Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop Blu-ray Movie Review

Long on title, short on most everything else.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 3, 2011

The gun...the greatest invention of mankind.

Such a lengthy title yet "A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop" really only hints at the wackiness involved in this short and watchable but ultimately lacking remake of Blood Simple. Director Yimou Zhang's film begins as a simple tale of forlorn love but evolves into a strange concoction that's equal parts slapstick comedy of yore and Crouching Tiger-wannabe action scenes, neither of which really get off the ground. Zhang's film means well, but neither his mood nor his actors are capable of recreating the dark world of Joel and Ethan Coen's original film. Never mind that Woman, Gun, Yada Yada Yada fails to capture the same tone as the original; it doesn't work all that well as a standalone piece, either, primarily because it never seems sure of itself, or at least sure of what it needs to be beyond the surface. The movie looks good -- the costumes are gaudy and the characters colorful -- but there's a disconnect between the film's flashy façade and the rest of the ingredients that will leave audiences disappointed and lamenting that yet another classic has been pointlessly remade, even if this version tries to have some fun with what is an awfully dark story.

Phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range! Oh, wrong gun, sorry.

Centuries ago, a woman (Ni Yan) purchases a newfangled self-defense device -- a three-barreled handgun -- that's all the rage around her husband Wang's (Dahong Ni) noodle shop. The woman, enamored with the weapon, chooses it over a larger and louder cannon that her Persian salesman was all too happy to demonstrate, obliterating rocky terrain some distance from the shop. The blast does grab the attention of the local authorities. They ride into the shop with several under-arrest adulterers in tow, giving Wang an idea. He surreptitiously hires a detective named Zhang (Honglei Sun) to take out his wife -- the newly-armed lady -- and her supposed lover, Li (Xiao Shen-Yang). Zhang haggles up his price and agrees to do the deed, but he has other plans in mind, like taking Wang for all he's worth -- literally. As the woman, her lover, and a few ne'er-do-wells all scheme to get back at Wang, Zhang goes about his business of trying to collect the money he wants and leaving no witnesses behind.

Superficially, A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop is as flashy as they get. Can't-miss-'em costumes, lively characters, and plenty of action mixed with some lighthearted comedy makes for an intriguing mixture, but the film flatlines behind the glitz and glamour of its bright exterior. There's not much rhythm here. Behind the pizazz lies a movie that leans heavily on its visuals and builds its narrative structure through action rather than dialogue; the film goes several long stretches with minimal verbal interaction between characters, which is itself not a bad thing, but it does contribute to a rather choppy feel that's part of the film's main problem, highlighting style over substance. It might replicate the story of the Coen Brothers's masterwork, but it certainly can't hold a candle to their film's mood and themes. The end result is a movie that just didn't need to be; give it a few points for trying to take a rather unique turn down the well-traveled remake highway, but the destination is ultimately the same. A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop just doesn't have what it takes to live up to -- let alone surpass -- the Coen Brothers's can't miss-style.

Taken in a vacuum and ignoring the parallels to the Coen Brothers's movie, A Woman... still proves a misfire when taken on its own terms. The cast seems either overly stoic or excessively animated; the characters, then, are flat with no real life to them. They seem detached from the greater whole, struggling to find their place in the story and finding it difficult to juggle the film's dark themes of extramarital affairs, hired guns, double crossings, and the like against several lighthearted moments and colorful costumes. Nothing about the movie ever quite jives; it gets the basics down but can't seem to find any depth beyond the veil. The contrast in styles just doesn't work when on one end there's the dark and sinister and on the other the light and breezy; it doesn't make much sense and it certainly doesn't play out as expected on-screen. It's not all bad, though; A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop is at least different, which does count for something in these days of pinpoint formula and fear of the unknown. Sure it doesn't work in the end, but it's at least willing to take a chance and try something that hasn't already been done countless times before.

A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop looks spectacular on Blu-ray. Easily one of the most colorful and detail-oriented transfers on the market, Sony's latest is striking from beginning to end. The film is notably colorful; pink, purple, green, blue, and other hues leap off the screen in every daytime or well-lit scene, and even darkened frames reveal plenty of color. Detail is a match for the sparkling shades; whether intricate clothing or the finest of imperfections on metal surfaces, whether rocky terrains or the texture of heavy armor, the transfer regularly reveals incredibly precise detailing that's only seen to this extent on the absolute finest Blu-ray releases. Black levels are perfect, every dark corner of the film inky and immensely accurate. Flesh tones, too, appear natural in shading throughout. A slight bit of grain is retained over the entirety of the image to round out that much-loved cinematic texture. Enough banding to warrant a knock on the score is all that's wrong here, but A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop's Blu-ray transfer comes about as close to perfection as possible without actually achieving it.

A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop features a spectacular DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack that's the perfect partner for the film's robust 1080p transfer. What begins as a decidedly calm opening title sequence is shattered by three startling gunshots that deliver the most excitement the movie has to offer if for no other reason than the sheer shock value of the moment. The track handles sound effects both big and small with incredible ease; whether a room-rattling boom! that follows the impact of a long-distance cannon shot or handgun fire that packs quite the punch and hits the speakers hard, Sony's lossless soundtrack handles any and all of the film's more potent effects with energy and precision. Lesser effects -- gusty winds, the metallic clanking of a sword -- are also handled delicately but with authority. The track uses the entire soundstage throughout, and while there's not a constant back-channel structure in place, the surrounds kick in as needed to help absorb the listener into the middle of the action. Dialogue is delivered without issue through the center channel. Note that no language options are available outside the native Mandarin track.

A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop features only one extra outside a trailer, but it's a good one.

• Creating A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop (480p, 1:59:14): This impressive documentary often proves more approachable and enjoyable than the feature film itself. It runs 30 minutes longer than the movie and is both informative and entertaining, not to mention well-planned and smartly executed. Sony has broken it down into 19 easily-digestible segments: Styling the Actors, Workaholic Director Zhang Yimou, Casting the Film, Director Zhang Yimou Discusses the Look of the Film, Director Zhang Yimou Discusses the Script, Actors who Like to Sing, The Filming Starts, Actors Falling, Actors Joking Around, Behind the Scenes Antics, In the Make-Up Trailer, Actors Discuss Their Roles, The Actors Discuss Zhang Yimou, Zhang Yimou Directs the Cast, Actor's Features, First Day of Shooting, Time to Dance, Actors Try New Things, and Actors in Their Roles. In Mandarin with English subtitles.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 1:55).
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.
• BD-Live.

A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop is a fairly disappointing movie, but it's not without some value. It works more as a curiosity than anything else; the dark themes with the light veneer is certainly an interesting clash, but rather than come together all peaceful-like, the result is more like a train wreck, but hey, the train is all covered up in colorful outfits and flashy stylings, so even through the mess there's still something pretty to look at. It's no match for Blood Simple, but equalling that film is a tall order, and forget about besting it. Sony's Blu-ray release of A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop does yield a lengthy documentary and stellar technical merits. Worth a rental.