Bodyguards and Assassins

Bodyguards and Assassins (十月圍城) is a 2009 Hong Kong/Chinese action/drama film featuring an all-star cast including Donnie Yen, Leon Lai and Nicholas Tse.

In 1905, Sun Yat-sen (called "Sun Wen" in the film) intends to come to Hong Kong (then a colony of the British Empire) to discuss his plans for revolution with fellow Tongmenghui members to overthrow the corrupt and crumbling Qing Dynasty. Empress Dowager Cixi sends a group of assassins led by Yan Xiaoguo to kill Sun. Revolutionary Chen Shaobai arrives in Hong Kong a few days before Sun's arrival, to meet Li Yutang, a businessman who provides financial aid for the revolutionaries. As Sun Wen's arrival day draws near, trouble begins brewing in Hong Kong as Chen Shaobai's acquaintances are murdered and Chen himself is kidnapped by the assassins during a raid. Li Yutang decides to officially declare his support for the revolutionaries after the newspaper agency is closed by the British authorities, who maintain a policy of laissez-faire towards China's political situation. Li rallies a group of men, including rickshaw pullers, hawkers and a beggar, to serve as bodyguards for Sun Wen when he arrives. Li's son Li Chongguang is chosen to act as a decoy for Sun Wen to divert the assassins away while Sun attends the meeting and leaves Hong Kong safely.
Cast

* Tony Leung Ka-Fai as Chen Shaobai - the chief editor of China Daily in Hong Kong. He is also a revolutionary. He is kidnapped by the assassins during the raid but manages to escape and rejoin his comrades. He pulls the rickshaw for the decoy Sun Wen in the final scene after A'Si dies.

* Wang Xueqi as Li Yutang - a businessman and old friend of Chen Shaobai. He used to provide financial aid for the revolutionaries only but decided to officially declare his support after being strongly influenced by them. He rallies a group of bodyguards to protect Sun Wen.

* Wang Po-Chieh as Li Chongguang - Li Yutang's 17-year-old only son. He is a fervent supporter of the revolution and goes against his father's will to do so. He sacrifices his life to protect Sun Wen by acting as a decoy to divert the assassins away.

* Leon Lai as Liu Yubai - a beggar who used to come from a rich family. He is highly-skilled in martial arts and fights with an iron fan. He is killed by Yan Xiaoguo while holding off the assassins alone at the residence of Sun Wen's mother.

* Nicholas Tse as A'Si - a rickshaw puller who serves the Li family faithfully. He is responsible for pulling the rickshaw carrying the decoy Sun Wen and he brings his friends along to help. He sacrifices himself to buy time for the decoy Sun Wen to escape.

* Li Yuchun as Fang Hong - the daughter of Fang Tian. She knows some martial arts and decides to join the bodyguards after her father is murdered. She is killed while preventing the assassins from using explosives to destroy the convoy.

* Mengke Bateer as Wang Fuming - a former monk from the Southern Shaolin Monastery who earns a living by selling stinky tofu on the streets. He has a gigantic build and possesses immense strength. He is apparently killed after being stabbed numerous times by the assassins but reappears one last time to destroy a structure to block the assassins' path.

* Donnie Yen as Shen Chongyang - a policeman who is addicted to gambling. He is eager to do anything for money but decides to join the bodyguards after Yueru persuades him to do so. He engages a highly-skilled enemy martial artist in a vicious fight and defeats his opponent eventually but is gravely wounded. He sacrifices himself to disable Yan Xiaoguo's horse.

* Fan Bingbing as Yueru - Li Yutang's fourth mistress. She is Shen Chongyang's ex-wife and they have a daughter who is raised as Li Yutang's own child.

* Eric Tsang as Smith - the police chief. Initially, he is unwilling to help the bodyguards due to orders from his British superiors but he leads his police force to protect the convoy from assassins armed with crossbows for a short period of time later.

* Hu Jun as Yan Xiaoguo - the leader of the assassins. He is fiercely loyal to the Qing government. He manages to kill the decoy Sun Wen before being fatally shot by Chen Shaobai.

* Zhou Yun as A'Chun - the daughter of a photographer. She is A'si's fiancee.

* Simon Yam as Fang Tian - a former Qing general who went into exile in Hong Kong. He and his men disguise themselves as an opera troupe. He is killed when the assassins raided the theatre.

* Cung Le as Yan Xiaoguo's henchman - a powerful martial artist. He engages Shen Chongyang in a vicious fight and is killed after Shen sliced his throat open.
* Zhang Hanyu as Sun Wen (Sun Yat-sen) - the leader of the revolutionaries. He arrives in Hong Kong for a secret meeting with fellow Tongmenghui members to discuss their plans for revolution.

* Lü Zhong as Sun Wen's mother

* Jacky Cheung (guest star) as Yang Quyun - a revolutionary

* Michelle Reis (cameo appearance) as Liu Yubai's lover