‘Love Hurts’ Review: Ke Huy Quan Gets Some Valentine Kicks In Violent, Stunt-Filled Action Flick – Deadline
By Pete Hammond Awards Columnist/Chief Film Critic
Valentine’s Day used to be an occasion for studios to deliver romantic comedies, but that genre, even with the success of last year’s Anyone But You, still seems relegated to streamers, if at all. Instead for the holiday of love this year studios are seeing red — not for Valentines but rather blood. Sony has a gross horror item called Heart Eyes in which as the red-band trailer shows sees one main character done in with a knife thrust into eye in grisly fashion. In Universal’s offering Love Hurts, we see another supporting character eliminated with the exact same graphic demise. Date Night for February 14 this year is turning into Hate Night.
Now a starring vehicle for recent Supporting Oscar winners Key Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) and Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), the appropriately titled Love Hurts has been a action script gathering dust for more than two decades. Screenwriter credits now add Luke Passmore to the original writing team of Matthew Murray & Josh Stoddard. It landed in the hands of production company 87North, responsible for over-the-top, violent, stunt-laden films like Bullet Train, Atomic Blonde, Fall Guy and the Bob Odenkirk-starring Nobody, the latter easily the best of that bunch for which subtlety is not a description I would use.
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This one, retooled with a Valentine’s Day-themed setting for marketing purposes, features the ever-likeable and appealing Quan as Marvin Gable, a Milwaukee real estate agent with a past. He was a hitman in his previous life but had moved on when suddenly a Valentine’s Day card from an ex-partner in crime, Rose (DeBose), arrives signaling her need for his help in settling a debt against their old boss. Reluctantly he is pulled back in just when he thought he was out, and in this thankfully tight 83-minute running time the director Jonathan Eusebio, making his feature debut after a career in stunts for some of the top action films of recent years, wastes no time when an imposing guy named “The Raven” (Mustafa Shakir) turns up at his office with his selection of sharp weapons and quickly stabs his hand to the desk.
Mayhem and martial arts follows in this first of the many choreographed fight sequences that are this flick’s reason to exist. It all leads eventually to a showdown with Marvin’s brother, crime boss “Knuckles” (Oy), played by a one-note Daniel Wu, who is looking to his sibling to deliver Rose, his ultimate target for revenge.
Various bad dudes with all sorts of reasons for revenge pop in and out spouting leaden dialogue that confirms why this script has been in the drawer for so long. Producers try to spruce it up with the Valentine’s Day angle, a major selling point for Universal, but it is a rather poor imitation of a WICKed formula we have seen many times. And yes, there are of course attempts at humor such as when an eager couple ready to buy a home from Marvin arrive at the wrong time to seal the deal and find themselves in the middle of a turf war destroying the house in the process. “Don’t worry, I have people who can fix this up,” Marvin assures them.
Quan gets his first leading role here and certainly demonstrates his Jackie Chan-like skill at martial arts, impressively handling all the action in style. Chemistry with co-star DeBose is lacking, but on her own she does what she can with the underwritten femme fatale role she is handed here. Both these talented stars deserve so much better than this forgettable material. Among the supporting cast, Shakir turns from vicious hitman to love-sick puppy on a dime in amusing fashion, and it is fun to see Quan’s Goonies co-star Sean Astin turn up as his real estate mentor, if only briefly.
Eusebio shows off the skill for which he was hired here, to stage badass fight sequences, and he keeps them coming. Producers include Kelly McCormick, Guy Danella and David Leitch.
Title: Love HurtsDistributor: Universal PicturesRelease date: February 7, 2025Director: Jonathan EusebioScreenwriters: Matthew Murray & Josh Stoddard and Luke PassmoreCast: Ke Huy Quan, Ariana DeBose, Mustafa Shakir, Lio Tipton, Cam Gigandet, Marshawn “Beastmode” Lynch, Andre Eriksen, Sean Astin, Daniel WuRating: RRunning time: 1 hr 23 minsGet our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy.Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters
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