Let the Bullets Fly (2010)

Beautiful, moving film.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Review: What a brilliant movie but I must admit, I missed a lot of the plot because the subtitles are going too fast. With that aside, the witty script and brilliant performances from Chow Yun- Fat, (Master Huang) and Wen Jiang, (Pocky Zhang), made this crazy, unique, and definitely unpredictable ride, a joy to watch. When I heard that this movie had a western backdrop, I thought that it was going to be, more like a Cowboys & Indians type of storyline but once the movie gets going, it's a funny political comedy about a ruthless bandit who steals from the rich to give to the poor. The script is top class but it does get a bit complicated after a while, mainly because you have to concentrate on the annoying subtitles. The cinematography and costumes are authentic and the real governor, who wouldn't stop going on about losing his wife, cracked me up. The clever mind and coolness of Pocky Zhang is truly something to watch and the few action scenes were also impressive. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, even though I lost the plot but it's definitely worth a watch, for its originality and crazy storyline. Enjoyable! Round-Up: When this movie was released in December 2010, it broke several box office records in China, and has received critical acclaim. It became the highest grossing domestic film until 2012, when it was beaten by Painted Skin: The Resurrection, which grossed $140million worldwide. The movie was directed by Wen Jiang, 53, who also played the leading character, so he really did give this movie his all. He also contributed his directing skills to New York, I Love You in 2008, which had a top cast, and he brought you Devil's on the Doorstep, The Sun Also Rises and Gone with the Bullets. This movie definitely has something for everybody but you have to be a fast reader to keep up with it.Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $104millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their action/comedy/westerns starring Chow Yun-Fat, You Ge, Wen Jiang, Carina Lau and Jon Hu. 7/10

This is the best Clint Eastwood "Spaghetti Western-type" movie ever made, except that it was made in China and Clint had nothing to do with it. If there was a better film made in 2010, I don't know what it is. I'm sure that I missed a ton of allusions and stuff that a Chinese person would catch instantly, but it doesn't matter, because even if I didn't get half of it, the half I got was still over-the-top great. The only real warning I would offer is that mixed in with the action, humor, wit, and clever plot twists there are a few bits of harsh violence, which might not be appropriate for young children. While this is no "chick flick", I think a lot of women would enjoy it too. It's definitely an intelligent movie which is overtly artistic and much more than just a bunch of macho guys spilling blood and blowing things up. Sometimes the subtitles flashed by pretty quickly, but, like Shakespeare, you don't have to get every last bit to really enjoy the production (although this is nothing like Shakespeare, so you don't have to worry about that). How did two plus hours go by so fast? I have no idea. Nuts to Hollywood, these Chinese just totally kicked it.

I'm not a huge fan of Chinese cinema, although I do enjoy many of the films that get released in America. And while I enjoy the wuxia fighting scenes in most Chinese action films, it does get a little predictable after awhile. However, while Let the Bullets Fly is definitely an action film, there is very little, if any, wuxia fight scenes. Instead the film relies on American-style shoot-em-ups, clever dialog, and a clever (but at times complex) plot. The acting is also surprisingly very strong for a film like this, particularly Ge You who is very funny as the exasperated counselor to the governor. Director Jiang Wu also stars as the bandit masquerading as the governor. Chow Yun-Fat is not the focus of this movie, but he does well in the role as the local strongman, and has a great laugh that is frequently used. All in all, an interesting and atypical Chinese action/comedy film that's right now the highest grossing domestic Chinese film ever made. It's definitely worth a look.

Jiang Wen is one of China's less well-known directors, especially to filmgoers outside of China. Famously acting as the male lead opposite Gong Li in Zhang Yimou's Red Sorghum (1988), Jiang is a more familiar face than name, but the few works that he has directed have appeared in major film festivals worldwide including his most acclaimed feature Devil on the Doorstep (2000), which won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes. His latest endeavor, Let the Bullets Fly, for better or worse, is significantly more mainstream, and is a surprising box-office hit in mainland China.Let the Bullets Fly is a bizarre film to begin with. It is a film that does not know whether to take itself seriously or not as an action- comedy. It starts with a tense sequence showing a few bandits attempting to rob a train with the governor and his wife aboard. It is serious business, with quick cuts of the bandits taking aim with their rifles, suggesting a well-planned attack. And then the big moment comes when the train is derailed. It is a moment that leaves me stunned.Let the Bullets Fly is not so much an action film in the context of a pure Asian martial arts flick, but a comedy with Western-action elements that even the characters themselves find funny to be involved in. Frankly, if there is a sub-genre called farcical cinema, this film would be an excellent example. To his credit, Jiang's direction of the actors is quite impressive, with the chemistry between Chow Yun-Fat, Ge You, and Jiang himself showing positive signs of spot-on comic timing, though it must be said that much of the humor is derived from mind games played not only to confuse and amuse viewers but also to themselves.Let the Bullets Fly is without doubt an exercise in exaggeration – everything from acting to dialogue to dramatic set-pieces – such that the film overwhelms viewers before it even passes the midpoint mark. As a result, the second half becomes too entertaining for its own good, with potential viewers likely to feel empty watching the flurry of activities that occur on screen. The lead characters are also not developed fully, if they are developed at all. They are almost the same at the start of the film as the end, with no clear transformation. Worse, Jiang's film ends predictably and unsatisfyingly, even to the extent of meaninglessly linking the epilogue back to the opening sequence.In a nutshell, Let the Bullets Fly is a lamentable attempt to break into commercial filmmaking by Jiang, though box office figures tells us a different tale. Despite charismatic actors on board, the film seems to drag along with the sole motivation to quench viewers' thirst for more farce. Stay away from this unless you like draggy, farcical films.GRADE: C- (www.filmnomenon.blogspot.com) All rights reserved.