A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop
A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop Image
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Metascore
57 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 28 Critics What's this?

User Score
5.7 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 10 Ratings

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  • Starring: Dahong Ni, Ni Yan, Xiao Shen-Yang
  • Summary: 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 escke 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. (Sony Pictures Classics)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 28
  3. Negative: 3 out of 28
  1. New Orleans Times-Picayune
    Reviewed by: Mike Scott
    Dec 17, 2010
    88
    Almost feels as if it is two different films. One is the opening 20 minutes or so, in which most of the screwball comedy takes place. The other comes when Yimou gets on with the real story. That's where the payoff comes in.
  2. Arizona Republic
    Reviewed by: Richard Nilsen
    80
    As the film comes to an end, more and more of "Blood Simple" is translated directly to China, even to the last drop.
  3. NPR
    Reviewed by: Mark Jenkins
    60
    As "Blood Simple" fans should expect, Noodle Shop is a comedy of presumed deaths and unexpected revivals, with some victims flat out refusing to stay in their shallow graves.
  4. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    25
    The exhausting slapstick violence is the film's chief variation, and it's no fun at all.

See all 28 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 3
  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. cirrus888
    8
    Beautifully filmed, expertly told, and compelling to watch. This is Zhang Yimou's attempt at black comedy in the style Coen Brothers and it succeeds on all levels. This is comparable to the original. Worth checking both out.… Expand
  2. TVJerry
    4
    I haven't seen "Blood Simple" since it came out in 1985, but I remember it being clever, violent and exhilarating. This Chinese version by brilliant director Yimou Zhang ("Hero," "House of Flying Daggers) has none of the Coen Brothers' original zing. The plot revolves around betrayal, greed and murder, but most of it moves at a slow, silent pace. The attempts at physical humor are simply silly and the violence is underwhelming. Except for the surrounding hillsides, even the visuals aren't special.… Expand
  3. FreeJeff
    3
    What were they thinking? This remake has a bizarre mismatch of tone, half film noir and half 3 Stooges. It captures the atmospheric noir tones of the original, Blood Simple, very well, but then wrecks it with burlesque slapstick antics that instantly become annoying. This goes on throughout the movie, even when the plot is supposed to generate nail-biting tension. Maybe it was a laff riot in China, but it definitely doesn't work here in America. As a final insult, there are some overbearing special effects near the end that just made me groan. If there was any tension, this would have destroyed it, too.

    On the plus side, the film is gorgeous. The scenery, sets, and costumes of medieval China are all stunning and authentic looking (as far as I know). The cinematography is wonderful. All the more reason to be disappointed with the result.

    This movie made me realize once again how brilliant the Coen Brothers original was. Skip this, rent Blood Simple instead.    … Expand

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