Yi bu zhi yao

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.

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.

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

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.

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.