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Love Hurtsis the latest production fromDavid Leitchand Kelly McCormick’s 87North Productions. The studio has been responsible for some of the best action movies of the last decade, namely theJohn Wickfranchise. And in those movies that aren’t quite to that level, you can always count on a handful of signature fight or stunt sequences (Atomic Blondeand its stairwell fight come to mind).
The company has set the bar pretty high for themselves, and for the most part have been able to meet those lofty expectations. WithLove Hurts, Jonathan Eusebio’s directorial debut, they hit more high marks with the action and comedy, but the surrounding work leaves something to be desired.
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Marvin Gable (Ke Huy Quan) had been a long-time hitman for his brother Alvin “Knuckles” Gable (Daniel Wu), a generic, nondescript crime boss. But Marvin finally got out after killing Rose, who had stolen money from Knuckles. However, Marvin didn’t kill Rose, but instead let her go, with her promising to leave and never come back.
But – wouldn’t you know it – Rose returns three years later with a score to settle, and she needs Marvin’s help. She drags them both back into Knuckles’ crosshairs, forcing Marvin to confront his past life that he perhaps had not fully left behind.
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As with any 87North movie, you’re able to at the very least count on the action and stunts to come through. Eusebio comes from a stunt background, and we’ve seen several stuntmen have success behind the director’s chair: Leitch himself, Chad Stahelski, and Sam Hargrave to name a few. And that continues here withLove Hurts.
Fight choreography has a different feel when someone with so much direct experience is behind the camera. And that’s a great thing, because almost all ofLove Hurts’success hinges on these sequences. There’s not much of a story to speak of. Everything is laid out as surface-level as possible. Nobody besides Marvin (and to an extent two side characters that we’ll keep a secret as a little surprise) gets any sort of character development.
Every scene, every plot point mostly feels like a vehicle to get to the next fight scene. And it’s a shame, because at only 83 minutes, there was certainly time to flesh some things out a little bit more. So thank goodness the fights and stunts are mostly pretty great. They’re creative and fun, with a lot of the humor coming from the action itself, or characters’ reactions to what’s happening during a fight.
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Along with the action, Quan shoulders most of the load. He’s the only character that’s given anything resembling an interesting story. And in his first live-action film role since his Oscar-winning turn inEverything Everywhere All at Once, the man came towork. He’s terrific, and perfectly suited to the Midwestern Nice realtor life to which Marvin has now grown accustomed.
Love Hurtstries to get into Marvin’s psyche regarding the life he left behind and that he’ll do whatever is necessary to leave it there. And there are some interesting themes at play. But it just keeps rehashing the same ideas and points over and over. Credit to Quan for squeezing everything he could out of the role.
On the supporting cast side of things, Marshawn Lynch and André Eriksen are funny together as sometimes-competent-sometimes-bumbling henchmen. Lynch has turned in some legitimately funny performances since retiring from the NFL, in particularBottomsand a hilarious guest turn on an episode of Netflix’sMurderville.
Another funny pairing is Lio Tipton as Marvin’s assistant Ashley and Mustafa Shakir as The Raven, another hitman. Their pairing is less expected and uses the unlikeliness of these two characters interacting together to good effect. The always reliable Rhys Darby also pops in for a few minutes to provide some good laughs.
And that brings us to Ariana DeBose, and her character that simply doesn’t work. DeBose is not good in the role, but it definitely doesn’t help that Rose is woefully underwritten, and it’s honestly baffling that Marvin would ever decide to spare her life as anything other than a selfish means to an end. ButLove Hurtspositions their relationship as potentially romantic, but the two have no chemistry, romantic or otherwise.
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IsLove Hurtsworth watching?
Even with its issues,Love Hurtsearns a recommendation. On the strength of Ke Huy Quan and a solid collection of fights and stunts, it overcomes its problems and is a solidly enjoyable romp.
Love Hurtsopens in theaters February 7.
Love Hurts Review – Ke Huy Quan Does the Heavy Lifting in Fun Action Comedy
Matt Hambidge
Film Critic
Articles Published :119
Matt Hambidge is a film critic based in Minneapolis, and is a member of the Minnesota Film Critics Alliance.You can also find him covering SURVIVOR on the Talking Llama podcast.
