Xun qiang

The Missing Gun is the first of Lu Chuan's amazing films...Mountain Patrol is the second... There is almost no way to describe this film except to say it is amazing... Lu Chuan has a way of befriending the viewing with his characters...making them into actual friends in your life much in the way Dickens did so in another place and time... Only there is nothing out of time or old-fashioned about these films...any more than there is anything particularly Chinese...these are transparent jaunts through real life with the exception that they vault over principals of honesty, honor, and loyalty... As I have told my own friends, these may be some of the best Westerns ever made, but they are, of course, not Westerns! See this film. It will become one of your regular faves as it has become mine.

shot on a relatively low budget ($250,000), The missing gun is an oddball whodunit set in a small si chuan town that gives twin peaks a good run for its money. police officer ma shan embarks on a frenzied quest to regain his vanished weapon, hot on the heels of a nightlong drinking binge. the lost weapon of the title amounts to a technique to afford a glimpse into the town's life, including some disturbing relationships, supposedly hilarious and quirky characters, and a couple of unscrupulous shenanigans. en route, ma shan learns more and more about his own existence and standing in society, slowly peeling away layers of encrusted routine, and even goes as far as almost rekindling his love for resident li xiaomeng. the plot thickens when li turns up murdered, shot with ma's stolen pistol.

the story tries to build up towards a critical finale, yet you'll find it difficult to become engrossed or even stay intrigued. many films bring humor and tragedy together - some beautifully, some a touch on the awkward side. The missing gun appears to have been unable to make up its mind which way to lean, resulting in wasted energy and an overall emptiness. although the opening is well executed, it is unfortunate that it does not manage to maintain a similar level of suspense throughout. a moving u2-like soundtrack helps improve its stock - and a global distribution deal with columbia pictures that has helped put billboard ads on the sides of every street - are unfortunately not enough to elevate The missing gun into classic-dom.

In "The Missing Gun", a small town cop in China loses track of his sidearm when he gets drunk at a party. The first hour this film is dedicated to the cop running around town asking everyone if they have seen his gun to which all reply...."Nope!". It's not until later in the film we begin to see a plot develop and realize what has appeared to be a comedy is really a drama when our hero/protag/cop finds out his ex-girl friend has been murdered...apparently with his missing gun. The balance of the flick is about finding the gun and the killer. Pretty ordinary stuff by Western film standards, this flick is uneven and less than engaging with marginal English language subtitle translations. Story aside, however, it is a moderately enjoyable blend of contemporary Western filmmaking with the traditional Chinese feel and a small step forward in Chinese action/drama filmmaking from behind the bamboo curtain. A subtitled watch recommended only for those with a taste for traditional Chinese cinema. (C)

From the title to the critique snippet, the jacket theme, probably intentionally, masks the film's content.

Surreal but with pauses allowed by today's technology, reflection and discussion can put the pieces together.

Weighty issue of firearms and violence handled most appropriately particularly from law enforcement point of view.

Despite my reality, it was difficult to identify with isolation of lead actor.

Excellent proof that Y2K did not thwart either artistic and worthwhile (fill in the blank.)

STM (J)

It is not another Hong Kong excellent-made movie, but this is coming from the rural China with no martial arts or frenetic chase but the one with two old bicycles. The story is by itself strong and humanly ethical. A great man makes a mistake and he has to fix it up, above all the dilemmas or even his integrity moral o physical. The village where it was shot is a fascinating one, the photography is mesmerizing and some camera tricks give the magical touch to the visual without recurring to effects that surely they (the movie producers from China) can't afford. Somehow it reminds me the Brazilian City of God but with a more paced rhythm and a life philosophy that can only come from the rising East. Definitely a movie without the boring tastes of hollywoodean clichés, with this, who cares about reading the subtitles?