A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop

A lurid, sunbaked farce that slides into bloody menace, mixing broad comedy with creeping dread in a dusty, claustrophobic setting.

Directed by

Zhang Yimou

Genres

Comedy, Drama, Thriller

Starring

Sun Honglei, Xiao Shenyang, Yan Ni

Overview

Wang is a gloomy, cunning and avaricious noodle shop owner in a desert town in China. His neglected, sharp-tongued wife is involved in a secret affair with Li, one of Wang’s employees. A timid man, Li reluctantly keeps the gun his lover has bought to kill her husband. But Wang is watching their every move. He bribes patrol officer Zhang to murder the illicit couple. It seems like a perfect plan: the affair will come to a cruel, bloody but satisfying end or so he thinks. The equally wicked Zhang has an agenda of his own. As the plot twists, more blood will flow, and ever greater violence will erupt.

How it feels

Dark, absurd, satirical and tense. Measured and needs your attention.

About

Betrayal, obsession, greed, crime

Content

Strong violence. Mild gore, sexual content and language.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)