Love Hurts, despite some promising action sequences and a promising lead turn for Ke Huy Quan, disappoints as the pacing hurts the film rather than helps it.
Love Hurts Synopsis: When a former acquaintance returns to town, Marvin Gable (Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once), a real estate agent, must face his past. In particular, he must confront his brother Knuckles (Daniel Wu, Westworld) when he begins to send goons (Marshawn “Beastmode” Lynch, Andre Eriksen, Mustafa Shakir) after him. All the while, Marvin is forced to join forces with his past acquaintance, a lawyer named Rose (Ariana DeBose, Argylle), to fight for his future.
Love Hurts Like The First Time in Love Hurts
With Love Hurts, stuntman-turned-director Jonathan Eusebio makes his feature directorial debut. As a result, Eusebio makes a fun but uninspired entry into the action genre. Eusebio and director of photography Bridger Nelson shoot the film with a wide lens, allowing the two to capture the action successfully. This is especially true regarding the hand-to-hand choreography and practical stunts. Thanks to the stunt coordinators, most of the action is in frame, fast and kinetic. Also supporting this is the film’s score, which blends beats from blacksploitation and martial arts films from the 70s together.
Additionally, Dominic Lewis (The Fall Guy) adds elements of a Western score to the mix. We also see the fusion of genres with the production design. Production Designer Craig Sandalls (Chucky) maintains simplicity by making the sets bare and small. So, it adds to the Western motif as most sets in a Western are bare bones. Moreover, Patricia J. Henderson (Totally Killer) furthers this, maintaining simplicity with the protagonists wearing bright colors while the antagonists are wearing dark colors, especially suits.
Writing and Editing Issues
Yet, all this pales as the film’s writing and editing fall flat. Starting with the writing, screenwriters Matthew Murray, Josh Stobard, and Luke Passmore fail to streamline the plot. Thus, it results in the film feeling haphazard in its pacing. Additionally, editor Elisabet Ronaldsdottir (The Fall Guy) contributes to this, as it clocks in at an hour and twenty minutes. As a result, the film feels rushed, going from one scene to another quickly. It also removes agency within the film’s characters, making them feel disposable. We also don’t get an established setting of the characters’ world. Nor is there any breathing room, going from one action set-piece to another.
Performances in Love Hurts
Leading the cast is none other than Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Marvin Gable. As Gable, Quan makes for a likable and solid lead, with his endearing personality shining through. Additionally, Quan excels in action sequences. The same is true for Ariana DeBose (Argylle), who displays an air of mystery as Rose. But, when the film suggests a romantic relationship between the two, it starts to fall apart as they don’t have chemistry together. Furthermore, the relationship feels hollow and underdeveloped.
Meanwhile, Daniel Wu (Westworld) feels wasted as Knuckles despite serving as the primary antagonist. The film barely contextualizes his motivation, only telling us this in exposition. Instead, the film focuses its screen time on other characters like Cam Gigandet (Violent Night)’s dastardly henchman Renny. As for the rest of the cast, Mustafa Shakir (Cowboy Bebop) and Marshawn Lynch (Bottoms) are fun as The Raven and King, respectively. The latter has greatchemistry with Andre Eriksen’s King. And finally, rounding out the rest of the cast are Lio Tipton (Vengeance) and Sean Astin (Stranger Things) as Ashley and Cliff. Both actors have fine chemistry with Quan, and Tipton has decent chemistry with Shakir’s Raven.
Final Thoughts
With Love Hurts, director Johnathan Eusenbio tries to make his feature directorial debut. While everything from the choreography to practical stunts works, the script and the editing fall short. Both elements feel rushed and haphazard, making it seem like the film was meant to be longer. And while Ke Huy Quan is a solid and likable lead, his romantic chemistry with Ariana DeBose falls flat. Overall, Love Hurts is a disappointing debut for Eusenbio and for Quan as a leading man.
