Set during the warring period of the Kangxi Dynasty, this is ultimately a road movie concerning an escort agency whose members are willing to die for their boss just to get the job done.
Set during a battle scene in the beginning, General Ma Bao receives news that his Emperor, Wu San Qui of the Zhao province has died, hence he's forced to return home to partake in the funeral arrangement. Next up, he has to make sure Emperor Wu's concubine and grandson don't fall into the hands of their enemies. Accordingly, he requests the service of Yang Liu An, the commander of local district's top agency, the Ching Ping Escort Group, to take them to safety in the Chong An province. From here on, the movie kicks into high gear as we witness the brave bodyguards being attacked from all sides and the action hardly stops till the very last frame.
Having said that, this movie is still a mixed bag; it starts off with a passable CGI heavy battle scene but the use of flute in the soundtrack makes it sound like a Japanese samurai outing. Then it switches to a scene between two escort groups in which multiple characters appear and disappear out of nowhere. A fight on top of wooden poles in a compound is too wire heavy and doesn't look convincing. There're even attempts at humor that fail to work, moreover, the entire scenario is just clumsy, confusing and badly edited, resulting in a fake atmosphere.
Just when you think this is somewhat awkward to sit through, the movie does a full swing and turns into a non-stop action packed adventure as the escort group sets out doing their task while fighting off enemies around them. Louis Fan Siu Wong shines as the hero commander of the doomed escort group; he has a strong presence and a likable personality. Furthermore, it's a delight to see him in action because he moves so well during those fight scenes.
Eager to get his hands on Chen Yuan Yuan (Shi Nan), Emperor Wu's concubine, Chen Zhi Hui is effective as the ruthless Qing Dynasty commander Ha Rar. Equally wonderful is Ray Lui's General Ma Bao even though his role is quite brief. Conversely, he handles the action very well as seen in a fight with Xing Yu, his second in command which is beautifully filmed. Xing Yu, who's the Coolie in Stephen Chow's “Kung Fu Hustle”, has a memorable role playing the ruthless double-crossing commander Ma Biao.
Another actor who stands out, literately, is Sun Ming Ming, a 236cm towering former basketball player who plays the role of Broadsword, another member of the escort group; however, his acting is average. As a female bodyguard Ah Duo and a love interest to boss Yang Che Yong, Che Yong Li nevertheless gets a chance to shine in a short but effective fight in a cave. Unfortunately for Shi Nan, whose uninspired role as concubine Chen Yuan Yuan only requires her to look appealing and that's about all.
The stunningly beautiful landscape of Gui Zhao is the real star of this movie and a character itself. The captured images of the mountains, forests and waterfalls are breathtaking, consequently giving the production value a real boost. One can almost imagine those wuxia characters actually exist and live in such a setting. The graceful and at times brutal action, especially in the final showdown, is reasonably exhilarating thanks to action choreographer Mu Ning. There's a good display of different weapons and his approach here is more grounded and clear all round.
Even though the movie touches on historical events, director Tao is more concerned about the brave bodyguards and the nature of the escort group in general. Topping it off with spectacular scenery and well-choreographed action, this eventually turns out to be an entertaining adventure story, as long as you can handle the slow and at times childish and confusing start.
