The Hong Kong Movie BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS won seven awards at the Hong Kong Film awards. The movie which stars Tony Leung Ka-fai, Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Nicholas Tse, Eric Tsang and is directed by Teddy Chen earned best picture, best director and best supporting actor for Nicholas Tse.

The movie details a group of bodyguards given the task of defending Sun Yat-sen, the person who founded Modern China from assassins from the old Empire. The Hong Kong film dealt with themes that are better understood on the island that was once a part of the British Empire, but became popular with audiences in mainland China.

Film makers and in mainland China and Hong Kong have had a hard time fusing their different movie making traditions. A number of Kung Fu dramas that have not inspired critics have resulted from most of the attempts. Bodyguard and Assassins managed to earn 300 million yuan ($44 million) when it was released in Hong Kong and China.