★★½☆☆
With a Japanese manga-like opening sequence to establish how a group of individuals attempt to disrupt plans of Japanese imperialism in China, For a Few Bullets is a Chinese genre production void of logic and realism.
Viewers find themselves chasing after the film’s jester conman Xiao Zhuang (Kenny Lin Gengxin) and ice-beauty heroine Ruo Yun (Zhang Jingchu) in their globetrotting adventures across China. While most of the scenes are too flamboyant for some, they do provide most of the film’s entertainment.
Joining them are legendary treasure thief Shi Fo (Teng Ge-Er) and his wife Jin San Niang (Liu Xiaoqing). Fortunately, these two supporting characters make for some interesting screen presence to form a credible cast ensemble together with Xiao Zhuang and Ruo Yun.
Following them on the silver screen may prove to be a fun experience, but the scenarios scripted and set up are rather flamboyant for liking. Infiltrating a Russian military base to hijack and take off in a jet plane, before crashing into a desert to continue on within (and on top of) a train.
Resembling a Chinese episode of Indiana Jones, there are also a couple of quick scenes where characters recite historical background of ancient artifacts. Like the national treasure that they are chasing after – an ancient seal that represents great power and authority. However, these scenes merely see characters sprouting a long chunk of history without actually leveraging on them further to accentuate their adventures.
Dismissing the severely under-developed main antagonist played by Kenneth Tsang, there appears to be a memorable impression in the form of a female Japanese assassin/agent played by Shi Yufei. Her psychotic personality and demeanour provided much desired layered character work for the audience’s appreciation.
It is a pity however that Shi’s character was underused.
Devising a finale heist scene onboard a cruise liner in Shanghai, it appears that For a Few Bullets belongs to one of the average genre exercises that cater towards the insatiable demand of Chinese consumers for action adventure and romance-comedy productions.
Also published on InCinemas.sg
cineJay 