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When a film boasts a cast including Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan (credited here as Kwon), Daniel Wu, and Ariana DeBose, expectations naturally run high. Love Hurts, a noir-inspired action drama, seems to promise an emotional punch backed by explosive fight scenes and A-list performances. Unfortunately, that promise fizzles fast.
In Love Hurts, Kwon stars as a real estate agent whose mundane life takes a dark turn when he is pulled into his brother’s criminal empire. Daniel Wu plays the aforementioned brother — a mob boss with a penchant for manipulation and morally questionable decisions. Things spiral when Ariana DeBose’s character, an old acquaintance from Kwon’s past, returns with secrets, schemes, and a seemingly endless supply of double-crosses.
The main issue? The story is a mess. It tries to do too much — it wants to be an emotional family drama, a gritty crime thriller, a character study, and an action-packed spectacle all at once. The result is a convoluted plot centered around stolen money and layers of betrayal, none of which land with much impact.
Despite being helmed by a renowned fight choreographer-turned-director, Love Hurts suffers from shockingly underwhelming action. The few fight scenes are poorly framed, awkwardly edited, and lack the rhythm and clarity that fans of Hong Kong cinema or even modern Hollywood blockbusters would expect. In fact, most of the action is drowned out by a near-constant voiceover — a narrative crutch used to explain plot points the visuals fail to convey.
That voiceover is one of the film’s worst offenses. Rather than letting the audience discover the story through character interactions or subtle direction, Love Hurts spoon-feeds everything. Kwon’s inner monologue dominates the film, often explaining emotions or motivations that are either already obvious or completely unearned.
To be clear, the cast tries. Kwon brings a natural vulnerability to his character, and Wu’s charisma still shines in moments. DeBose is clearly having fun as the morally ambiguous femme fatale. But they’re trapped in a film that doesn’t know what it wants to be — or how to get there.
Speaker 2, a film podcast critic who recently reviewed the movie, summed it up harshly but accurately: “Despite how much I love these actors, Love Hurts is a disaster.” And that’s the real heartbreaker here. The talent is undeniable. But even the best performers can’t save a movie plagued by bad editing, over-reliance on exposition, and a story that collapses under its own ambition.
In the end, Love Hurts does live up to its name — just not in the way its creators likely intended.
📉 Final Verdict:
2/10 — Ambitious, but ultimately incoherent.
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