PatriotWatch Documents Patriot Act | Main | Enough Jazz to Choke a Horse

February 16, 2003

Bullets of Love (2001)

Posted by Mike on February 16, 2003 1:13 PM

Wow... sort of a "Solaris meets The Killer" deal from Hong Kong.

When a cop and his prosecutor girlfriend put away a crime lord, a mysterious assassin kills the girlfriend in Paris with a signature three-shot kill (one in each shoulder and a last in the throat "so they can think about it"). Heartbroken, the cop takes up soccer, rock-n-roll, and helping out with his mentally retarded uncle's courtship. Then a Japanese photographer who looks just like his dead finacé appears on the scene...

With the exception of the opening shootout and closing massacre, the movie kept a low bodycount through the bulk of the action. It's pretty nicely shot (even though the director's love of slow motion, desaturation, and doubletakes is on display throughout) and has some great sound work (no bullet goes aurally unaccounted).

Your enjoyment of this one will probably hinge on your enjoyment of Hong Kong action flicks in general. It has a genuine disdain of narrative economy that makes it feel sprawling. Its 107 minute playing time seem longish as a result. On the other hand, the prominent "uncle and girlfriend" subplot does a lot to make the closing scenes a little more gripping and punishing than they would have been otherwise.