Ever seen a movie where the outlaw rides into town and sticks up for the little guys against the local bully of a crime boss? Well, maybe so, but you probably haven’t seen a movie like Let the Bullets Fly (Rang Zidan Fei), which is set in southeastern China in the Chinese warlord period around 1919.
For one thing, it’s an unusually exuberant film that’s extremely funny for an action western.
For another, it’s a deeply cynical assessment of government corruption. It quickly becomes apparent that the professional bandit is more honest and reliable than any of the local institutions. (That subtext is not lost on the Chinese public.)
And the Chinese movie fans have embraced Let the Bullets Fly. It’s the highest-grossing Chinese language movie ever, and is the all-time #2 most popular movie in China (behind Avatar).
Writer-director Wen Jiang plays the stalwart bandit hero who substitutes himself for the newly arriving appointed Governor (played by You Ge as a hilariously unabashed sleazeball). Jiang’s bandit comes up against the local baddie (Chow Yun Fat), who doesn’t want to relinquish any of his power or ill-gotten gains. As the two match wits, a fast, funny and utterly rambunctious ride ensues.
In this case, 1.3 billion Chinese are correct – this is one fun movie.
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