75
New York Post by V.A. Musetto
It’s doubtful that Scorsese will redo this new Lau thriller, which is OK because the Chinese original is all fans need.
The Guillotines (血滴子)
Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
- China,
- Haiti,
- Hong Kong
- 2012
- · 113m
Director
Andrew Lau
Cast
Huang Xiaoming,
Ethan Juan,
Shawn Yue,
Chris Lee,
Jing Boran,
Wen Zhang
Genre
Action,
History,
Adventure,
Drama
During the Manchurian-ruled Qing Dynasty, Emperor Yong Zheng established a secret assassination squad known as the Guillotines to eliminate all who opposed him. Once heavily favored by the Emperor, the Guillotines are deemed expendable once Emperor Qian Long ascends to the throne and adopts Western ideas and technology. To consolidate his power under a new regime, the Emperor continues to use the Guillotines to persecute the conquered Han Chinese in a reign of terror and oppression. Written by Anynomous
Stream The Guillotines
What are critics saying?
50
The A.V. Club by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
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 by Manohla Dargis
The incrementally served up pieces never satisfactorily cohere. The blades fly as do the heads, but the movie remains disappointingly aground.
38
Slant Magazine by Rob Humanick
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
Los Angeles Times by Robert Abele
An action fan could be forgiven for the medicinal taste that this slick but dissipating exercise leaves behind.
30
Village Voice by Nick Schager
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.
20
Time Out by Joshua Rothkopf
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.
Loading recommendations...
Loading recommendations...