Love Hurts Review: Great Action Trapped in a Done-to-Death Story

by

“As a gamer, Love Hurts lost a level of immersion for me because there wasn’t a single scene featuring Nazareth during its entire playthrough.

In the ’80s, we grew fond of Ke Huy Quan when he acted as Short Round in Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom and Data in The Goonies. After a long break from stardom, he’s proven that his talent hasn’t waned, having won an Oscar for his role in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Since then, he has taken on various roles such as a voice part in Kung Fu Panda 4 and a beloved character in season 2 of Marvel’s Loki. Now, he gets to star as the main character in a new Universal Pictures action-comedy movie produced by 87North, the company behind John Wick, Bullet Train, Violent Night, and The Fall Guy.

87North’s latest movie, Love Hurts, may not be their best work, as it feels like a repetition of familiar themes in action filmmaking. Despite Quan’s compelling portrayal of Marvin Gable, a realtor with a violent past, the plot seems to retread worn-out territory, such as people forced to return to their murderous ways. This narrative has been explored multiple times before, including movies like The Family Plan and Back in Action, which were released recently. Interestingly, 87North has tackled this concept previously with John Wick and the 2021 action film Nobody featuring Bob Odenkirk.

Despite being a well-trodden concept, this film managed to impress with its engaging action sequences and brisk pacing in the initial half hour. Even with questionable writing, “Love Hurts” remains an enjoyable watch for many, particularly due to its swift 83-minute runtime. However, it’s worth noting that not every aspect of the movie is flawless; the storyline might falter at times. Yet, the film’s action scenes truly shine. As a seasoned martial artist, Quan demonstrates his versatility in “Love Hurts,” showcasing skills he has previously displayed in films like “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and having worked as an assistant fight choreographer on the original X-Men film from 2000 and Jet Li’s “The One.

In our estimation, he’d deliver high-quality, thrilling action scenes given his role as the main character, and his profile aligns perfectly with 87North’s expectations. He imbues the combat sequences with remarkable athleticism. The fights are intense, R-rated, yet avoid excessive violence. Similar to Jackie Chan, Quan employs unconventional weapons and demonstrates impressive fighting abilities. These fight scenes are entertaining to behold. There are four of them in total – two at the start, two at the end – which means the central part of the movie might seem less engaging compared to the action sequences. However, Love Hurts manages to maintain a brisk pace throughout, making the seemingly weaker middle section more tolerable.

In another perspective, the problems stem from other areas, as the screenplay teeters on poor quality. At times, the writers seem unsure of how to provide necessary background, leading them to have characters’ thoughts spoken aloud through a voiceover. This method feels like a quick and easy way to convey information to viewers. Generally, films such as Fight Club, Memento, and American Psycho employ this technique, but they are exceptions to the rule. However, in the movie “With Love Hurts,” the narration appears irregularly and is often used to share details that we’re already observing. Whenever the narration emerged, I found myself wishing the film had shown us the information instead, allowing for a more immersive viewing experience.

Instead, the narrative suffers from a lack of creativity and repetition, as character development takes a backseat to an outdated storyline. At some point, the conflict involving the antagonists becomes excessively complex. The film could have benefited from a stronger focus on the main adversary, Knuckles, portrayed by Daniel Wu, who reconnects with Quan following their prior collaboration in the American Born Chinese series on Disney+. Knuckles is Marvin’s crime boss sibling and shares a compelling history with him that remains underdeveloped in the movie. Despite his potential for intrigue, Knuckles emerges as a forgettable villain, defined primarily by his love for boba.

The character played by Ariana DeBose in this film might be its main weakness. Despite winning an Oscar, her recent roles have been less successful, such as those in Wish and Kraven the Hunter. This movie appears to believe that her character is both cool and badass, but she often comes across as trying too hard to embody a cold, tough persona with a humorous twist. Unfortunately, this approach fails to make her or her objectives engaging. The story heavily relies on her actions, yet she remains an uninteresting character.

In other words, the intense scenes lack substantial impact, and unfortunately, our side characters don’t quite measure up either. Marshawn Lynch and Rhys Darby form an entertaining pair of assassins who pose a challenge to Marvin. Mustafa Shakir portrays a ruthless killer with a fondness for poetry, yet his character seems out of place in this film. Lio Tipton’s storyline is more cringe-worthy than humorous. It’s unfortunate because Love Hurts had the potential to be entertaining, but it falls short by not offering enough fresh ideas, despite its impressive fight sequences. The movie is helmed by Jonathan Eusebio, a seasoned Hollywood fight coordinator who has worked on numerous blockbusters. He does his best, but the script fails to bring out the full potential of the on-screen talent.

SCORE: 5/10

According to our scoring system at ComingSoon, a score of 5 means “Average.” While the game had its strong points, they were balanced out by areas that needed improvement, leaving me neither impressed nor disappointed overall.

Disclosure: ComingSoon attended a press screening for our Love Hurts review.

Read More

2025-02-06 20:11