Guillotines, The (2012) Movie Script

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!
The Herders will gather in Beijing
to present a special gift to Qianlong
We've been betrayed
Leng, Field Commander
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
with mysterious identities
To ensure their loyalty
they were forbidden to learn to read and write
control by trigger
before the advent of firearms
Who defied orders and put the team at risk?
Tell me!
I just reacted to the situation
You will not take part in tomorrow's mission
No!
Sir
Sir
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
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?
A false prophet of the lowest caste!
I've had a recurring dream
In the dream, a man kills me
until last night
I finally saw it
It was you
No, no, no
Even if I don't kill you now
tomorrow, you'll be executed
in the market
The time'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
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
Musen
Musen
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
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
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
We're spending the night here?
Do you have a problem?
Dogs!
They call themselves Guillotines?
Are they for real?
Didn't we play like this as children?
You compare them with us?
Your Majesty
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
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
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
We are in Wolf's presence already?
"I'm waiting for you" Wolf
It's just the beginning
Let's go
Get down, bitch
Leng
What is this?
We tossed her into the well
If we can't find Musen
we'll return and finish her off
You weren't part of our plan
Want to be part of the team?
Alright...
Watch the female Herder
Let's go
We're thugs
We're thugs
You die
U
Yes, Leng
Wuguan Region
on a white tiger in white armor
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
Don't move!
Sit down!
Run!
It's smallpox!
Run!
I found out
Where do the Herders keep their explosives?
Can you pay me first?
Thank you
You must know
that one of us was killed
you don't stand a chance against them
Stay here
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?
I killed her
him too
Idiots
Let's split up
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
We strike back twofold
That's loads
That's a lot of money
Run!
Thief
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?
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?
Your Majesty I beg you to spare my brothers
are your only brothers
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
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
I found these leaflets circulating
in the market
Who in this hellhole would read this stuff?
This one stands out
among all the paper stencils we've found
There's a Herder symbol in the center
Leng
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
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?
Fea
How did we lose our land?
Fea
Are we to lose the last vestiges
of our humanity to fear?
O
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
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
to surrender
and other captive Herders
will be executed
He's going to get Musen killed
Mister
if I give this to you
It's Su's badge
What about my rice?
U
U
U
U
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
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
In exchange for Gua-erjia Musen
If Leng fails to appear
Musen will be executed
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
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
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
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
a court advisor
He bribed officials
to save Zhuang's four sons
When Guo took them across the river
a group of masked men ambushed them
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?
Let's go
Get inside
Musen
Wolf
Leng
According to His Majesty's edict
Officer Gua-erjia Musen
colluded with rebel leader Wolf
Sentenced to death
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?
They are
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
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
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
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
Step aside!
Letusleave
Step aside!
Want a good time?
I've got a room
I'll find medicine
Don't come back
Move back
Go back! No one is permitted to leave!
You thief!
He's a wanted criminal
There's a 100 tael bounty
on his head
I'm back
Don't move!
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
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
I said lap C109!
Didn't your master order you to kill me?
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
Your name is Nala Leng
Wang Lei
Wang Lei
What's your name?
Wang Lei
Hold it
Don't be afraid
Tell me
What's your name?
Nala Leng
Mister
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
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 bless the crops
It's so sweet
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?
Don't kill my child!
StOP
"Map of Wuguan, Ming Dynasty"
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
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
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
It is my fate to serve His Majesty
Haidu and I
will serve as his right hand men
H is 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
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
at each gateway to the village
leave none behind
Once prepared
meet at the town hall
It's there...
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
shefier
and peace
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
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
He lived longer than any other emperor
in the history of China
During his reign
he created harmony between Manchurians
and Han Chinese
in the official history of the Qing Dynasty