Synopsis
In the time of the Qing Dynasty, the Emperor Yongzheng created a secret army known as the Guillotines. It was the job of the Guillotines to protect the Emperor by killing anyone who posed a threat to him or his rule. After 348 successful missions to eliminate their target, the 349th assignment proves to be their last.
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Cast
- Huang XiaomingTianlang / Wolf
- Ethan JuanNala Leng / Wang Le
- Shawn YueHaidu
- Chris LeeGuaerjia Musen
- Jing BoranHoujia Shisan
- Wen ZhangQianlong Emperor
- Zhou YiweiBuka
- Jimmy Wang YuGonge
- Andrew Lau Wai-KeungYongzheng Emperor
- King Shih-ChiehWan Jiang
Recommendations
- 75
New York Post
It’s doubtful that Scorsese will redo this new Lau thriller, which is OK because the Chinese original is all fans need. - 50
The A.V. Club
The Guillotines expends most of its energy in its first 30 minutes, leaving the audience with roughly 90 minutes of soapy Qing Dynasty fan fiction. - 40
The New York Times
The incrementally served up pieces never satisfactorily cohere. The blades fly as do the heads, but the movie remains disappointingly aground. - 38
Slant Magazine
Despite the multitude of cinematic tricks the prolific Andrew Lau has up his sleeve, the film is a disappointingly rote entry in the wuxia pantheon. - 30
Village Voice
A corny saga of social and generational conflict, it's ultimately yet another Chinese period epic that functions as a thinly veiled treatise on the nobility of socialist equality. - 30
Los Angeles Times
An action fan could be forgiven for the medicinal taste that this slick but dissipating exercise leaves behind. - 20
Time Out
All the solemnity is deadly: Not one of these superhuman gang members registers in memory, and you feel stiffed on gory giggles. Talk about having your chain yanked.
