I saw this film as a love song to the Coen brothers for their wry comedy _oeuvre_. Much like you can see _O Brother_ as a love song to country/bluegrass music; the Coens clearly are highly sophisticated musically, and can work their magic around this framework into a superb film.
Note that it is _not_ a remake; _Blood Simple_ is hardly a comedy by any measure. It was just a starting point for Yang to hang his comedy on. And what a comedy it is! Elements of traditional Chinese film comedy: the slapstick, including the bumpkin assistant Zhao with the buck teeth; the hapless Li who finally finds his gumption; the remarkable acrobatics shots with the noodle preparation; the spunky little ingénue.
The whole extended mime sequence near the end is pure Coen. The characters are gently satirized via their idiosyncratic behavior in the face of incongruous events (think Jeff Bridges in _Lebowski_.) Zhang shows us the universality of this kind of humor, born of Keaton in the silent era.
Highly recommended!
