6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.7 |
Wang is a miserable yet cunning noodle shop owner in a desert town in China. Feeling neglected, Wang's wife secretly goes out with Li, one of his employees. A timid man, Li reluctantly keeps the gun the landlady bought for 'killing her husband later'. However, not a single move they make escapes the boss's notice, and he decides to bribe patrol officer Zhang to kill the illicit couple. It looks like a perfect plan: the affair will come to a cruel but satisfying end, or so he thinks, but the equally wicked Zhang has an agenda of his own that will lead to even more violence.
Starring: Honglei Sun, Shenyang Xiao, Ni Yan (I), Dahong Ni, Cheng YeForeign | 100% |
Martial arts | 35% |
Drama | 18% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
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.
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 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 features only one extra outside a trailer, but it's a good one.
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.
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