Growing up watching Indiana Jones and The Goonies so many times, I never thought that as an adult I'd be watching Ke Huy Quan as he makes a return to the big screen. While it's often the case that many child actors simply disappear as they leave the industry and pursue regular lifestyles after making big impacts in minor characters, I don't think anyone really expected to see such a huge return. Everything Everywhere all At Once was a great hit, and his presence within it definitely made rounds as everyone realised who he actually was. A solid, positive outcome for a child actor that didn't just scream drug abuse or total removal from the public eye. While the actor has gone on to voice act and contribute to a bunch of other films this year, Love Hurts was an interesting attempt to see how far his reach as an adult actually went. With him as the lead in an action flick within the same sort of time that John Wick was starting to see a bit of fatigue. The reviews weren't great for this film, and not a whole lot of people are going to cinemas in the first place, so it was considered quite a huge flop.
There's a plethora of potential reasons as to why this film didn't quite hit it with audiences nor critics. And they don't really return to the efforts of Ke Huy Quan. After all, this was the first feature film directed by Jonathan Eusebio. It saw a release early on in the year and didn't take advantage of a potential summer release that could've given it a boost. And again: a general fatigue within audiences regarding the genre of action films in the first place. With most tending to flop as even the biggest franchise attempts of recent years have dwindled in interest. So, with all of this in mind, I decided to finally check the film out, now that its very small media presence has since sizzled out, and with very little else to watch as marketing for new films sees smaller budgets.
After watching this, I understood why the film had the ratings it did. This is a film that is certainly riddled with little problems that quickly add up and make the film a bit of a lackluster viewing experience. It feels like a film that has tried to capitalise from the revenge/action/hitman genres without really doing much different to stand out. The usual overly choreographed style of action that starts to feel a bit exhausting when the story never really gives us much reason to care for the endless violence. Though even here that violence still feels a bit tame, as to avoid being too graphical and almost hold some comedic tone to it still. Now, it isn't that the choreography of it all is bad, it's pretty good, and Ke Huy Quan does a great job in the film with his action. He's a decent pick for a film like this regarding a man that has the abilities to cause great harm but has chosen another life for himself with age. Yeah, it's that sort of action flick. A bit overdone.
The story is your typical narrative that follows a protagonist thrown back into the past and having to deal with the people he'd rather keep back there in it. Where his brother, a crime lord, finds his way back into his life. And a partner in his crime days returns with revenge having been left for dead. It's a simple story, and they usually are when it comes to such types of films. Again, it doesn't give us much reason to care for it all, and that is one of the main problems I noticed. Which is a shame given the film is rather well made in its directing and visuals. It's quite a high budget looking film. Nothing looks particularly cheap. The environments seem authentic and well lit, which works well alongside a story that takes place mostly around real estate. Perhaps some of the flaws come from the lack of depth though. The comedic undertones which kept creeping up and removing any weight within the events. Where it feels like nothing is actually threatening to the protagonist despite the action.
This all makes the film feel like a bit of a drag. Makes it feel like a film without direction. And it's clear it's a mixture of various influences without anything particularly new to add to it all. I'd say it's ultimately not worth the watch as a result. A case in which the script was the main problem, the very reason for the film's failure, where everywhere else the quality felt decent.