“Love Hurts” follows the life of assassin turned real estate agent Marvin (Ke Huy Quan) and his struggle to bury his past. When Marvin’s lost love, Rose (Ariana DeBose), seemingly returns from the dead, chaos ensues.
On a day of normal real estate showings, Marvin’s crime boss brother, Knuckles (Daniel Wu), comes knocking to finally eliminate Rose and tie up the loose ends since her arrival back to society.
Through a series of hijinks and hitmen, Marvin and Rose are left to fend for themselves against the many dangerous forces closing in.
“Love Hurts” features cameos from former football player Marshawn Lynch, Property Brothers star Drew Scott and recent American University commencement speaker, director and movie star Sean Astin.
Lynch and André Eriksen play a dynamic hitman duo hired by Knuckles’ second-in-command, Merlo (Cam Gigandet), with the task of finding Rose. The two add a great sense of levity and comedic relief to an otherwise violent and action-heavy film.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of moments that bring this film down. First is the undeniable lack of chemistry between Quan and DeBose, who are supposed to have a decade-spanning love affair, but come off as if they had only met a day prior.
This comes in stark contrast with Quan’s character, Marvin, who has both chemistry and a sense of charm with every character, excluding the one he is supposed to be in love with.
The lack of on-screen romance is a minor letdown compared to the messy, convoluted plot. There are several parts of the film that consist of the main and supporting characters driving around different locations within the already dull setting of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
While the plot leaves much to be desired, the flawlessly choreographed fight scenes are incredibly impressive. Quan, who has a second degree black belt in taekwondo, performed all of his stunts and action sequences himself.
Having Quan do his own stunts was important to director Johnathan Eusebio, who had previously been a stunt coordinator for multiple Marvel films and the John Wick franchise.
While Eusebio had no previous directorial experience, he managed to create incredible pacing in “Love Hurts,” making the 83-minute film feel much shorter than it already was.
“Love Hurts,” while objectively messy, offers a harmless promotion for the martial arts chops of Quan, as well as his charming and quirky acting style.
For most, “Love Hurts” may be a simple romance film packed with fight choreography and a few great stars. While it can’t be recommended based on impressive filmmaking or narrative structure, if you want to catch 25 minutes of phenomenal martial arts action, this movie is for you.
“Love Hurts” is now playing in theaters.
This article was edited by Alia Messina, Marina Zaczkiewicz and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Olivia Citarella, Emma Brown, Ella Rousseau and Charlie Mennuti.
