'The Defender' is like 'The Bodyguard' with Kung Fu

The Defender, original title The Bodyguard from Beijing

The Defender (1994)

What if the movie The Bodyguard had less Whitney Houston and more kung fu? It would probably resemble the film The Defender, whose original title was in fact, The Bodyguard from Beijing. 

It was likely inspired by that Hollywood film as it came out shortly afterward and the premise is essentially the same. A bodyguard (in this case from the capital of China) is sent to defend a beautiful, rich woman, and though he is focused on the mission and she finds his supervision oppressive, they eventually fall in love.

But The Defender not only has kung fu battles, it also has a lot more gun combat than its English counterpart, as well as a younger hotter Asian female lead.

Interestingly, despite being made years before Hong Kong was returned to mainland China, it's extraordinarily pro-P.R.C., with the competent bodyguard from Beijing, and the Hong Kong police portrayed as somewhat bumbling. And even the Hong Kong cops quote Chairman Mao. But despite this decidedly pro-mainland sentiment, the film was still banned by the Communist Party censors.

Like most of its ilk, it requires a lot of suspension of disbelief when it comes to the over-the-top wire work and other stunts (especially in the climactic fight sequence), but fans of Jet Li won't be disappointed.