Here's a total rarity: a foreign remake of an American film. Mrs. Wang (Ni Yan) buys a three-shot pistol from a traveling Persian (Julien Gaudfoy) as an insurance policy against her abusive husband (Dahong Ni). Wang finds out about the gun and also suspects his wife is having an affair with one of the employees of the noodle shop he owns. He hires policeman Zhang (Honglei Sun) to kill Mrs. Wang and her lover, Li (Xiao Shen-Yang). Zheng doesn't care about committing murder but he does want more than the paltry amount Wang paid, so he decides to also take a crack at Wang's safe.
This is based on the Coen Brothers' film Blood Simple, which I have not seen. I imagine it is less funny than this one but I have no idea. This seemed so simple on the surface and spiraled out of control so beautifully. It was a joy to watch. It was also incredibly beautiful. Zhang Yimou really knows what he is doing when it comes to the interplay of colors and light. It makes me want to watch the original film now so I can contrast the two.
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