15th New York Asian Film Festival

Jun 22 - Jul 9, 2016

Photo: Courtesy of All Rights Entertainment

North American Premiere

The Bodyguard

超級保鏢

Channeling the best of old-school Hong Kong action movies into his street-fighting extravaganza, Yue Song is clearly a man who loves action and mindless fun, two things in this film that come together as seamlessly as his character Wu-Lin's mullet and headband. Ancient kung-fu clans, superhuman powers, colorful characters, gangsters with hundreds of cannon fodder subordinates, laser gates, and secret-training bunkers come together to create an on-screen spectacle that plays like a 1980s kid's kung-fu fever dream. Wu-Lin is the successor of an ancient clan specializing in the Iron Kick, and after the death of his master he goes to the big city to look for fellow apprentice Jiang-Li. Soon he finds himself the bodyguard to spoiled rich girl Faye, who is hiding a softer side. Kidnapping, betrayal, and burial ensue, and Wu-Lin must unleash his clan's secret techniques to help free Faye. The plot mostly serves as the vehicle to string together some insanely enjoyable and bone-shattering action set pieces. Fists, feet, and mullets fly across the screen with reckless abandon, barely giving you the chance to catch your breath.

Director: Yue Song
Cast: Michael Chan, Collin Chou, Xing Yu, Yue Song
Languages: Mandarin with English subtitles
2016; 90 min.; DCP

SCHEDULE:

Saturday June 25, 8:30pm
Film Society of Lincoln Center

Q&A with Yue Song; Song will be presented with the Daniel A. Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema

Excellence in Action Cinema Award
Yue Song
岳松

"Shandong-born Yue Song learnt different fighting styles from a young age, studying traditional boxing, kickboxing, ju-jitsu, Muay Thai, Jeet Kune Do, and mixed martial arts. He also created his own moves, including the \"bullet punch\", \"seven-meter flip\", and \"gun grab\". He first came to the attention of action fans with his short training video, Chinese Kung Fu Kid Shocks the World, which demonstrated his practical, balls-to-the-wall street-fighting style. In 2008, it became an internet sensation with over 2 million views and 8,000 comments on Youku. In 2009, his first martial arts feature collapsed due to poor budgeting and a series of accidents on set. In 2010, he took out a bank loan to make The King of the Streets, which he shot over 20 exhausting days. Yue, who was director, screenwriter and actor, next spent six months persuading the Beijing Film Bureau to let it pass it through censorship, before its theatrical release in 2012. The Bodyguard is his latest (glorious )attempt to put Chinese martial arts back on the map."