A Disappointing Continuation

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

What an odd movie. The normally brilliant Yimou Zhang comes up with a very odd remake of the Coen Brothers overrated movie Wise Blood. It's a strange, slapsticky black comedy with no consistency of character or tone. While there are good performances by Ni Yan and Honglei Sun, they don't really belong in the same movie, and neither performance fits with the very odd one from Xiao Shen-Yang. The slapstick is often too broad (although there's a brilliant comedic scene involving making noodles) and the quick shifts in mood seem unaccountable.All this movie has going for it are the visuals, which are stunning. It is a really amazing looking movie. But that's it.

The original is junk. This one seems better. Sure, the colors, the camera, the fewer mistakes make it worth 4 stars on the IMDb scale. I mean, all this was in the House of the Flying Daggers with some more action and less of a stupid plot. For an advertisement to a detergent it would be a glorious 5 minutes, maybe even nicer than that famous 1984 Apple commercial. The sad part is that I used to enjoy this guy's movies. But Hero was the last high, now it's downhill for him. The good side is that China is rising in quality and it's way over the average Hollywood golden productions, so there must be another director waiting in line to keep up.Contact me with Questions, Comments or Suggestions ryitfork @ bitmail.ch

Zhang's latest is a remake of the Coen Brothers' debut film, Blood Simple. It's a slightly more comic adaptation, set in the distant past in the beautiful Gobi (?) desert. It opens wonderfully with the beautiful colors and impeccable cinematography that have always been a trademark of Zhang Yimou. Unfortunately, when it gets into the Blood Simple plot, it becomes very mechanical. I'd say that it lacks suspense because I know the story, but I've seen Blood Simple half a dozen times and it holds up every time. Every time, the tautness of the plot works. There's just something a little bland about this adaptation. I'd still moderately recommend it for the visuals, and the vibrant opening sequence, where the titular woman (Ni Yan, who is pretty good though she can be annoying at times, too) buys the titular gun from a wacky Persian salesman.

A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop is acclaimed director Yimou Zhank's satire of the Coen Brothers' satire of film noir, Blood Simple. Although I am not a fan of Chinese humor because of its reliance on slapstick and hyperbole, it is filmed with a visual richness that Yimou has made his signature.Older husband abuses younger wife, who is being adulterous with a handsome, cowardly servant. Her purchasing a gun sets in motion a series of revenge activities that flesh out the Coen's title.The magnified close-ups and slow motion sequences accompanied by dazzling colors make a satisfying visual experience if the humor is just not that humorous.