Colpi d'amore

They are certain things that work for em in the beginning of this movie- Marvin is likable, and the world feels bright and fun and poppy. The fight scenes are dynamic if not a bit ridiculous. But Deboise's Rose is, to me, the absolute failing lynchpin of an already fairly uncreative plot. She really feels like she's acting at every point. Her line delivery is unconvincing and hollow. Her character has nooo chemistry with Marvin and is also low on the general likeability scale, making the viewer wonder "what is it about this woman that Marvin is attracted to? Why is he willing to do so much to save her?" Most annoyingly, she doesn't seem to support or accept the attempts at positive change Marvin has made in his life. She uses him to achieve her revenge. It's a very strange relationship that feels nothing like a romance. Perhaps it was just miscasting, but Deboise has yet to impress me in any role.

Love Hurts is a straightforward action film with a touch of drama, but make no mistake-this is a "one-man army" kind of movie. It's the type of film that thrives on plot armor, where the protagonist is outnumbered but somehow manages to take down everyone in his path. Is it better than John Wick? Definitely not. Is it better than Nobody? Not really. But does it beat some of Jason Statham's more forgettable action flicks? Surprisingly, yes.

The story itself is simple, almost too simple. At 83 minutes (credits included), it knows when to wrap things up without overstaying its welcome. But even with its short runtime, the pacing feels uneven. There's an unbalanced mix of action and drama, with the middle part of the film filled with repetitive dialogues that stretch out the story instead of adding depth. The film had the opportunity to introduce more compelling subplots but chose not to, leaving certain moments feeling dragged out rather than dynamic.

One of the biggest frustrations is how the film teases a truly interesting character, only to cut away just when things get exciting. There's a moment where you expect an intense, game-changing sequence, but instead, it's skipped entirely. It becomes a classic case of "tell, don't show," which feels like a missed opportunity.

That being said, Ke Huy Quan brings something fresh to the action genre. He's not your typical tall, muscular action star, but he nails his role in a way that feels both cheeky and authentic. He's quick, agile, and entertaining to watch. And while the plot armor is undeniably strong, at least the film acknowledges that his character, Marvin Gable, is human-he takes hits, gets knocked down, and even bleeds. This adds some believability to his fights, making them more engaging.

However, Marvin Gable as a character feels a bit two-dimensional. We get glimpses of his past, but not enough to truly understand who he is or why he's being hunted. There's potential for a deeper backstory, but instead of expanding on it, the film keeps circling around the same few details. It feels like it's dragging itself down with repetition rather than moving forward with meaningful character development.

Ariana DeBose, on the other hand, brings plenty of energy as his partner-in-crime. She's witty, charming, and completely self-serving in the most entertaining way possible. She's chaotic, but not quite Harley Quinn levels of crazy-more like a playful, opportunistic wildcard. She adds a layer of fun to the film, making her scenes a highlight.

As for the action, it's not as gory as John Wick or Nobody, but it's still brutal enough to satisfy action fans. The choreography is slick, yet somewhat goofy-kind of like Kick-Ass, where the fights blend both realism and over-the-top action. Not every hit lands perfectly, not every move is executed flawlessly, and that imperfection actually adds to the charm.

The film also tries to introduce a unique element with "love letters" as a recurring theme, tying it to a Valentine's vibe. But while the idea is interesting, the execution feels underwhelming. The letters don't add much emotional weight, and instead of feeling special, they come across as just another detail in the film.

Verdict: Love Hurts is a quite fun but flawed action film. The performances, especially from Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose, bring life to the story, and the fight sequences are enjoyable in a raw, slightly clumsy way. But the uneven pacing, lack of depth in the protagonist's backstory, and missed opportunities hold it back from being truly great. It's entertaining for what it is, but don't expect anything groundbreaking.

Set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Marvin Gable (Ke Huy Quan) is seemingly a successful realtor who will help you find your dream home. However, following an encounter with an assassin known as the Raven (Mustafa Shakir), Marvin finds his new life under threat from his old one as the re-emergence of his last kill, Rose (Ariana DeBose), whom he didn't actually kill puts him on a collision course with his estranged gangster brother Alvin "Knuckles" Gable (Daniel Wu).

Love Hurts is the latest genre film from 87North Productions, better known for their production of the John Wick series of films that helped redefine modern action cinema. The film marks Ke Huy Quan's first lead role following his Oscar winning comeback in Everything Everywhere All at Once and while I think Quan is perfectly capable of headlining a film like this, I just wish it were a more interesting one.

While Quan doesn't have the richest role as Marvin, I will say that there is sort of a meek charm at watching this small unassuming realtor unleash martial arts fury upon hoards of would be assassins. If Jackie Chan (at his peak anyway) could be described as Buster Keaton with martial arts, Quan's style is more akin to Harold Lloyd where there's a bit more of an edge to the disaster prone hi-jinks. Honestly during the opening 20 minutes I didn't really understand why the movie had been so panned by critics as some of the physical comedy seemed on point and the fight scenes had the typical 87North quality....but then the movie started to lose me. Running at only 87 minutes long the movie isn't unaware of what it is and gets right to the point, but that's kind of part of the problem as there isn't a lot of time spent developing character or setting up the circumstances.

When you compare Love Hurts to 87North's other comedic action film Nobody which had a solid and efficient first act establishing the mid-life stagnation of Bob Odenkirk's character that set up effective contrast to the more outlandish elements later on, Love Hurts dives in way too fast and we don't really get a chance to know the characters beyond the surface level. The movie encounters further issues with Ariana DeBose' Rose and the actions taken by her character which the movie tries to frame as being for Marvin's benefit but because we never took time to establish Marvin's life we don't know that and it seems like she's nuking his new life because "why not?". The movie per its title also tries to paint itself as a romantic unconventional Valentine's Day film clunkily establishing a romance between Marvin and Rose along with Marshawn Lynch's King and Andre Erisken's Otis discussing marital problems or Marvin secretary Ashley played by Lio Tipton falling for poetic assassin Raven played by Mustafa Shakir and while occasionally there's a sequence that works, most of it just feels limp especially in comparison to 87North's The Fall Guy which mixed action and romantic comedy much more effectively. Even the usually reliable fight work loses integrity in the final act as there's a disappointing number of cuts and close-up shots that make the final fight so underwhelming.

Love Hurts isn't without some charms (most of them courtesy of Quan), but the film never fully comes together in a way the marketing promises and it feels like a half-hearted remix of prior 87North productions that did similar things much more successfully. Quan's more than capable of headlining a film like this, I just wish the film itself were better.

LIKES: Fun Funny Some Good Fights The Acting Is Involved Some Deeper Meanings Fun Subplots Summary: The synopsis I gave will hopefully set the tone that this movie is not a serious entry into the movie collection by any means. It's goofy, and that goofiness is fun to watch and get lost in for a short amount of time to just give your mind a break. Love Hurts is a comedy before anything else, as it combines a lot of elements that are hilarious to enjoy. Pokes at Martial Arts movies, more jabs at the Valentine empire, and the folly of modern loves. I enjoyed the overdramatic delivery of one character, making every piece of advice comical, while another's somber and poetic tones are strange and time perfectly to be funny rather than disturbing. There are plenty of insults, slapstick humor, and environmental mishaps that feel like a silly version of John Wick, and it worked well on many parts for me in that pure spectacle Eusebio directed it toward achieving. Speaking of fights, the action scenes sometimes nail the choreography to be exciting, impressive, and unique with the kung fu of Bruce Lee meeting the humor of Jackie Chan. Love Hurts made me... well... hurt when you see some of the blows that Quan throws in this movie at the extras. It's violent, it's fast(ish), and feels a bit like a video game with the props and planning that this movie adopted. It leads to a fast and fun pace that keeps your brain numb, and a movie like this is enjoyable when you go in with such a mindset.

There are a few deeper elements to the film, the main plot of Marvin's tale holding elements much more in tune with character growth and reflections on life. It's spiritual and almost meditative, a relevant character who is looking for happiness and finding it means that many characters don't quite match up with in other films. Other characters surprisingly have a bit more bite to them as well, not just secondary characters, but tertiary ones whose subplots are cute, entertaining, and offer a little anchor away from the violence that is the main plot. The little dance they do is all in line with the spirit of fun, and the actors all manage to be very fun and immersed in the movie, though a few seem less committed to the characters and don't bring their A-game as they do in other works. Still, Love Hurts surprised me with the expansion into other tributaries to help provide some balance.

DISLIKES Too Violent/Aggressive Withy Language Plot is Cliché/Predictable Subplots are underdeveloped/rushed Fighting comes off stiff at times The Acting Is Inconsistent Too Stupid At Times Too Little Time To Juggle Everything Summary: The movie is extreme in a lot of ways, though, and the result is a movie being chopped up and a little lacking in many elements to make some of the points fall for me. The acting is, for the most part, appropriate, most of the cast having fun with their parts and just letting their dramatic personalities unfold in manners very appropriate for the film. It's just not consistent, and some of the actors feel a tad dry and uncommitted to the role, only managing to give me convincing performances in the film. The plot is cliché and predictable, any attempts at twists washed away by the excessive comedy sweeping away the serious plot twists and character developments. The subplots suffer in their length and feel lacking or hastily tied up with a single-shot montage that feels shallow and kind of benign. As for the dialog, well, the movie gets aggressive with the foul language, losing the spice factor for that "realistic" angle that so many people seem okay to have. As. If this weren't enough, the movie also starts to run into problems with the action elements for a viewer like me. The film pays homage to the great fights well, but many times, it feels stiff, uncoordinated, and repetitive in the embellishments they took with this film. I don't know how legit the fights are, but Love Hurts seems a bit blocky and forced battles (like the Acolyte) and gets paired with John Wick damage syndrome that loses an edge when you see how much punishment our "hero" can take. All of this comes out very stupid and silly at times, leaving me bored and wishing to steer away from the comedy elements to meet closer to the middle or add some more unique and coordinated elements to make up for the cliché. All-in-all, most of these things could have been improved secondary to having more time, the eighty-two minute run time not giving much wiggle room to keep all these tales and characters in an appropriate balance, in my opinion. About twenty more minutes could have done wonders for this film, or perhaps cleaned up the cast a tad more to not cram so many thin strings into this complex web.

The VERDICT Love Hurts is another fine edition of the Valentine film parody that is very entertaining to watch. It's simply kung fu in an odd love story, and that ridiculous summary extends into the film's comedic focus with action elements to support the fast-paced film. You'll find plenty of styles to laugh at, alongside some awesome fights that feel closer to real-life anime than the actual real-life anime films we have. The pace is just purely fun, but other plots might stoke the fires of hope and well-being if you pay attention to them. However, this odd combination is not going to win much in the general audience, depending on your tolerance for violence, excessive language, and the amount of stupid humor and aggressive comedy you'll get in the short run time. Love Hurts has a lot of potential, but it's squandered by how short the film is and how many characters/sub-plots they tried to weave together in that time frame. Is it the worst thing to hit theaters? No, but the movie still needs a little more polish, planning, and precision to be worth the full recommendation to see in the theater. It's definitely going to be action lovers and comedy junkies who can't get enough as the niche audience, while the majority will probably get the most at watching at home. My scores for Love Hurts are: Action/Comedy: 6.5-7.0 Movie Overall: 6.0-6.5.

I liked this film. It didn't blow me away, but it was entertaining -- fast-paced, humorous, and filled with great martial arts action sequences. The performances were all great too -- a lot of great supporting characters, and I am never going to say no to a Ke Huy Quan film. But even though Ariana DeBose did a fine job as Rose, I can't help feel that the studio should have gone with a more seasoned actress for this role. For someone who was supposed to be Quan's love interest, there was a noticeable difference between the two leads' ages. They're more than 20 years apart in real life, and it shows. It's not that this kind of May-December romance isn't possible, but it's distracting -- even a little creepy. Whoever cast this film would have done everyone a favor by bringing in someone who seemed a more natural love interest for Quan, rather than just being Hollywood's most recent "it girl."