Sometimes after watching a movie, what remains in your heart is not the scene or the lines, but an emotion that makes you want to stand up, go out, and do something you have been hesitant to do.
That's what "The Bodyguard" gave me.
Six tough battles, each one is a hurdle
There are six heavy action scenes in the film, and none of Yuan Woo-Ping's designs are repeated.
It’s not that the fighting styles are not repetitive, but that each game carries a different narrative weight. After each game is played, the story moves forward a step, the character’s situation changes, and the direction of fate also changes.
The first scene is the opening chase in the desert, which establishes the world view and at the same time establishes the character of Daoma. More than a dozen horses running wildly in the yellow sand tell us from the first second that this is no ordinary martial arts movie.
The function of this scene is to set the tone and let us know what level of stuff we are going to see next.
In every subsequent fight, there was something heavier behind the fight.
Chang Guiren fights one against two, which is Jet Li's improvement in the entire movie. The skills of the older generation can still hold the scene here.
The two most frequently mentioned battles between Wu Jing and Nicholas Tse in the entire film are the ones that have been mentioned repeatedly by the audience.
The first one was in a sandstorm. The yellow sand was overwhelming, and the two men fought in almost zero visibility. Nicholas Tse took advantage of the wind to attack frequently, while Dao Ma defended in a panic against the wind.
These actions were recreated by the crew using real natural environments. On the one hand, tailwinds and headwinds actually represent the positions and values of two people. On the other hand, the action scenes in the wind test the skills of the director and actors. This duel in the wind and sand of the desert is one of the most exciting and beautiful scenes in the film.
The second scene is in the firelight. Moonlight, desert, flames, two people fighting close to each other, the long lens preserved every detail. This fight is not just about skill, it is about the grudges and grudges between two people that have lasted for more than ten years. It is the kind of complicated relationship in which colleagues become rivals and rivals cherish each other.
After the fight, those watching had an indescribable feeling in their hearts. It was not simply a feeling of relief, but a sinking feeling.
After six games, each game has its own emotional coordinates. Some are passionate, some are heavy, and some make people feel sad at the end. Yuan Heping did not use the fight scene as a spectacle, but as a narrative. This is the way people who truly understand martial arts would handle it.
There is a poem by Tao Yuanming in the film, which Xiao Qi recited in a stumbling child's voice: "After being in a cage for a long time, you can return to nature."
Daoma was once the Zuo Xiao Cavalry Guard of the Sui Dynasty Forbidden Army. He had a structure and a position. Then his family was destroyed overnight and he became the second most wanted criminal in the world. He made a living as a escort in the desert with a child.
This time, he took the escort to escort Tomoyo to Chang'an. His reason for accepting it in the first place was very simple, that is, to repay a favor.
But in the end, it was no longer repayment.
Chishiro represents another possibility, that in troubled times there are people who are still thinking about "making the world a better place." The sword and horse protect not only one person, but the possibility and his own path that he cannot let go of. In a world where rules are broken, you still stick to your own rules.
The escort has a promise, life and death depend on each other. Put in the desert at the end of the Sui Dynasty, this sentence was more important than any heroic words.
Watching the entire movie, I kept thinking about one thing. In the story, everyone is on the road, running to somewhere. Ayuya wants to go back to build her own desert, Chishiro wants to go to Chang'an to light the fire, and Daoma wants to protect Xiaoqi from this dead place.
Their destinations are different, but what drives them is the same thing. There is a place in their hearts worth fighting for.
This is the most touching core of martial arts. It is not how beautiful the fighting is, but why these people fight.
In reality, there are no deserts, no chasing soldiers, and no escort missions spanning thousands of miles. But everyone has a "Chang'an" in their hearts.
That thing you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t done yet, that place you’ve always wanted to go but haven’t gone yet, that person you want to be.
When I watch this movie this year, I will have a very specific impulse after watching it. It is not a chicken-blooded slogan, but a quiet and down-to-earth thought: This year, go for it.
It doesn’t matter if you try and fail. Daoma's escort journey was not smooth either.
After all, "The Daredevil" itself is a story about "going out".
Yuan Heping is eighty-one years old and has been in the industry for more than sixty years. He has already made all the classics he can and has nothing to prove. But he still took his team to the Xinjiang Gobi for nearly half a year. In the extreme environment of -10°C to 55°C, he insisted on real-life shooting, real skills, and "no pretense."
Wu Jing did not care about the decline of the martial arts film market, but he recruited such a large lineup and got it done.
Jet Li returned to the martial arts screen after 14 years, and at the age of over sixty, he performed the same set of moves.
None of these people needed to prove themselves through "Dart Man", but they are all here.
For what reason, they made it clear. Martial arts should not disappear, real kung fu should not disappear, this thing is worth fighting for again.
On the first day of the new year, I walked into a movie theater and watched the sky filled with yellow sand, the glint of swords and the shadows of swords, and a group of people going to their own deaths and running towards their own Chang'an.
After reading it, if something in your heart is loosened, ignited, and you want to move forward, then go ahead.
Life is a wilderness, not a track. Your Chang'an is waiting for you to go there.
