A Simple Noodle Story (San Qiang Pai An Jing Hun)

After the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, people wondered what director Zhang Yimou was up to. Would he give us another visual feast? Maybe one day, but he didn't with "A Simple Noodle Story." Based on the Coen Brothers' early film "Blood Simple," Zhang turned it into totally different stuff that failed to live up to expectations. He strangely gave the leading roles to actors of er ren zhuan, a folk comedy genre in Northeastern China, making viewers wonder if they're watching an er ren zhuan skit. Still, the movie did very well, earning 261 million yuan (US$38.22 million).