Sick Product of a Sick System

Boring

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This movie offers what would seem to be a remake of "The Master of the Flying Guillotine", even if they put out something akin to it might have been OK. This convoluted mess is not sure what it wants to be a movie? a political statement, a Morality tale? It's none of the above it is a poorly directed and written disaster. The opening scenes offer us some cool if unreal weapons and some nice action. After that you will feel cheated as their isn't any action it's just slaughter whether it be brutal beatings, decapitations, firearms or even flame shooting cannons! The whole thing is a silly mess with no real plot other than these Guillotines being eliminated to get rid of a "stain" to the new Emperor. As if one could remove a stain from Qianlong and he'd come out rosy clean. he being guilty of genocide among other things in his reign. This movie want's to be The Last Emperor meets Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon but comes off more like Shanghai Noon meets 1911. The main characters are decent actors and the dialogue isn't that bad if they would just stop weeping for Five minutes this might have been OK. Ah well I can not recommend enough to not see this film please do yourself a favor and PASS.

I think if you do not try to picture yourself in their shoes or situation, you will not enjoy this movie. Just two main thing to worry about when watching are the special effects and hard time connecting with the characters and understand them.shitty special effects: I can agree that the special effects were not so great, but it was manageable since most of the special effects took place in the first 15 or so minutes in the movie (They were probably trying to make it all 'cool' looking with the special effects to get people's attention, but failed horribly). Barely able to connect with characters: I read other comments, saying that it was hard to connect to characters and feel for them, but if you really pay close attention to the movie and the small details during dialects and when they take a break from all the action, you can see glimpses and the little things that can be connectable with. They didn't really introduce the characters well, but when the characters are shown alone, you can see what type of person they are, most of them were really sweet and thoughtful deep down inside(besides the part where they lost it). You can also see some huge character development within some of the characters that makes it easier for you to understand and connect with the characters more.some overly dramatic scenes: They cry so often, which can get annoying, but in their situation, it is reasonable. I also have to admit that some characters may have been really overly emotional during death scenes and some scenes were too dramatic at some point (especially the first death since we barely even got a chance to get to know the character who died). I mean, I pretty much sat there laughing at the reaction and death scene. But when I think about it, I think it was a big thing and really significant because it showed how close the characters were. They're practically brothers and very close to one another so of course they're going to overreact during a death. I just think the producers/director, whatever, just used the wrong death scene to be so dramatic over. Overall, I think it was a great movie. This movie was not just about fighting and killing, but about brotherhood and trying to find peace. Lovely scenery, a beautiful yet sadden history about the ruthlessness of the Qing dynasty. How terrible the westerns have influenced China. And at the end, his speech gives you a new view about life, and I think that it was very inspirational and moving. It was a good moral. I wouldn't say it was the best movie I have ever seen, but it was worth the watch because it was more than just about all the action.

I concur with many of the earlier reviews, that the initial fighting sequences were well done and the "new and improved" guillotine is very cool. Sadly, the only clear message in this mixed allegiance, personal honor vs. societal duty, convoluted drama, was anti-gun control. Guns beat knives, even fancy, quasi-mystical, super swords and when armed soldiers attack unarmed citizens it's a slaughter- doesn't much matter the morality or rationale. The film tries to find hope, scrolling on the ending screen, that eventually the emperor had a change of heart. I wonder how much solace that provides the faceless thousands massacred, while the emperor contemplated? Perhaps, someone could have explained to the messiah revolutionary, it is not the giving of your life for what you believe that fortifies true change, it is ensuring your opponent gives their life for what they believe.

Just so you are under no illusion of the lethalness of a flying guillotine, a thrilling opening sequence sees the titular group of assassins under Emperor Qian Long's command using the feared weapon against a gang of rebels known as 'The Herders'. Dispatched from its wielder like a flying wheel, it locks around its target's neck, activating a volley of blades within capable of decapitating a head right off its body. It's not a pretty sight no doubt, but still a perfect precursor for what is lined up.'The Guillotines' is not a pretty movie; rather, things look perpetually grimy and gloomy- much like the fate of the assassins led by Nala Leng (Ethan Juan). Plucked as orphans from a young age, they know no family but their own fellow comrades in arms. Then despite being the most formidable of the Emperor's soldiers, their status was never made official; lest the throne be accused of resorting to "dirty" methods to get rid of its enemies. And when the Emperor decides it is time for reformation, they are regarded as threats and hunted for dead. In the hands of a lesser producer, such material might have been just the subject of another run of the mill big-budget period action blockbuster; but with Peter Chan on board, you can be sure that 'The Guillotines' will be so much more. And indeed you will not be disappointed, as Chan assembles some of his best screenwriters – Aubrey Lam ("Perhaps Love", "The Warlords" and "Wu Xia"), Joyce Chan ("Bodyguards and Assassins", "Wu Xia") and Jojo Hui ("The Warlords") – to pen a compelling story on power, leadership and loyalty.Of the three, it is the last that gets most prominent play – not only are the Guillotines forced to re-evaluate their blind loyalty to the Emperor, their leader Leng is faced with an even bigger dilemma as he is made to choose between the brothers he has fought with and his childhood buddy and Imperial Agent Du (Shawn Yue) with whom he had sworn their allegiance with to the Emperor when they were mere children. Leng and his fellow agent Musen (Li Yuchun) are further challenged when their arch enemy Wolf (Huang Xiaoming) – the leader of the "Herders" – turns out to be much more than just an anarchist.As bit by bit of each character's background and motivations are revealed, the viewer is challenged to put aside conventional archetypes of hero and villain, good and bad, right and wrong. Even as the movie begins with an action-oriented approach, director Andrew Lau adroitly adopts a much more elegant character-driven narrative towards the second half – and it is indeed an achievement when each character turns out to be more morally complex than we would have expected when we are first introduced to them.Yet even while maintaining an intimate focus on the characters, Lau doesn't lose sight of the larger context against which the character struggles unfold. At the crux of the turmoil is the Emperor's thirst for power, the need to enslave the Han Chinese perceived to be antagonistic to his authoritarian rule. Then when the Emperor first sends the Guillotines and subsequently a whole regimen of fire-armed soldiers to quell the unrest and demand obedience, the film thrusts into prominence the consequences of a rule by force, even if it is meant to serve a greater purpose of unification. Right until an empathetic speech at the end on the importance of a rule founded on respect, the movie cleverly earns real-world relevance in its lessons on reform and revolution – especially given the recent leadership transition in Mainland China.Such lofty ambitions rest on the shoulders of a young and fresh cast – thankfully, each perform at least adequately according to the demands of their respective roles. Up and coming Mainland actor Huang brings an appropriately rebellious yet grounded touch to Wolf; while Juan and Yue are well paired with each other as the "brothers" whose friendship is tested by their supposed unwavering loyalty to the Emperor. Li, who also sings the theme song, is surprisingly affecting as one of the Guillotines forced to re-assess everything she knows when she is taken hostage by Wolf. And with Peter Chan's assistance no doubt, the movie gets a nice boost from veteran actors Jimmy Wang Yu and King Shih-Chieh, who shine in their bit roles as the leader of the Guillotines and commander of the border Army respectively.Compared to the excellent drama at play, the inevitable action sequences choreographed by veteran Lee Tat-Chiu seem to be merely perfunctory. Only two sequences – the first described at the start of this review and the second when Wolf's men conduct a daring ambush in broad daylight to rescue him – see the famed 'flying guillotine' deployed in its full glory, with the rest consisting mostly of some of the biggest explosions you've seen in Chinese cinema. That's not to say they aren't well done, but the most absorbing parts of the movie still belong to the character drama.Considering the troubled production history behind the film – conceived first as a remake of the classic Shaw Brothers' film 'Master of the Flying Guillotine' and then losing first choice Teddy Chan as director – it's to both producer Peter Chan and director Andrew Lau's credit that the film is this outstanding. Deftly balancing complex character-driven drama with gripping action, Lau delivers one of his best and most challenging films since 'Infernal Affairs' – with Peter Chan proving once again that his Midas touch in films (whether as a producer or director) is still very much alive. Even though the Guillotines only lived as myth and were never officially recognised, this movie will go down as one of the finest examples of Chinese cinema this year.