Love Hurts follows a realtor who is thrust back into a world of ruthless hit men and double-crosses that turn his open houses into deadly war zones.
This is all about the action. Love Hurts features some impressive fight choreography, helmed by Ke Huy Quan. Several of these are typical action scenes, but there’s always a little extra flare infused into them. Whether that be a fun location, unique props or bizarre weapons.
Ke Huy Quan does a great job in the lead role physically, though he isn’t really given much to do as a character. There is some development throughout the short 83-minute runtime, but it’s rushed and half-baked. The same can be said for the rest of the cast, with everything outside of the action in the film being middling at best. There aren’t any bad performances here, but none are overly memorable either.
Even with an extremely short runtime, I found myself waiting for the next action scene in Love Hurts. There’s very little intrigue to any of the plot points, and the way that the film progresses alongside the character development is cliché-riddled. This is a story that’s been done dozens of other times before. Love Hurts doesn’t have enough originality to make it stand out.
Love Hurts is labeled as an action comedy. However… there’s really no humor at all here. The movie is constantly attempting jokes through various side plots and character arcs, but most of the time they don’t land. There are a few “so bad that it’s good” moments that generate brief amusement. Still, I can’t count how many times I face palmed out of disappointment.
The film’s “Valentine’s Day” theme is also extremely forced. The subject is mostly relegated to a side plot that was unnecessary and cringe-inducing. The chemistry between Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose doesn’t work as well, with the limited backstory hindering any connection there. Love Hurts introduces strange narration and monologues midway through the runtime in an attempt at furthering their relationship, which only results in an unnatural experience where we aren’t seeing their love but only hearing about it.
Despite its many, many flaws, Love Hurts is still a somewhat enjoyable experience. It’s quick and to the point, wasting no time on fluff. As a matter of fact, it doesn’t really have much of a story at all. The action sequences are fresh and exciting, with energetic presences from Ke Huy Quan, DeBose and Marshawn Lynch helping. It may not be a good movie as a whole, but the action alone makes Love Hurts a partly fun ride.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
