Let the Bullets Fly

Let the Bullets Fly
Theatrical release poster
Traditional Chinese讓子彈飛
Simplified Chinese让子弹飞
Hanyu PinyinRàng zǐ dàn fēi
Directed byJiang Wen
Screenplay byJiang Wen
Story byMa Shitu
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyZhao Fei
Music by
Production
company
Distributed byEmperor Motion Pictures
Release date
  • December 16, 2010 (2010-12-16)
Running time
132 minutes
Countries
  • China
  • Hong Kong
LanguagesMandarin
Sichuanese
Box officeUS$117.5 million (China)
US$140 million (worldwide)

Let the Bullets Fly is a 2010 action comedy film written and directed by Jiang Wen, based on a story by Ma Shitu. The film is a Chinese-Hong Kong co-production, set in Sichuan during the 1920s when the bandit Zhang (Jiang Wen) descends upon a town posing as its new governor. The film also stars Chow Yun-fat, Ge You, Carina Lau, and Chen Kun.

The film's script went through over thirty drafts before Jiang Wen was happy with it. Let the Bullets Fly was originally to be released in September 2010 but was pushed back to December. Made in Mandarin and Sichuanese, the film broke several box office records in China, and has received critical acclaim, when it was released. Let the Bullets Fly grossed 674 million yuan (US$110 million) in Chinese box office (becoming the highest grossing domestic film in China until it was beaten by Painted Skin: The Resurrection in 2012) and $140 million worldwide.

This film would become the first part of Jiang Wen's gangster Beiyang trilogy with Gone with the Bullets and Hidden Man.