Set in China during the warring 1920s, notorious bandit chief Zhang descends upon a remote provincial town posing as its new mayor, an identity that he had hijacked from Old Tang, himself a small-time imposter. Hell-bent on making a fast buck, Zhang soon meets his match in the tyrannical local gentry Huang as a deadly battle of wit and brutality ensues. In 1920s China, a bandit arrives in a remote provincial town posing as its new mayor, where he faces off against a tyrannical local nobleman. Advertised as a shoot em up, gun fu action flick, Let The Bullets Fly is anything but. The plot is interesting, but is too convoluted and wildly confusing, which would have worked if the film were directed in a more digestible manner. The action is far and few between, with only about 9 1/2 minutes of poorly shot and poorly directed shootouts in a 124 minute drama-dey. The special effects are very bad, and the sense of any rising action is bogged down by way too much talking, and not enough shooting. For a film that advertises big flash, LTBF fizzles. <br/><br/>The acting is very good though, and Jiang Wen and Chow Yun-Fat are excellent and very charismatic. But this film is so ridiculously cluttered, confusing, and just plain boring, you'll have spent your time watching better foreign films, such as IP MAN, The Good The Bad The Weird, or Hard Boiled. The only thing I can walk away and say about this film is that it undeniably sets itself up for brilliance, and then follows a horrendous train ride to boring-town. The bullets don't fly, but the snores do. LET THE BULLETS FLY has an extraordinarily fast pacing to recommend it, so you better be ready to pay attention with this one. It's a twist-a-minute tale of gangsters battling corrupt politicians in a remote township, where everybody is saddled down with greed and rivalry and death is only a footstep away. The film it most reminded me of is THE GOOD THE BAD THE WEIRD, with both films revelling in their quirkiness and action-packed narratives, although this isn't quite as good as the Korean movie.<br/><br/>I was thinking about LET THE BULLETS FLY after I'd finished watching it and I realised that in reality this is quite a slight tale; not much in the way of substance really happens come the end, but it's the journey there which is so entertaining. This is highbrow, intelligent humour for the most part, where the fun comes from watching Chow Yun-Fat and Jiang Wen doing their best to constantly outwit each other. What the film has going for it are two fine performances from the leads and some great cinematography, which makes the various violent interludes highly enjoyable. It's a film that brims with energy and gusto, although I did find it quite wearying especially in the second half. Good fun but now I know the outcome I don't see any need to watch it again. That dedicated wryness makes the endless twists and betrayals easier to process-these are awful people, but it's sure a lot of fun to watch them fight it out.
Tamwalsh replied
291 weeks ago