Ke Huy Quan is an unassuming action star in Love Hurts trailer

Some star-chemistry pairings are obvious, and some are a surprise. You wouldn’t have guessed, for instance, when Oscar winner Ariana DeBose handed an Oscar to Ke Huy Quan, that those two would be starring as partners in crime in an action movie. And yet that’s the exact premise of Love Hurts, which premieres in theaters February 7, 2025. Though we’ve seen Quan’s moves (in Everything Everywhere All At Once), he also isn’t your typical action star—but that, too, is woven into the fabric of the film. 

The Love Hurts trailer introduces us to the unassuming and eternally optimistic Milwaukee realtor Marvin Gable (Quan). Unfortunately, his past catches up with him—as pasts tend to do—and he’s beset by hitmen sent by his crime lord brother Knuckles (Daniel Wu). But his past also brings him back to Rose. “When you stole from my brother, I got you out. Why did you come back?” Marvin asks. “We’re hiding. And hiding ain’t living,” Rose reminds him. 

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Quan said he was excited but “very confused” when he landed the lead of Love Hurts. “I go, ‘Wait, why are they offering me this? I’m nothing like this.’ I even told [my agent], ‘You guys should be calling Jason Statham. He’s going to love this script.'” But the role of Marvin necessitated “a different kind of action star, not the action star we have seen in the last few decades. He’s not afraid to be vulnerable; he doesn’t look like a badass until the situation is called for. That’s an interesting take on the genre,” Quan shared.

Love Hurts is directed by John Wick stunt coordinator Jonathan Eusebio—you can see the similarities of the “retired hitman reluctantly gets back in the game” plot line. Marvin’s sincere desire is to no longer hurt people, but how can he help it when faced with heavies played by the likes of Wu, Marshawn Lynch, and Mustafa Shakir? The film also features appearances from Rhys Darby, Lio Tipton, André Eriksen, and Quan’s Goonies co-star Sean Astin.