Plot: What’s it about?
Isn’t life odd? In this context, I’m referring to the transition from “child actor” to adult. It sounds easy. But there have been many, oh so many, that haven’t been able to make that leap. Sure, a few come to mind like Leonardo DiCaprio, Jason Bateman and Sean Astin – but by and large, you’re either a child star or come into fame and glory later in life. Case in point we’ve got Ke Huy Quan and some of us know him as Short Round from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom or Data in The Goonies. He had a resurgence in his career and even managed to win Best Supporting Actor for his role in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Not bad for a has been, eh? Clearly the luster hasn’t worn off his newfound stardom and here we see him as a leading man in a John Wick style film. Was it the right call? Let’s find out.
Quan plays Marvin Gamble, a successful real estate agent whose mild-mannered personality helps him sell homes. However, his world is turned upside down when Rose (Ariana DeBose) resurfaces. You see, there’s a bunch of not so nice guys looking for her at the behest of Marvin’s brother, Knuckles (Daniel Wu). Rose stole money from them and went into hiding and now wants to resume her life. She needs Marvin’s help to do that. We learn that Marvin wasn’t always the successful realtor he is now, rather he used to be a ruthless killer who worked for, you guessed it, Knuckles. Along the way we’re also introduced to the criminal underworld including a hitman (Mustafa Shakir), an accountant (Rhys Darby), two thugs (Marshawn Lynch and André Eriksen) and a criminal (Cam Gigandet) who was set up by Rose.
On paper, this sounds like a plausible action movie. It’s got an unconventional lead and though the cast is recognizable, they’re not A-listers by any means. But…so what? The problem with the film is that it doesn’t take the time (literally) to give us any backstory and/or motivation as to what or why these people are doing what they’re doing. There are hints, but that’s about it. I’m all about connecting the dots when it merits it, but here we somewhat need things to be explained to us. And it isn’t. At 83 minutes, there are episodes of Survivor that run longer than this feature length film. And while there are fragments of entertainment to be found, when you add it all up it just falls short. What can I say…love hurts.
Video: How’s it look?
This is another in a continuing stream of films that are presented in a 2.00:1 aspect ratio. I love this. I’ve always felt that the “Academy Standard” of 1.78:1 was a bit too narrow and that the 2.40:1 films were a bit too wide. What’s the point of having a widescreen TV if 40% of it devoted to black bars? At any (bit)rate, we’ve got a good-looking film that’s new-to-the-format. Colors pop, detail is tack sharp and contrast is bold and striking. What more could a guy ask for? We’ll forget the actual content of the film, but regardless this one does deliver on all accounts.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Other studios might make you pony up a few more bucks to get that coveted Dolby Atmos soundtrack. That’s not the case here. Nope. It comes with a full on Atmos mix on the Blu-ray (the 4K does have it too, naturally) and I have to admit that it packed a bit more of a punch that I’d imagined. Vocals are sharp, surrounds kick in, the LFE do their thing. It’s a well-endowed immersive mix that’s sure to please.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Alternate Ending
- Deleted and Extended Scenes
- Lovers in the Park
- Dog Poop
- Last Client
- Dead Roses
- Extended Knuckles and Merlo
- Kippy’s Teeth
- Extended Otis and King
- Extended Raven and Ash
- The Ke to Gable – Witness Ke Huy Quan’s rigorous training regimen with the 87North stunt team that helped prepare him for the role of Marvin Gable.
- The Heart of Love Hurts – Journey behind the scenes with Ke Huy Quan, Ariana DeBose, Marshawn Lynch and the rest of the exciting ensemble cast.
- Stunts Hurt – Explore the intensive process behind creating the spectacular fight sequences.
The Bottom Line
I feel that the filmmakers missed the mark with this one. It’s also somewhat strange to see an Asian leading man who many of us grew up with in the 80’s headlining a film. Don’t read anything into that. At only 83 minutes, I felt that there could have been more character development. Alas…there wasn’t. On the technical levels, however, all is well.
