February is the month known for Valentine’s Day, a day dedicated to love, both romantic and platonic. With this season of love comes demand for romance movies in theaters, and Love Hurts was one of those movies to enter the niche.

The movie follows a realtor by the name of Marvin Gable (played by Ke Huy Quan) who seems to desire a quiet life. However, his world is turned upside down when he receives a letter from his former partner-in-crime, Rose (played by Ariana DeBose) thrusting him back into a world of hit men and crime.

There were some interesting dynamics in the movie that were pleasantly surprising to see. One of my personal favorites was between Marvin and Knuckles (played by Daniel Wu), a crime lord who also happens to be Marvin’sbrother. The familial connection made the story much tenser and the stakes higher than if Knuckles had just been a random crime boss.

In addition to this, the plot seemed decently original. Many Valentine’s movies focus on tropes of love and forbidden romance in order to match the theme of the season. So, to see a seasonal movie like Love Hurts set in the world of crime was interesting and kept me engaged.

One thing that I found distasteful in the movie, however, was the pacing. Everything felt too rushed, as if the movie was made to hit a deadline and had to cut corners to do so. One moment, Marvin’s fighting off his brother’s henchmen, and the next, he’s kissing Rose at the end of the movie.

Overall, Love Hurts is a good watch for anyone who likes the crime or romance genres. But if you personally aren’t a fan of fast-paced movies, you might want to buy tickets to another film.