Touched: A crazy movie about four lives in contemporary China

I know it received pretty strong reviews but, despite its promise and despite a few pretty strong scenes, I could not finish watching the recent Chinese film A Touch of Sin. The strengths: it gives us what appears to be a very accurate look at the topography of life today in some of China's lesser-known cities and regions. We see life in a small coal-mining village (ruled by a corrupt oligarch), life in a mid-sized (for China) city -  and really see life on the streets and in public places - on highways, on a river ferry, the sounds everywhere of blaring conversations and loudspeakers, the ever-present danger of thugs at traffic stops and road blocks, crowds in all public places such as railroad stations, and then occasionally some weirdly beautiful night-time scenes - woman alone at night walking by the side of a highway. Sounds good so far - but - the problem is that the plot and action of the movie is so preposterous and so clumsily handled that I eventually bailed. For example, the first segment (there are 4, I think, very loosely related), involves a guy in a coal-mining village who tries to stir up resentment and rebellion against the oligarch who's stolen all the profits from the mine. Guy gets beat up by a shovel-wielding thug. In response, guy gets a rifle, walks through village, assassinates probably about 8 of his rivals, including at least one man who simply casually insults him. This is not in the least realistic - there's no police response until far too late. And you have to wonder: who is that rebellious character? Does he just show up all of a sudden out of nowhere - or has he been raising his complaints for months, years? It makes no sense whatsoever. At first, watching it and listening to his rantings against power and corruption, we thought - how did this movie ever get past Chinese censors? But then we realized: of course, what it's showing is that anyone who protests against power is obviously insane and psychopathic. Other sections of the long movie (I stopped watching in midst of 3rd section, about a woman working as a receptionist in a sex sauna who attacks a guy who tries to come on to her - in a grisly and highly unrealistic way - again, those who stand up against power are depicted as insane) are similarly absurd and improbable, and not really well dramatized, except maybe for opening scene when motorcyclist shoots three would-be highway robbers. (Even that scene, though: can you possibly shoot a pistol, then carry it in your mouth! while riding a motorcycle? Wouldn't it be a bit hot for that?!) A Touch of Sin need a touch of sensibility, too.