Thursday, June 30, 2011

A WOMAN, A GUN AND A NOODLE SHOP: COEN CLASSIC GOES ASIAN

In 1984 two film making brothers, Ethan and Joel Cohen, bust on the scene with a film called BLOOD SIMPLE. The film offered a philandering wife, a sleazy bar owner and a man who’d kill for money. Stylishly made it put the Cohen brothers on the map and led to a string of hits that culminated last year with TRUE GRIT. It also resulted in being remade in China under the name A WOMAN, A GUN AND A NOODLE SHOP.

The movie this time around changes not just locations but time period as well. Taking place in the not too distant past, a woman purchases a gun during the opening sequence. She is the wife of Wang, the owner of the noodle shop and a woman unhappy in her marriage. As we find out, she was purchased and nightly punished by her husband, Wang. It’s little wonder she’s taken up with one of his employees, Li.

The movie shifts back and forth from drama to comedy depending on the circumstances and actors involved. Li comes off as a bit of a buffoon, always concerned that the boss will find out about their indiscretion and do him harm. The wife (as she is known) shows less concern and more of a plotting attitude, not planning on killing her husband but still attempting to find a way out of the marriage and into the arms of Li.

As for Wang he appears to be an older man who knows his wealth buys him power. So much so that when he learns of the affair between his wife and Li, he asks a policeman/solider named Zhang to kill them both for a fee. They discuss the amount and Wang goes to his safe to retrieve the money for Zhang who sees just how much the safe holds.

The culmination of these events, the purchase of the gun, the affair, the planned murder and what happens to each of these characters makes for an interesting story. But what makes the film better than most isn’t just the tale but the arresting visuals used. The reddish dirt covered hills around the shop, the deep blue skies with pure white clouds, even the night time sequences all seem to pop off the screen with some amazing camera work.

Director Yimou Zhang is well known for his films like RAISE THE RED LANTERN, HERO and HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, each having the same sort of visual appeal. He doesn’t disappoint here with some amazing things to see and experience. The colors are the brightest I’ve seen on film and work well, everything from the costumes to the setting.

The actors all come off good as well; even through the barrier of language (the film is in Chinese with English sub titles). Keeping in mind these characters live in a time very different from our own, they each display characteristics that are original rather than simply playing them as they’ve been done before.

On the whole I would recommend this movie to anyone who hasn’t seen a film from China yet. There is a whole world of wonder to be experienced out there. Forget the washed out visuals seen in tons of poorly made kung fu films in the past, the doors have opened for something different from this country.

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