The Magnificent Bodyguards by Wei Lo (Review)

A pretty vintage Jackie Chan movie from 1978. It’s definitely lacking when compared to his later stuff, and even when compared to its contemporaries in Chan’s filmography (such as Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow). Chan plays the overly confident member of a group of elite bodyguards hired to protect a woman and her brother on their journey through some bandit-ridden mountains.

Although the film is subtitled (which is one of the reasons why I rented it), it’s pan and scan, which means all of the fights are cropped and confusing. The plot is completely secondary, and everything gets wrapped up in the last ten minutes or so. Thankfully, the comic antics are kept to a minimum and mainly consist of Chan’s braggadacio (and even that’s fairly bearable).

The final fight scene is pretty nice, even pretty bloody (for a Chan film), but for a good period piece, stick with something like Drunken Master II or the aforementioned Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow. If you’re only familiar with Chan’s recent work like Rush Hour or Shanghai Noon, then this film will probably be a big disappointment.

However, I have to give the film added bonus points for the music. The song that plays during the group’s mountain trek is awesome, and you gotta admire the fact that music from Star Wars pops up directly from the film (though I doubt George Lucas was consulted).