Gone with the Bullets (2014) User Reviews

A quirky and opulent love story

[Gordon-11 · 21 January 2015]

This film tells the story of a well respected man who becomes a fugitive, after he is unjustly accused of murdering the winner of a worldwide beauty pageant.

I was initially blown away by the "Gone with the Bullets" opulence of the film. The film starts off with a well respected man, Ma Zouri, being tasked with hosting the most marvellous beauty pageant the world has ever seen. And it is very marvellous indeed, because the sets and costumes are very extravagant. The dances are beautifully choreographed. The entire pageant is nicely shot, capturing the energy and vibrancy of an uplifting event. I was amazed by the production, and could hardly believe that I was watching a Chinese film.

Apart from the opulence, the film also uses many alternative techniques to tell the story. For example, it uses animation, a film within a film, black and white to tell some scenes. It is certainly very different compared to any Chinese film I have watched.

It is obvious that "Gone with the Bullets" is made with almost unlimited budget. The film talks about the newly rich who has to flaunt their wealth, and the whole film feels exactly just that. Someone is flaunting their wealth by making this film. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that, because the resultant "Gone with the Bullets" is a quirky love story that stands apart from other recent Chinese films.

In the mood for spoof

[kosmasp · 4/10 · 29 May 2016]

It all depends on how much weight you'll lay on plot or a decent story. If you don't mind and can get into the mindset of a sort of Saturday Night Live sketch sort of thing, you may be able to really enjoy this (as I have read another reviewer here did). But if you actually want a coherent story you shouldn't even bother.

Starting off with a Godfather scene is either genius comedy (if you like the way they play it out) or annoying. Actually Zootopia did a far better job in spoofing Godfather (it's animated and it's animals, but watch and you'll see what I mean). The whole thing still is based on historic incidents, though I don't mean ET by Spielberg of course. But influences come from many sources and you'll either like this or think of it as waste of time

crazy movie

[yoggwork · 4/10 · 20 February 2019]

I actually paid to see this movie. Just remember the lap dancing and a few passages. The whole film has a messy narrative, a fast and slow rhythm, and a grandiose performance. The whole film does not know what to say, what to say, what to say, and what to say. It's all over. I ask you to respect the movies and the audiences, whether you are interpreting real things, metaphorically criticizing current politics or making gimmicks and crazy jokes.

Just Over Acting

[godard65-2 · 4/10 · 15 November 2021]

I really want to like this movie, but why do they act like they are on a staged play? Also what a confusing story! I really don't know what it is about plus they tend to over light the whole film.

A typical Jiang-Wen film and a bunch of delicate jokes

[whd-thu · 9/10 · 20 December 2014]

The film tells a good story, however, it depends on how you define what is good story telling.

Wanyan Ying, whose prototype is a whore in Shanghai, was found dead in the suburb of Shanghai, with Ma's car upside down besides her, and Ma gone. Ma Zouri, a playboy, found himself stuck in an awkward situation - being accused as a murderer.

The most interesting moment is that Ma gets caught during a show of Shanghai opera depicting Ma's murder of Wanyan. He could not control himself since the show misrepresented and uglified Wanyan, in his opinion, though. And the best part just begins here.

Regardless of the fact that no evidence shows that Ma killed Wanyan, the detectors are already working on how to properly present the execution of Ma. As the show depicting the murder has been put up for thousands of times, everyone seems to believe that Ma actually killed Wanyan. So the only reasonable choice is to execute Ma and show it to the public.

This may confuse some Western audience. They may ask where is the trial and jury. Well, the film never brings that up.

These lines are perfect reason why a trail is missing: Wu Liu's Father: But has Ma really killed Wanyan or not? Wu Liu: Dad, is it matter that he did it or not? It matters that the public want him dead. You execute him, and you will win the public support.

Comedic Genius

[jdarnold-230-805014 · 9/10 · 3 February 2015]

Seeing this movie and then worrying about the plot is like assessing a chain of pearls and commenting on the twine. This movie is a series of set pieces loosely strung together by the slightest of connections. Many are movie homages (spoofs or otherwise), others are song and dance numbers of Berkleyesqe proportions (there is a great 20's tap number) and still others lovingly imitate movie-maker styles - Tarantino and the Coen brothers are obvious sources of inspiration. There are holes and weak moments, but in all its a wonder. There are also soaring heights of inspired lunacy - the General and his Daughter (Six) belting out an operatic aria at his wedding. Graduate students will write essays about the sources used and mocked in this movie. (I thought I saw Dark City in the scene where Ma meets Six, and what is the nature of the use of audiences in the movie?) Open your mind and let it all seep in.

Absurdly romantic

[liangzihan · 9/10 · 21 February 2021]

Audiences often say that they can't understand Jiang Wen's movies, so they should be watching comedies. However, the people who really understand Jiang Wen are those who read a lot, know history, love movies and really understand art, not those pseudo-artists who like to comment on excellent works. I like Jiang Wen's absurd romance very much. Under the absurd comedy effect, he presents the romantic language of film art. Under the romance, there are layers of historical truth, which clearly satirizes the old society and human nature. Such is the charm of Jiang Wen's absurdity and romance. If you say it's a bad movie, read more.

How do I resent thee, let me count the ways.....

[MovieIQTest · 26 September 2018]

I've tried to give a review with harsh words against this film, but maybe it's too harsh for the sensor guys @ imdb whose hearts and minds couldn't and wouldn't accept such bloody lynchings on this film, so...Well, let me try again to say something cruelly true about this ridiculous film. The movie maker of this film has borrowed so many segments from those famous foreign films and patched up randomly and freely in such going-of-the-mill patch up work. We saw the guy put a rose on his suits lapel to make a copy of "God Father", then again and again, he just used his whimsical thoughts and made the whole film into a Chinese Buffet, and those dishes could be easily spotted and redeemed from many foreign movies. This is a miserable farce and a complete waste of money of the blind investors. So many shallow and self-justified wisecracking jokes to be used as the ridiculous dialog. Broadway shows with lot of flesh and attires were pitched on the screen to make you believe that's what it was in Shanghai when foreign powers occupied part of that city. The logic was thrown out of the window, a film more like written and directed by a junkie high on pot smoking. You didn't see anything logically linked together but just a randomly formatted farce. We've tried our best to have the patience to sit through it, but had to bail out soon enough in case we might throw beer bottles at the screen. This film is complete waste of time and money. If there's certain humor in it, we didn't see it, and we never laughed but felt sad for this once-pretty-good talent. Well, I'm feeling that I'm writing a eulogy instead of a review to this guy and his lousy movie.