‘Noodle Shop’ may be too much of a culture shock

“A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop”

Directed by: Zhang… “A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop”

Directed by: Zhang Yimou

Starring: Sun Honglei, Xiao Shen-Yyang, Yan Ni

Grade: B

In 1984, Joel and Ethan Coen made their directorial debuts with Blood Simple, a dark-comedy thriller awash with adultery, murder and betrayal.

Twenty-five years later, acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou has remade it, transporting the story from a small Texas town to the deserts of northern China.

The plot of “A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop” — staying true to its English title — is simple. A man suspects his wife is having an affair with an employee and hires someone to kill the adulterous couple. But murder never remains simple. Complications arise when the hired hitman realizes an opportunity for financial gain by eliminating the boss instead.

Director Zhang Yimou made his name with films like “House of Flying Daggers,” “Hero” and “Raise the Red Lantern.” They tackle the theme of adversity faced by people living in rural areas of China, often feature a strong female lead and dazzle audiences with rich color palettes.

Despite being accustomed to the Chinese slapstick cinematic style, I found myself unable to connect with this movie. Compared to the obvious ominous and dangerous tones of the Coen Brothers’ version, the elements of “Noodle Shop” were too outlandish. I left after the 95-minute movie, simply hungry for a bowl of pulled noodles and with the desire to see the original “Blood Simple.”

This is not to say that the movie deserves a bad review. It has been extremely well-received at international film festivals and in its limited opening in the United States. But, my fellow college-aged classmates — especially those with no particular interest in or knowledge of China — might get more out of “Blood Simple.”

“A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop” might wow audiences with contrasting bright costumes and sweeping panoramas of the desert at the rarely seen western end of the Great Wall, but the subtleties of Zhang’s deft directorial hand might be lost. Additionally, although many Chinese films utilize martial arts to engage foreign audiences, there is an obvious lack of kung fu in this movie. Death is quickly bestowed upon victims by firearm instead of by drawn out, choreographed sword fights.

If you would still like to take a chance on the film, the Harris Theater Downtown is showing “A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop” until this Thursday.