Let The Bullets Fly (让子弹飞) Review

Jiang Wen is an acknowledged genius of Chinese cinema, if not for all of cinema.  Anyone who has seen Devils at the Doorstep should attest to that.  There had been no other film like it, and there very well may not be another film like it either.  The greatness of that film has solidified Jiang Wen’s stature, even if he has not been very prolific since then (partly due to government restrictions, no doubt) His latest blockbuster, Let The Bullets Fly, has broken all sorts of Chinese box office records.  But despite its success, I feel with certain regret that the idiosyncrasies of a genius ended up proving to be hindrances in the construction of this film. I simply left the theater, feeling that it was a fun movie with many mis-directed attempts at genius.

Jiang Wens brilliance is exuberant, and he may have become a filmmaker very much aware of his brilliance, and he makes a conscious effort to emulate and duplicate that brilliance. In this sense, he has become a Tarantino instead of Jiang Wen. And the very film he decides to do that in, is a mix-genre film. Mix-genre blockbuster is a new territory for Chinese cinema.  The film encapsulates American western, Chinese martial art, slapstick, and contemporary action.  However, I don't believe Chinese cinema has acquired the right filmic language or culture, to imitate a multifaceted Western production successfully in a Chinese manner.  Even for American filmmakers this is a difficult task, and only a few directors can successfully manage the creation of such a film. 

Jiang Wen’s obsession with Tarantino is apparent in many aspects of Let The Bullets Fly.  Story has it that Jiang has a picture of him and Tarantino in his office, no doubt serving as cinematic inspiration for what can be achieved as top entertainment in today’s film world.  This obsession has produced some good results.  Case it point, the film’s perfect casting: every supporting character brings a unique set of looks, physical ability, and cunning to his role.  All together the set of characters brim with a whimsical perfection that rivals Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds.  In a way, this is the Chinese Inglorious Basterds. There is masculine ruggedness, there is cinematic self-reference, urban wit, and there is Tarantino-like vibrancy and exaggeration, abruptness, and all the while, top-notch intensity in every act.

A high production value, glossy, ostensibly Western art direction is sure to please Chinese audiences spoiled likewise by Hollywood imports. When it comes to looks, you can trust that Jiang Wen assembles the best in the Chinese film industry (although the CGI work is a bit shoddy). However, much of the wit is superficial, and his normally biting, satirical gags here come of only half as successful as those from Devils. With the material at hand, the film feels to be lacking simply, a soul. A style similar to Devil at the Doorstep, more down and dirty instead of the too-pretty-to-get-dirty, could have created a deeper resonance with both thinking and non-thinking audiences.  China is not a bright sunny place like the American West. Jiang Wen is  naturally a more sensitive and political figure than Tarantino, but I feel that in the creation of this film, he watched too much Kill Bill, but too little of his previous work.

The convoluted politics is handled by too much exposition, the more charismatic characters are killed too fast, choreography of gun fights seem abrupt and inadequate. Fast paced, but shoddy editing doesn't negate the problem completely, and finally, Jiang Wen seems to have become a director who believes that repetition of his favorite shots is a gift to the audience. Tarantino knows when he has pushed a scene to the edge of intolerance, while Jiang Wen marches on. One get the feeling that he is in too much of a rush to say too much, but couldn't find an eloquent way to tell all the stories and ends up sputtering.  There’s plenty of spits and grunts, but not a lot of articulate words. A clumsy but energetic lover is this film.