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The Defender

The Defender

List Price: $14.99
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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good action but no more than that
Review: I like Jet Li, but I didn't particularly care for this movie. First off, this is the most wooden I've ever seen Jet Li acting. Granted, his character was supposed to be one of those stone faced types who doesn't let his emotions show until he starts falling in love with the woman he's protecting. Unfortunately, even after he's supposed to be falling in love with her, he looks no less wooden. It's as if he were doing this movie against his better judgement, and just couldn't get into the role he was supposed to play. At least that's the way it seemed to me.

The plot line is fairly standard, a woman, along with two other witnesses, sees one man kill another, and then weeks before his trial, the other two witnesses are killed, and she narrowly avoids being killed herself, so her boyfriend hires a bodyguard to protect her. Enter Jet Li's character, who annoys the woman he's supposed to be protecting by violating her privacy, installing security cameras all over her house, including her bedroom. He annoys her, that is, until she stupidly goes out shopping against his recommendation, and he has to save her life from what looked like about twenty assassins who try to kill her at the mall. The action sequence here, and the big fight at the end, are the main reasons I gave this movie even as good a recommendation as I did. The rest of it is very subpar, but the action sequences are exciting, intense, and fast paced.

Some of the side characters in this movie went beyond my annoyance tolerance level. One of the cops only purpose was to serve as some sort of comedy relief, but unfortunately, he wasn't very funny, and didn't demonstrate any great effort on the side of the police to protect their only remaining witness to thii crime. Also, the girls little brother is given a fair amount of air time in the movie, and he was annoying beyond belief, and I saw absolutely no reason for him ever to have been included as a character in this movie except to cause trouble, and draw the movie out a little longer.

In closing, if you want to see some great action sequences, and don't mind a lot of ho hum filler scenes in between, go ahead and rent this movie, but don't buy it, it's definitely not worth that. If you do rent it, I recommend just skipping to about half way into the movie when the crew goes shopping, and then to the end for the final fight. They're really the only scenes worth viewing.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Bodyguard from Beijing
Review: I loved this movie with Jet Li. Jet Li plays a bodyguard from the Beijing secret police, sent to Hong Kong to protect a pretty girl that is very high maintenance. Snobby at first when Jet turns her life upside down by restricting all her activities and making her home a prison but after Jet saves her life; she turns around and becomes more likeable and agreeable and even tries to seduce Jet who is his usual stoic persona. (sigh) He is such a hottie! The movie shows Jet being as terrific with a gun as with his fists and kicks. My main complaint was the poor translation in the subtitles. I kept going "Is that what he or she said?" And the parts with the nephew got a little old. But if you are a Jet Li fan you will really like this movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of Jet Li's best!
Review: I loved this movie. One of the best Jet Li movies I have ever seen. I recommend it for all those cops and criminals fans. This movie also has great fight scenes too! Buy it... buy it... buy it!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My favorite of all Jet Li movies!
Review: I own the DVD version of this movie and I'm glad because if I have the VHS version, my VCR will be needing replacement right now. I watch this movie over and over and over again. You know what, I don't even take it out of my DVD player anymore. Ridiculous but true. I seldom get attached to anything but this movie is so great that I wish they would release an english version including the english version of the melody/love theme from the movie. I don't know how to describe what the melody of the song does to me. I sure don't understand a word of it because it's in cantonese. I highly recommend this movie. The action has your typical Jet Li signature. The romance part was breathtaking at some point, frustating at other points. Does anyone know why Jet Li does not kiss any of his leading ladies. If you do, please let me know. Anyway, this movie is spectacular. Please watch it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Kevin Costner"? Who?
Review: I really can't tell you anything that hasn't been said here by other enlightened reviewers, but I can add this: This is the only foreign movie I've ever seen that made sense. Let me explain, because I don't want it to sound like an insult to foreign movies. I love foreign movies, especially those of the Hong Kong market. Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Chow Yun-Fat, I can't get enough. But somehow, even in the smallest, unimportant way, something in all other foreign films didn't add up in the translation. Whether it was a line of dialogue, a plot point, or a joke, I could always expect to encounter something I didn't understand. But here, no jokes fall flat. The story makes sense. None of the characters seem out of place or odd. I don't know if it was in fact the translation, or if this movie simply translates well to english, but if you've been turned off to Hong Kong movies because they confuse you, give this one a try. I'd also like to mention that it has the classic bad-guy/ good guy equality that's missing in alot of movies. Most of the time our hero just kills/maims hordes of faceless goons, but sometimes we're treated to an interesting villain who holds his own against the hero. Good job.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Defender
Review: I'm a martial art fan and was expecting a pure martial arts type of movie. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the versatile talents of Jet Li in this great entertaining movie. A movie with multifaceted action scenes and a touch of soft romance controlled by Li's typical strong sense of responsibilities. Both Jet Li and Christy Chung played their role superbly. It required great acting skills to exhibit both the stoical and annoying characters, and particularly to let the audience feel their strong chemistry for each other without even a physical touch. Jet looks great with his hair and his suit and played the role of a tough, impeccable and honorable bodyguard with a human heart. Christy is beautiful and played a progressing role from an upset woman for being overly protected to a woman in love who turned her back to catch the assasin's bullet to save her bodyguard. The movie is full of nuances that show the dramatic talent of Li as a director. In this movie, Jet Li has proved to the audience that an actor who is being stereotyped as a martial arts master can also excel in other types of movies such as romance and adventure. A great actor shoud be able to perform contrasting characters and out-of-the-ordinary roles. That's what art is all about. Jet Li successfully made the transition from martial arts to drama. He was a five-time Chinese national champion in wushu, a dramatic performance art that mixes martial arts forms with Peking Opera, gymnastics, and acrobatics. If you want to see Jet Li perform different roles other than those in the traditional martial arts movies, you ought to see this one.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Stick to the fight scenes
Review: I'm an avid Jet Li fan, I've seen Fist of Legend, Black Mask, Twin Warriors, Lethal Weapon 4, and The Enforcer. Out of all the movies I have seen Jet doesn't use guns, but in this movie he does and it does nothing for his reviews. There is only two action scenes in the whole movie, with only one containing martial arts. Now when buying/watching movies of this sort, you're not looking for Grammy Winners, but for more of martial arts. The last complaint I have for this movie is that its subtitled and not dubbed. When I first started watching the movie I thought this may be a problem, but after seeing the lack of fight scenes it didn't really matter. This movie is a big disappointment.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Bodygaurd from BORjing
Review: If you are a person who, like so many others, has caught on to the Jet Li trend, then rent this. It is not that good, in plot or action, but it has some cool stuff. If you are just looking for a martial arts flick, or a good Jet Li vehicle, then check out Black Mask, The Enforcer, or Fist of Legend(which I highly recomend).

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: this is a good jet li movie
Review: if you lik jet li and you love martial arts you should get this movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Cory Yuen and Jet Li combine again to create a great film
Review: Jet Li excells in his acting in this fast-moving action experiance as he portrays a professionaly-cold Bodyguard that is sent by the Chinese Government to protect the girl-friend of a rich business man, played by Chirsty Cheung, after she must testify regarding the identity of a killer.
The film is wonderfully shot with especialy when Jet charges into the room of the woman and she reaches out to and proclaims her love to him. The story is finely crafted as he falls into conflict with his feeling towards her and that of his duty toward his job and his country. Chirsty Cheung plays beautifaly as the point of Jet's conflict.
The fight scene of the film are something to behold as well. Cory Yuen not only directs superb Martail Arts but also very fluidic and chagred shoot-outs, the most notable of which is the shoot-out at the mall and the finialy shoot-oput where Jet Li's character duels against douzens of hitmen in the dark. It is the finialy that also see's a climatic Martial Arts duel between Jet Li and the deadly Ngai Shing that plays a highly trained Ex-Solider who seeks revenge after his brother is killed by Jet.

The film is dazzeling and a true film for movie goers. It's such a great film that it appeals to a world wide audience.

This DVD version does not contain an English audio version but it does contain English subtiles, they are however not of the highest quality but you none the less get the picture of what's going on in the film from them. This is a great film from "The One's" Jet Li and should not be missed.


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