The Guillotines (2012) - full transcript

The 5th year of Qianlong's reign

a rebel cult known as "Herders"

began assassinating Qing officials

Legend has it, their leader Wolf
is a ruthless killer

a self-proclaimed prophet

who promised followers eternal life

To prevent the Herders rebellion from growing

the Imperial court dispatched The Guillotines

to rid Qing of its final threat

When death is distant

we know no fear



Without blood on our swords

we know only fear

Only when our hands are bloodied

and we conquer our fear

can we hope to fight our enemies!

On the 15th day of next month

the Herders will gather in Beijing

to present a special gift to Qianlong

We've been betrayed

Leng, Field Commander

Hutu, Strategist

Chen Tai, Vanguard

Su, Intelligence, Defense

Buka, Vanguard



Shisan, Defense

Musen, Defense

Attack

I've seen you before

Why don't you just kill me?

The Guillotines were a covert operation

created at the start of Qing Dynasty
to quash the resistance

Guillotines were all of Manchurian descent

They posed as the Emperor's groundskeepers

taking care of the Imperial court's
surroundings

But they were skilled assassins

to eliminate political dissenters

with mysterious identities

To ensure their loyalty

they were forbidden to learn to read and write

Their weapon was a hooded device

with retractable blades

control by trigger

Once capped over the head

the blades are triggered,
decapitating the victim

It was considered the deadliest weapon

before the advent of firearms

Who defied orders and put the team at risk?

Gua-erjia Gong-e, Chief Commander

Tell me!

I didn't defied orders

I just reacted to the situation

You will not take part in tomorrow's mission

No!

Sir

Please allow Musen to atone for her mistake

Sir

As their leader

I'm responsible for their mistakes

Musen is always the last to leave training

As a female Guillotine...

The late emperor issued an edict
before I was born

Boy or girl

your command was to be passed on
to your offspring

Sir!

Dismissed

Leng stays

Musen

Take it easy

No one will reproach you once you're the Chief

That's right

When your father passes

everyone will obey you

When the late emperor sent you here

did you ever imagine reaching these heights?

I'm nothing

without the Guillotines

If only you are my son

Watch over Musen tomorrow

Yes, sir

I waited for you my whole life

Just get to it

What do you have to tell me?

I've seen you before

How old are you?

Are you Manchu

lower caste

or worse?

Do you think you have me trapped?

Do you really think I could
be captured so easily?

And you?

Who do you think you are?

You're a fugitive who fled 15 years ago

claiming to be an Indian carried to China
by a white tiger

but you're just a Han Chinese

A false prophet of the lowest caste!

I've had a recurring dream

In the dream, a man kills me

I've never got a clear view of his face

until last night

I finally saw it

It was you

I can kill you right now

No, no, no

In the dream, you don't kill me here

Even if I don't kill you now

tomorrow, you'll be executed

in the market

The time's not right

The place's not right

So I won't die tomorrow...

except if you are the executioner

I can be

You can't

Guillotines can't be seen in broad daylight

What if you die tomorrow

will my fate change?

The rebel Wolf

and his cohorts

have been convicted

of treason

Sentenced to death

by decapitation

Execute the Herders!

As caution to others!

Kill all the Herders!

Long live the Great Qing!

Han man?

How much?

Five taels

Three taels

You're Han slaves without souls

I'll come back to free you!

Wolf!

I'm sorry

Wolf

Rest in peace

Attack!

Do it

Attack!

Attack!

Now!

Emperor Qianlong, born Hongli

Haidu, Imperial Guard

Musen

Musen

Your Majesty

If we dispatched the firearms squad

Wolf wouldn't have escaped

Today

my daughter, Musen, is dead to me

Now she's dead

you're free to hunt down Wolf

Sacrifice your lives if you must

Wolf must be capture

Yes sir!

Remember

your lives belong to the imperial court

and to your fellow Guillotines

I was liked you

Joined the Guillotines as an orphan

The Guillotines is my home

It's everything to me

Now I entrust everything to you

If possible

bring back Musen's body

We'll take the female Herder Bailan along

when the chance comes

we'll exchange her for Musen

The emperor assigned an imperial guard

named Haidu to accompany you

Beware of this man

Move!

We're spending the night here?

Do you have a problem?

Dogs!

They're useless idiots

They call themselves Guillotines?

Are they for real?

Didn't we play like this as children?

You compare them with us?

Your Majesty

As commanded

we've gathered children from the Eight Clans

Their star signs are aligned with Prince Hongli

Hongli, Qianlong

Emperor Yongzheng

Your Majesty, please choose two

to serve the prince

He's Feimo Haidu of Zhenghuang Clan

Your majesty

His stars are the most auspicious match
for the Prince

But...

Your Majesty

Which one should we send
to train as a Guillotine?

Haidu is staunch and loyal

The look in Leng's eyes

tell me that he's ready
and willing to die for Hongli

Guillotines have no identity, no position

Haidu should stay with Hongli

Send Leng to the Guillotines

Leng

Haidu

You will be remembered

for your contributions to the empire

I wish I were send to the Guillotines
instead of you

You are too soft

How can you treat those thugs like brothers?

Stand her up

Pull the rope

Hit her

It's one of our informants

We're still miles from Wuguan

We are in Wolf's presence already?
"I'm waiting for you" Wolf

It's just the beginning

Let's move

Musen doesn't have much time

Let's go

Get down, bitch

Leng

What is this?

Answer me

Isn't it obvious?

We tossed her into the well

If we can't find Musen

we'll return and finish her off

That's not part of the plan

You weren't part of our plan

You need to keep me informed

He speaks with such authority

Want to be part of the team?

Alright...

Watch the female Herder

Let's go

We're thugs

We're thugs

If you stay

You die

Su

Go back and watch Haidu

Yes, Leng

There was a man who rode in from the west

Wuguan Region

on a white tiger in white armor

He could kill anyone within ten paces

If someone strikes us

we strike back twofold

If someone kicks us

we chop off his foot

If someone bullies us

we'll show him how it feels to be bullied

It's Wolf

Stop

Move over!

Wan Jiang
Base Commander, Green Army

Where're you from?

We're from the Capital

What's your business?

Tea merchants

We're just here to do business

Please let us pass

The Capital

Retreat!

We need to be careful

We're surrounded by Han Chinese

they consider us the enemy

Come out here

Let me go

Found out anything?

The town is filled with smugglers

they trade cattle, horses and goats

Don't move!

Stay put! We're here to arrest criminals!

Don't move!

Sit down!

Smallpox!

Run!

It's smallpox!

Run!

I found out

a man traded a hundred cattle

for six barrels of gunpowder

They have all kinds of gunpowder

in Agai-er

I'm guessing

the Herders bought explosives
from there as well

Where do the Herders keep their explosives?

Can you pay me first?

Thank you

That's all I know

You must know

that one of us was killed

Even the Green Army is afraid of the Herders

you don't stand a chance against them

Stay here

What are you doing?

You trust a man like him?

You may 99

You trust that thug over me?

I only trust my men

Where's the female Herder?

Didn't I order you to watch her?

I killed her

and that man of yours

him too

Idiots

Let's split up

Hutu, Chen Tai

check for signs of activity in the East Market

Buka

Search the residential area

Shisan

Take the crowds in the North End

If someone strikes us

We strike back twofold

If someone kicks us

we chop off his foot

We'll show you how it feels to be bullied

If you stay

You die

If someone

strikes us

We strike back twofold

That's loads

That's a lot of money

Run!

Thief

You stole from the wrong man

Don't hurt my father

Don't hurt my father

Don't hurt my father

Don't hurt my father

"Peach Blossom Spring"

Bravo

Buka can read quite a few words

You spied on my brothers?

Your brothers?

The court forbids Guillotines
from learning to read and write

I taught them how to write their names

ls his name "Peach Blossom Spring"?

Do you want to get them killed?

Leng

Once you capture Wolf

you will rejoin me at court

On the 15th day of the 8th month

the Firearms Squad will be made official

I'll assign you two

to lead the squad

What about the Guillotines?

The firearms squad will replace them

They know nothing but killing

not even the identities of their targets

Your Majesty I beg you to spare my brothers

Haidu and I

are your only brothers

His Late Majesty

didn't send me to the Guillotines
to destroy them

My father sent you to the Guillotines

to work for me

You serve me

Have you forgotten?

Come on

Haidu will assist you in this mission

You two must work together

and succeed

They work for Gong-e

It's their fate

We work for His Majesty

That's our fate

The shadow plays are all about Wolf

Wolf is portrayed as the savior

I found these leaflets circulating
in the market

Who in this hellhole would read this stuff?

I've seen these leaflets before

Everyone who bought paper stencils had them

This one stands out

among all the paper stencils we've found

There's a Herder symbol in the center

Leng

What does it say?

Don't pretend you can read

Hand it over

Why did you burn it?

Leng, stick with me tomorrow

Who do you think you are?

Forget him, Leng

Let's go

How did so many people die here?

They all died from smallpox

I studied medicine before

I know how to treat smallpox

Thank you

Bring the patients to me now

Waiter, give me a jug of wine

It's over there

Thanks

Tomorrow

atone

meet at Wine Springs

Do you know what I saw in the Capital City?

Our homes were still there

Some of our families were still there

The bustling market

was still there

Everything was the same

But I broke down and cried

Because our homes were no longer ours

The families left behind
were forced into slavery

The market was transformed

into an execution site for our people

Those left in the city

lost their souls

They are slaves

And those who are not slaves

also can't raise their heads

Our people

are no longer treated...

as human beings

How did we lose our homes?

Fear!

How did we lose our land?

Fear!

How did we lose our freedom?

Fear!

Are we to lose the last vestiges

of our humanity to fear?

No

The heavens tell me

I'll die soon

But I'm not afraid

I want the heavens to know

I

refuse to die at the hands of a Han Chinese

How could I

die by the hands of one of our own?

You won't

Forget your Han name, Wang Lei

From now on, you're Nala Leng

Leng

You're one of us

Leng, you outcast!

Leng

Leng

Leng

Your words are poisoned!

Wolf!

Wolf!

Wolf!

When we were little,
we braided each other's hair

Do you remember?

I thought you had forgotten

Just let the Guillotines finish off Wolf

as a favor to my brothers?

Your brothers again

When will the firearms squad arrive?

I promise to capture Wolf

before they arrive

Haidu

Help me just this once

Green Army Base, Wuguan

Haidu

Help me just this once

The rebel Wolf

has three days

to surrender

Otherwise, Guo Bai-Ian

and other captive Herders

will be executed

He's going to get Musen killed

Mister

That man said I'd get rice

if I give this to you

It's Su's badge

What about my rice?

Su

Su

Su

Su

Shisan

Bravo

Where is Wolf?

Stay over there!

Tell me

Where is Wolf?

Tell me

Shisan, stop it!

Calm down

They killed Su!

Leng

Don't move!

Come on

I'll kill whoever comes near

Come on

I'm sorry

Get up

We're brothers

Leng

Shisan

Leave some wine for me

Give me

Smallpox victims are always around Wolf

No one goes near them

Their homes

are ideal hideouts for the Herders

If they want to play cat and mouse

we'll play along

Tomorrow at noon

Nala Leng must surrender himself

In exchange for Gua-erjia Musen

If Leng fails to appear

Musen will be executed

Wolf wants you dead

you can't go tomorrow

I must go

I promised Musen's father

to bring her back

You're going to exchange your life

for hers?

Our lives don't belong to us

They belong to His Majesty

The firearms squad is coming

to replace the Guillotines

Tomorrow

Let the Guillotines behead Wolf

then let my brothers go free

I'll go back with you

Looks like you've had enough of being bullied

Eat

I think you're ready for my story

As you know

Han weddings are grand, joyous occasions

One day

the wedding day of Zhuang's daughter

Qing soldiers barged in

and arrested everyone in the Zhuang family

Master Zhuang pleaded

I'm only a book dealer

What have I done wrong?

The captain asked

Have you ever sold a book

titled "The story of Ming Dynasty"?

Master Zhuang recalled

"The story of Ming Dynasty"

cost six coppers each

It sold well

The captain said

Emperor Yongzheng believes

the book appears to be about the achievements
of the Ming regime

but in truth, it's an attack on the Qing court

Master Zhuang pleaded innocence

"I didn't write the book!"

The captain said he didn't order the arrest.

It was His Majesty!

The wedding banquet

turned into a funeral

Zhuang was sentenced to death by 1000 cuts

His four older sons were to be beheaded

The youngest son just turned 16

The judge took a year off his age

so that he could be spared

The young son was devastated

"My father and brothers are to be executed

How can I live on?"

But I did live

My story does not end there

Master Zhuang had a friend named Guo Mo,

a court adviser

He bribed officials

to save Zhuang's four sons

When Guo took them across the river

a group of masked men ambushed them

and beheaded them all

That's what

The Guillotines did

That month

your father was appointed Chief Commander

I've always wondered

whatever happened to the heads of my brothers?

Perhaps you can tell me?

We exchange heads

for a bounty

The heads are kept in the Tunyang Pagoda

as a record of our achievements

How much do you get per head?

Ten taels

Ten taels of silver

Ten

Only ten?

Is this true?

Is this true?

I'm not that kind of person

I'm not

Wolf

Leng, come over

and she's yours

Musen!

Stay where you are

Move

Scatter!

Damn it! They're too far away!

Musen is still over there!

So is Wolf

Do you remember your promise?

Come with us

Let's go

Get inside

Musen

Wolf

Leng

According to His Majesty's edict

Officer Gua-erjia Musen

colluded with rebel leader Wolf

She's guilty of treason

Sentenced to death

Chief Commander

Gua-erjia Gong-e and members of the Guillotines

are guilty of conspiracy

and to be executed at noon today

How dare you shackle the Chief Commander!

Gong-e, you've suffered unjustly

Do you blame me?

These days...

People see the Great Qing Empire as backward

unable to keep up with the latest advances

Imagine...

If we had cannons like the British

Does Your Majesty need cannons?

Aren't the Guillotines enough?

Armillary sphere, terrestrial globe

air pump, pulley system, steam engine...

Do you think they're hard to build?

Of course

they are

For those who can't keep up with the times

Your servant never imagined Your Majesty

would sacrifice the Guillotines for cannons

Gong-e, take a look

In this library of mine

there are hundreds of books

chronicling the Qing Dynasty

My legacy

will be recorded among them

pass on for generations

I will not allow it to be tarnished

by this dirty chapter

How will Your Majesty

ensure the survival of the dynasty...

without the help of the Guillotines?

Can we rely on the tricks of Westerners

to pacify the Han Chinese?

Didn't you say

That a guillotine kills any target
within ten paces?

The range of a firearm

far exceeds ten paces

Cannons

can strike targets a thousand paces away

Do you see?

Your Majesty

Damn Haidu, I'm going to get him!

Look at yourself

How are you going to fight?

Musen would never betray us

Let's return to Beijing

report to the Chief Commander

The headquarters no longer exist

All we can do now

is run

As far as possible

What?

No longer exist?

What do you mean?

The Guillotines are now considered
a dirty secret

Now they think we're a dirty secret?

They trained us to become Guillotines!

Besides being Guillotines

what else can we do?

Leng

How do you know so much?

What else do you know?

Don't let us die without knowing why

Tell us the truth

Haidu and I

are a team

We work for

His Majesty

Buka

Stop! We're brothers!

Drop your sword!

Leng

So you're here to kill us?

What happened?

Why?

Leng

Are we still brothers?

You've always been my brothers

When his late Majesty sent me
to the Guillotines

I never imagined this would happen

You must all leave now

and never return

Why?

Move back

The imperial court decreed

No one is to leave Wuguan

Step aside!

Let us leave

Step aside!

Want a good time?

I've got a room

Hutu

I'll find medicine

Hang in there

Go as far away as you can

Don't come back

Move back

Go back! No one is permitted to leave!

You thief!

A Guillotine!

He's a wanted criminal

There's a 100 tael bounty

on his head

I'm back

Don't move!

Why did you lie to me?

You know why!

But they don't need to die!

The Guillotines are a stain

His Majesty's legacy must be clean

The stains must be erased

Su also died at my hands

His Majesty said

I must do what you won't

Understand?

Did His Majesty also say

If I don't return with you

you must kill me too?

His Majesty has hoped that you'll return

Lap C109

What did you say?

I said lap C109!

Didn't your master order you to kill me?

Go ahead

Shoot me, lap dog

Go on

Lap (109!

The Guillotines are a stain

His Majesty's legacy must be clean

The Guillotines are a stain

You are a stain

I wish you were my son

Are we still brothers?

You're one of us

From now on

You're no longer Wang Lei

Your name is Nala Leng

What's your name?

Wang Lei

Again

What's your name?

Wang Lei

What's your name?

Wang Lei

Hold it

Don't be afraid

Tell me

What's your name?

Nala Leng

Mister

Dark heavens, yellow earth

Infinite universe

Orbiting sun and moon

Constellations of stars

Wolf!

You can kill me after you recover

Why did you save me?

Because you had nowhere else to turn

Same as everyone else here

I was like you in the beginning

but I kept moving

found my place here

I found a refuge for all of us

Now, I'm not sure

how long we can eat and live in peace

You have nowhere to go

but you're not alone

Musen has died

I hate her

ls my father dead?

I got my brothers killed

I got your father killed

You're all I have left

No matter what happens

you must stay alive

Wolf is still on the loose

you're all accomplices

Tell me where Wolf is hiding

I'll spare your lives

Otherwise

you'll all be dead

The one with the baby

That one on the hill

Let go of me

Move back!

Let me out

Over here

Run

Don't take my child!

That's the wishing tree

The locals hang ribbons on it

to ask the heavens

to bless the crops

It's so sweet

I've been here many years

this is the sweetest yet

I wonder...

if I'll ever taste it again

After sweetness...

comes bitterness

It's a cycle

Why are you smiling?

A smile can conceal fear

You are my greatest fear

I dreamed that you kill me

then I met you

It's a sign from the heavens

I carry the hopes of many

I've made promises to too many

I do not fear death

But that day

when Bai-Ian was shot dead

Those guns dashed our hopes

and dreams

I could do nothing

but watch helplessly

I was so sure of myself once...

our dreams would come true one day

When the firearms squad arrives

everything here will be destroyed

How much time do we have left?

Great Father, come play with us

Commander Wan

Who should I kill next?

Keep your head down, don't look!

Mother, save me!

Don't kill my child!

Stop

"Map of Wuguan, Ming Dynasty"

I see Commander Wan loves Han's artifacts

This map is so intricate

No wonder you didn't share this earlier

Your servant

remembered it just now!

I too just remembered that...

Commander Wan and the Green Army soldiers

are also Han Chinese

Certain mountain paths are drawn differently

Do you really think we are born killers...

who hate Manchurians?

We just want to live like everyone else

Farm

Work

Provide for ourselves

It's our dream

If we didn't find this place

we'd still be slaves out there

And that...

is the life I promised them

Equality for all

What if they sent you back

to where you came from

cold and starving

A slave being bullied everyday

What would you think then?

I was brought up to serve the Emperor

ready to die for him

Your Majesty

his stars are the most auspicious match
for the Prince

However

he's Han Chinese

his name is Wang Lei

How ironic

for my son to carry on our golden legacy

with the help of a Han Chinese

I suppose it's fate

I am Han Chinese

I lived on the other side

and believed what they said

They told me

It is my fate to serve His Majesty

Haidu and I

will serve as his right hand men

His Majesty said

he wants to create a golden age

A golden age

where no opposition exists

He also promised

The Guillotines

would no longer have to kill

I now see why

it is you who kill me in my dream

Great Father

Great Father

Allow me

to propose a toast to you

Drink up

Great Father

We're not leaving

Evacuate the women and children

take the southern path

The rest of you gather weapons

and meet at the peak

When I was a Guillotine

I never had a choice

For the first time I can make my own decisions

I'm staying

I will escort them to safety

Musen

This is the last guillotine

Use it

for a cause you believe in

Divide into three groups

Set up an ambush

at each gateway to the village

Bring all the explosives

leave none behind

Once prepared

meet at the town hall

It's there...

that we'll make our last stand

Get to safety

Mother, take good care of him

Leave now!

Order

Prepare the cannons!

Hurry!

Run!

Run!

Run!

Hurry!

It's the right time

the right place

and the right man

Take my head to them

I must die by the hand of a Han Chinese

to end this carnage

Go back and tell him

what you witnessed here

Tell him when Manchurians and Han Chinese
are equals

the day we've both been waiting for

will finally be here

I've waited all my life for you

Do it

Go back with me

The three of us are still brothers

Leng

Haidu

I bestow upon each of you the title
of Batulu Warrior

Thank you, Your Majesty

Your Majesty

What will the golden age look like?

I've finally understand

the mistake Wolf has made

that destined him to fail

Because as long as people have food

shelter

and peace

they don't care for anything else

How dare you!

Continue

Whether it's the Herders

or other rebel groups

people only revolt when they have
nowhere else to turn

If they were living in a golden age

enjoying the peace and prosperity

they would never revolt

They're rebelling

against injustice and inequality

When everyone is equal

as people of the Great Qing

there will be no dissent against Your Majesty

That's when

the golden age truly begins

What makes you think I'll listen to you?

Because Your Majesty is a man of vision

Then tell me...

will that day come?

Your servant

will not live to see that day

The day I joined the Guillotines
at His Late Majesty's behest

I pledged to live

and die as a Guillotine

The Guillotines was killed off
to erase a dirty past

And now...

I am the last remaining stain

I hope after Your Majesty end my life

will heed my final words today

Forgive him, Your Majesty

Leng had a momentary lapse

and spoke out of turn

Please forgive him

Qianlong reigned for sixty years

He lived longer than any other emperor
in the history of China

During his reign

he created harmony between Manchurians
and Han Chinese

There is no mention of the Guillotines

in the official history of the Qing Dynasty