Let the Bullets Fly

Let the Bullets Fly is set in China during the 1920s, when warlords divided the country and central authority had collapsed. A bandit leader named Pocky Zhang and his men arrive in a remote provincial town, where Zhang passes himself off as its new governor. His plan to bring order and deal with corruption puts him on a collision course with Huang Silang, the powerful local crime boss who controls the town from a fortified stronghold. As the deception deepens, the two men are drawn into a violent struggle over who really rules the place.

Jiang Wen directed the film and shares screenplay credit with Shu Ping and Guo Junli. It was his fifth directorial feature, arriving between The Sun Also Rises and Gone with the Bullets. Jiang Wen stars as Pocky Zhang, with Chow Yun-fat as Huang Silang, Ge You as Old Tang and Carina Lau as the magistrate's wife. Shao Bing and Liao Fan appear among the twenty-one credited cast members.

Released in December 2010, the film is an action comedy from Hong Kong and mainland China, running 132 minutes. It took about 105 million dollars worldwide, a strong result for a Chinese-language release of its time. On IMDb it holds 7.3 out of 10 from roughly 14,000 votes and on TMDB 7.8 from about 363 votes, while a critics' rating stands at 6 out of 10 from 32 reviews, so viewers have generally rated it higher than reviewers did.