Love Hurts, in theaters Friday, has a simple premise that should work with a few cleverly designed fight scenes. However, the film so overcomplicates its thin premise that even a few decent action scenes can't justify it.

Marvin used to work for his gangster brother Knuckles (Daniel Wu), but he let Rose go and went into hiding. Rose is forcing him back into action on purpose.

"Violent man brought out of hiding" is a reliable subgenre, whether it's A History of Violence or Nobody. As generic as Love Hurts is, the film both fails to distinguish itself and convolutes the tried and true formula.

There are way too many characters for an 83-minute movie. Knuckles sends his henchman Merlo (Cam Gigandet), hitman The Raven (Mustafa Shakir) and the hitmen pair King (Marshawn Lynch) and Otis (Andre Eriksen) after Marvin.

The script by Matthew Murray, Josh Stoddard and Luke Passmore tries to incorporate Valentine's Day into the action. Each of the hitmen has some sort of romantic issue, which The Raven expresses with poetry and Otis in phone calls with his girlfriend.

Those relationships are not fully developed so they become one-dimensional plot lines plugged into "generic hitman" roles. The Raven and Ashley connect in the relationship that comes closest to genuine heart.

Marvin seems genuinely content with his realty business, as opposed to Bob Odenkirk's character in Nobody who was just itching for action after years in hiding, or John Wick who never enjoys violence but is forced to use his expertise against people who won't let him be.

Rose's sass lacks conviction too. For all her prodding about living an unfulfilling life, she's ultimately only out for the money she's owed.

The film adds voiceover narration by both Marvin and Rose to state their characters' realizations. It's apparent enough when Marvin decides he's willing to fight without adding sloppy narration to confirm it.

The film's 83 minutes is still padded. It is a long wait from Marvin's first battle with Otis and King to the final series of confrontations.

The fight scenes, by the 87North team, are competent as expected, though less inspired than work in other films. A scene in which Marvin protects his realty award in a fight scene is the kind of hook Jackie Chan adds to his fights, but as such, it feels derivative.

The violence earns its R-rating with a few bloody kill shots. All of the fights look like they hurt, with Marvin getting slammed into counters.

Yet, that too doesn't quite match the absurd tone director Jonathan "JoJo" Eusebio was setting. Innocent people are punished graphically while the violent people survive with a few flesh wounds.

It is a shame that Quan's first starring vehicle after his Oscar-winning comeback does not do him justice. He will surely survive a mediocre vehicle, but it speaks worse of the industry that they didn't develop a stronger film for a beloved star.

Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.