C'era una volta a Shanghai

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.

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.

Gone with the Bullets, obviously a pun on Gone with the Wind, is a Chinese comedy-drama with romantic undertones, originally known as Yi Bu Zhi Yao. This film is the second part of a trilogy that started four years earlier with Let the Bullets Fly, originally known as Rang Zi Dan Fei, and that concluded four years later with Hidden Man, originally titled Xie Bu Ya Zheng. The good news is that you don't need to know the prequel or the sequel to enjoy this film on its own. The bad news is that this film has the worst ratings of the three and it isn't difficult to understand why.

Let's focus on the story before analyzing this movie properly. This film takes place in the bustling multi-cultural city of Shanghai in the lush twenties of the past century. The movie revolves around a beauty pageant that is surprisingly won by self-confident Chinese manager Wan Yanying. She tries to seduce one of the colourful organizers of the event who is Ma Zouri. Their relationship is however based upon deceits, immaturity and misunderstandings. One night, the unstable couple smokes opium and goes on a joyride through town. Ma Zouri has a mental blackout and when he awakes he finds the car broken down and Wan Yanying deceased. The protagonist thus becomes a fugitive targeted by acquaintances and friends, the media and the police as he somehow tries to clear his name.

This film features a few noteworthy strengths. First and foremost, the colourful settings in the golden twenties are particularly beautiful. The costumes and make-up used throughout the film are absolutely gorgeous. The genre mixture of comedy, drama and thriller is entertaining and exciting alike. The film's energetic showdown certainly leaves a lasting impression.

However, this movie also has several important flaws. The meandering story lacks focus throughout. The chemistry between different actors and actresses is thin which makes several relationships between characters unbelievable and even irritating. The film's length is challenging and certainly overstays its welcome.

At the end of the day, Gone with the Bullets, originally titled Yi Bu Zhi Yao fails to fully exploit its promising potential. The settings, make-up and costumes are outstanding, the genre mixture is unique and the film's conclusion leaves a lasting impression. However, the movie suffers significantly from its overlong running time, meandering plot and at times notably poor acting chemistry. This movie is thus only recommended to those interested in Chinese arts, culture and history between the downfall of imperialism and the establishment of communism as a state doctrine.

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.

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.