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April 23, 2012

Let the Bullets Fly (Again)

Rang zidan fei
Jiang Wen - 2010
Well Go USA Entertainment Region 1 DVD

What? You think I'm going to send back the new DVD/BD set of what will probably be counted as one of the best foreign films of 2012?

Most of what I have to say coincided with the theatrical release at the beginning of March. And if you haven't seen Let the Bullets Fly yet, you have no excuse now. I watched the English dubbed version this time. And while it is jarring to listen to Jiang Wen, Chow Yun-Fat and the others in English, it does allow for better attention to the visuals. To some extent, the various narrative threads are easier to follow as well.

Jiang recently was honored as Best Director by the Chinese Directors Guild, along with the film as Best Picture. The very popular "everyman", Ge You, won for Best Actor. Not that awards are always the most accurate gauge of a film's worth, but this is an example of getting it right. Just don't be surprised if you see Jiang's film on a few U.S. critics lists at the end of 2012.

Posted by Peter Nellhaus at April 23, 2012 08:26 AM