularly turns to gentle, domestic material: Ding’s personal story is playfully introduced through animation, and the picture later holds scenes of Ding’s connection with a kindly neighbour, his growing recognition of short-term memory loss, and his rare moments of joy when out fishing with Cherry.
The film’s community feel works on another level, too, as Hung infuses scenes with a roster of cameos by fellow Hong Kong cinema veterans – on hand are members of Hung’s childhood Peking opera troupe, and one set of appearances by Dean Shek, Karl Maka and Tsui Hark plays as a mini-reunion for talents from the 1980s’ Cinema City hit factory.
Also recalling past Hong Kong cinema is The Bodyguard’s willingness to take large leaps in mood changes, with switches from light humour to strong violence that recall the tonal shifts in Hung’s past works like Carry on Pickpocket (1982) and Pedicab Driver (1989).
The film’s forays into action territory likewise play with a diversity of approaches. Li’s mission to swipe the Russians’ bag in a Vladivostok hotel weaves in a fun mix of goofy comedy, speedy skirmishes and window-smashing stunt work. And once Hung steps into battle himself, action turns to efficient close combat and a one-against-many showdown of bone-breaking takedowns, before a car chase is thrown in for good measure and a limping pursuit expresses Ding’s dogged determination.
With these scenes unfolding between The Bodyguard’s quieter stretches of drama, Hung shows he’s perfectly willing to defy genre expectations in bringing his brand of filmmaking back to the silver screen.