Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Hear me out, this was overall a VERY good movie. I'm only giving it a 5 out of 10 for ONE reason, and it's more of a personal gripe. This movie kills off just about every single main character. Perhaps it is JUST me, but I watch movies with the hope that the main character has a fighting chance, that he survives. Now, I'm not totally against main or supporting characters dying, but not if EVERY SINGLE ONE dies. This movie's biggest flaw is its unnecessary slaughtering of all the good guys. What is the point of a movie that leaves you with NOBODY to root for at the end? This film thoroughly intrigued, touched, and entertained me until the last scene, when one after another, the fan favorite characters started dying off. Had it had a more enthusiastic, optimistic ending, it would've been on my top rewatch list easily, along with the likes of the Ip Man series and a plethora of Jet Li films. If Ip Man could be emotional yet end happily, this could've too.

With a running time over 2 hours, I found this movie a bit slow and extremely over-dramatized. I mean no disrespect for the events that led to the China Revolution of the beginning of the 20th century, although trying to put too much drama into this by ways of overacting and continuously falling in a pit of drama is not helping much.There are a couple of moments that shine, like the fight of the policeman with one of the assassins or, particularly, the apparition of the cleaned up beggar. Well, in fact, these are the only 2 real fights in the whole movie.This movie could have done much better without so much drama and little less running time. In order to make people know about the Revolution, you don't need to make a mockery out of the real tragedy.

The irony here is that I'm commenting on a Chinese movie with disturbing parallels to 21st century America. That's right: the Occupy Movement- the struggle of American citizens to recapture some of the liberties that have been lost (or are BEING stolen even as I write). As the persecution of Julian Assange makes all too clear, one would do well to beware the dungeons of Democracy. BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS is about the Evolution of Revolution. Despite the foreclosure in THIS country on The Fourth Estate (the Press), it's effectiveness in turn-of-the-last-century China is clearly shown and we see the awakening of a sleeping giant. "Keep one eye open," a British diplomat advises at one point: "And close the other." (Translation: Watch for political troublemakers, but don't stop them from being murdered.) Another lesson we've learned here in the West: Democracy can ATROPHY. This is a disparate band of Evolutionaries, including a son of privilege who forfeits Privilege for Principle and an opium-addicted martial artist ("I'm like a ghost...") whose sacrifice reminds us that Courage isn't the absence of Fear, it's the ACCEPTANCE of it. Outstanding filmmaking.

This is NOT Hollywood type Kick-Ass. This is NOT an Arty House of Daggeers.This is a historical drama with some neat kung-fu thrown in. Beautiful to look at. From the elegance of the costumes to the dirty streets in the ghetto. Bodyguards and Assassins has charm, tragedy, drama, loyalty, respect, ignorance and more going for it. Slightly long but thoroughly enjoyable.I was unaware of this part of Chinas history (boy do the English come off bad yet again) and I'm glad I watched it.