shuai be a burly and uncouth young beijinger with a punkish haircut and who ekes out a living selling cheap book from a stall in an indoor market . he wouldn not appear to have anything in common with the wiry and middle age and would be intellectual and zhang and yet the two of them wind up in a restaurant together discuss the pro and con of murder ( the chinese title would perhaps be well translate a talk it over ) . if that make it sound kind of pedestrian and do not be mislead represent this film be profusely inventive in it plot and and mostly race along at breakneck speed ( although the pace do flag quite badly towards the end ) . if you only know zhang yimou worthy historical drama like raise the red lantern and shanghai triad and or his more recent martial art epic and hero and house of fly dagger and you will be amaze while in fact and whichever of his other film you have see and you will be surprised and pleasantly surprise this be far and away his most original and most quirky and most experimental work . it be shoot within a couple of week on a minimal budget and almost entirely on location in beijing ( and make use of many ordinary beijingers in the small support role there even a fleeting cameo by the director himself ) and and mostly with a hand hold camera and in a jerky and hyper kinetic style which be a million mile from the elegant formalism of his best know film . ok and i live in beijing and so i find an additional delight in all the bizarre little detail of everyday life that i be come to recognise and relish ( even though it be shoot in 97 and and thing be change so rapidly here ) and but i really think this film can be appreciate by anyone . i saw it and a i have so many other chinese comedy and at a movie club that screen sub title version of recent chinese film for an almost exclusively expat audience while and it be the only one i can recall where the audience be laugh out loud . some non chinese audience might find it a little too strange and a little uncomfortable at time and in that it do include some violence and and and after open a a breezy and offbeat romantic comedy and mutates into something much darker in it second half . it be and however and very and very funny . it also superbly act by the two lead and especially long time zhang yimou collaborator jiang wen and who be probably mainland china foremost film star and and have a brooding screen presence reminiscent of a young depardieu or de niro . watch this film for proof that the chinese have a sense of humour that can translate to other culture and for proof that zhang yimou be far and far more than a one trick pony . and for a thoroughly good time .