Gone with the Bullets was loosely inspired by the real-life events that led to China’s first film. I say loosely because very little in this film was realistic from the opium induced car ride in the sky to the cartoon reenactments of a supposed crime scene. A kaleidoscope of primary colors doused the screen in a variety of manners. The realistic elements were the dangers of the court of public opinion and how films could be utilized for propaganda.

Ma Zouri is a fixer and a con artist extraordinaire. When the 7th son of the local warlord comes to him for help, Ma smells an easy mark. He and his partner, Xiang Feitian, decide to use Wu Qi’s money to hold the largest courtesan contest in the world, open to all ladies of the evening. The pageant is shared over the radio and filmed by the warlord’s 6th child, Wu Liu. The beautiful Yin Wanyan, and Ma’s lover, wins after promising 30 men she will entertain them and let them discover her “virginity.” The newly crowned President asks Ma to marry her which he refuses. They go on an opium induced car ride after making up. The next morning Ma wakes to find the car turned over and Wanyan dead. He runs to Wu Liu for help as he’s wanted for murder. During his two years on the run, he discovers there is a lurid play based on Wanyan’s death with audience participation.

"When the fake becomes real the real often becomes fake"
The film opened to music from 2001: A Space Odyssey, quotes from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and an homage to the Godfather. It didn’t stop there. Numerous movies, events and songs were used regardless of time and circumstance. One contestant sang Summertime by Gershwin which wouldn’t be written for another decade when it was used in Porgy and Bess. The ode to motherhood also looked suspiciously like something out of 42nd Street. Reality and memory blended at times making it hard to tell what was real.

"We have to go fast to be nowhere"
Director Jiang Wen also starred as Ma Zouri with the capable Ge You as the duplicitous Xiang. An ethereal Shu Qi brought Wanyan to life and Jiang’s wife, Zhou Yun, was marvelous as Wu-6th aka Wu Liu. No expense was spared on the opulent sets and luxurious costumes. The talent portion of the contest was filmed on a huge stage with numerous scantily clad dancers in well choreographed dance numbers. I was surprised to see so much skin and gratuitous crotch shots in a Chinese film. Even more surprised in a fan dance number filmed from above where the dancers’ fans provocatively looked like vaginas. There were also poop jokes, self pleasuring, and a prisoner threatened with being “hammered” by a horse.

“The audience is always right.”
The story wasn’t always cohesive in this allegory or spoof of the movie industry and lawless land governed by corrupt foreign entities and warlords. “Love is nice but violence makes money!” Theater reenactments of the crime honed in on the violence the audience wanted to watch. After seeing the performances their minds were made up to Ma’s guilt. No trial, no witnesses, no evidence, only the court of public opinion for what would be the final show to be filmed by Wu Liu. And those in power saw no reason to not give the people what they wanted if it benefited them. Reality is easily manipulated on film in Jiang’s wink to propaganda. Gone with the Wind, I mean Bullets, was a strange but entertaining film that focused on one man’s downfall precipitated by his own hubris and also, “no good deed goes unpunished.”

18 April 2024