Romeo Must Die

Rating:
Summary: Cool Action!
Review: Although, this isn't the best Jet Li movie I have seen, I can think of several at least that are better, like "Fist Of Legend", "The Bodyguard From Beijing", "The Taichi Master", "The Swordsman II", "The Master" and others, I do have to say I rather enjoyed this movie and it's a good introduction to the American audience to the skills of Jet Li, other than his villainous role in "Lethal Weapon 4", which I thought he played a 'good' bad guy. I was also glad to see Russel Wong in the movie, I haven't seen him in a movie since "The Vanishing Son" series. And who can forget him in "The Joy Luck Club". The only real problems I have in the film is the excessive use or rap music, not that I have a problem with rap music, but the producers didn't have to put so much of it. The other problem is the nudity at the beginning of the movie when two Asian girls were getting it on at the dance floor. I think it should of been left out because little kids probably wanted to see this movie. Other than the problems I have with the movie stated above, I think overall it's a good martial arts movie to watch.

Rating:
Summary: Americanized and over the top
Review: I have been reading reviews of Jet Li's new movie, "Unleashed" based on its release in Paris (US is April 8). Their version is a very rated "R" due to the dark violence. Plus, it holds a very sad tone as Jet's character has the mentality of a child and is basically abused. Needless to say, it wasn't filmed in America and wasn't done via Joel Silvers. And that is where this review comes in.

This movie starts out of gate quite well, but eventually flutters. There are redeeming parts here and there, but the missing places are filled with cliches. I guess compared to "Cradle 2 the Grave" (also with Joel Silver) this one is not nearly as over-the-top.

I've watched this with various family and friends. The average reaction is medicore. It has entertaining value and not a lot of substance. The action scenes seemed spread out and even with sparce action, the characters fall short of feeling developed.

Maybe this will help; a quick ranking of Jet's American movies.
"Kiss of the Dragon" = Definately the best! (Dark tone)
"Lethal Weapon 4" = Jet basically fights and they are pretty good. Hardly, if any at all, dialogue.
"Cradle 2 the Grave" = Cliched and way over the top. Jet's character was pretty cool, but they should have used him more in the film.
"Romeo Must Die" = See above review
"The One" = A quick movie. Don't expect much and you will be pleased.

A few overseas films:
"Hero" = Released, I believe in 2002 overseas and 2004 here. This is an unbelievable movie. Be warned, it is done in an artsy way with cinematic views, incredible scenary, a clever plot that takes its time to develop adding twists, and fantasy type fighting (I mean wire-fu...it works for this type of film).
"My Father is a Hero" = Great movie. Not much action, but the story is nice. Only the main villian is cheesy, but don't let that stop you from watching this.
"The Master" = Only if you are desparate to see another Jet Li film. Otherwise, its really not worth your time.
"Once Upon A Time In China" = English dubbed is very lame, so avoid that version. This movie is pretty good.
"Fist of Legend" = Remake of Bruce Lee's "Fist of Fury." This is more of hardcore fighting. Jet plays a Chinese attending a Japanese school. This causes problems, due to the tensions that the Japenese and Chinese have towards one another.
"Born To Defense" = English dubbed is comical. This has some really great fight scenes though.




Rating:
Summary: Watch it because of Aaliyah :)
Review: Warner Bros would like you to think that 'Romeo Must Die' is a new take on the action genre - a film that not only delivers great action and excitement, but really builds deep and meaningful characters. Well, they're half right - it does deliver great action and excitement, but the plot is about as thin as the smile on the face of a used car salesman.
We are following the story of Han (Jet Li) and Trish (Aaliyah), the children of rival crime lords who have recently entered an agreement that is set to make them rich beyond their wildest dreams. The relationship is strained however when Han's brother turns up dead, hung from a light-pole. The remainder of the plot consists of the two children finding that they are perfect for each other, much to the chagrin of their parents - hence the Romeo of the title - and battling a conspiracy (consisting of lots of Bad Guys for Han to bash) that threatens to destroy both their families. It is somewhat amusing to see that while Hollywood has stretched as far as having an interracial couple in a major film, the two never so much as kiss, and only even hug once during the entire film - so it would seem there is still somewhat of a hang-up in that regard.
It should be noted that this is one of only two films completed by Aaliyah before her tragic and untimely demise on August 25th, 2001. As the other is the truly abominable Queen Of The Damned, this is a far more fitting tribute to her.


Rating:
Summary: Aaliyah and Jet Li Make It Worthwhile
Review: Without the pairing of Aaliyah and Jet, "Romeo Must Die" would be a typical Joel Silver action flick - great stunts, lots of hip-hop, interesting effects, and convoluted plot about rival gangs. Instead, this movie is special, and it's worth a second look.

Aaliyah was a geniunely sweet performer, and it shows in every scene. Watching her now, and knowing the details of her tragedy all too well, I can't help but wonder if she would have matured into an household name ala Beyonce, as she certainly had the looks, personality, and talent. She and Jet Li have good, believable chemistry. As for Jet's performance, this is one of his better English-language acting jobs. Unlike most martial artists, Jet tries to offer different performances in each film, and doesn't shy away from enhancing his skills with wires and special effects. You'll either love him or hate him for this decision, but it's hard not to admire the razzle-dazzle of his artifically enhanced kung fu. Despite the gritty hip-hop and r&b on the soundtrack, this isn't even a remotely realistic film, so why not just kick back and enjoy the magic?

Rating:
Summary: Guns don't kill people, rappers do
Review: How much more is Joel Silver going to do these type of movies? They're way overdone now. I've enjoyed the last couple I've watched, they've not been mind-blowing, but I enjoyed Cradle 2 The Grave. There's just no humour in this. Anthony Anderson doesn't play the cuddly, funny guy and team up with whatshisface, like in the other movies, he's more the hard nut guy, which I really didn't like.

The only interesting bits of this movie were when Jet Li comes onto the screen. You know there's gonna be trouble when this little guy's around! But when he wasn't on screen, and there was no fancy martial arts going on, the whole film slowed down considerably. These martial arts films are getting old, and there's lots of little short bursts of action, and pointless, non-memorable scenes in-between. Some of the scenes I did enjoy were the x-ray bone breaking shots. They were very well done and added something to the shot, that you wouldn't have normally seen. The music's just as great as any other of Joel Silver's movies: kicking hip hop music, and of course, DMX & Aaliyah both get songs on the soundtrack. As soon as the film starts, you're nodding your head along with the soundtrack, although it can be a little intrusive at times.

DMX is practically given top billing in this, but only appears in two scenes, and dies in the second one. What was the point in him being in the film, disappointing all his female fans by dying?! Excuse me?!

This was the only movie released featuring Aaliyah during her short life-time, and she had so much potential. Although the hair's slightly too much backcombed! I hadn't heard any of her music when she died, but knew the name vaguely.

There was no point in calling this Romeo Must Die, cos it almost implies, that there's gonna be a Romeo & Juliet kinda storyline. Hardly. From somebody who lives & breathes this romance stuff, it goes little beyond some heavy eye contact, and bad dancing from Jet Li's side. I found it difficult to differentiate between the two families, except they wanted to kill each other. That's the only similarity, and Shakespeare is currently spinning in his grave. Jet Li gets called Romeo once if I remember correctly during the movie, but the movie could have been given another name, and people wouldn't have made the links towards Romeo & Juliet so easily.

For a movie that features hip hop so much, of course in the extras, you get your typical music videos, many featuring Aaliyah. These extras are: documentary: "Making Romeo Must Die"; music video: "Try Again" by Aaliyah; music video: "Come Back in One Piece" by Aaliyah and "DMX"; making-of Aaliyah's "Try Again" video; craft mini-documentaries: "Anatomy of a Stunt", "Diary of a (Legal) Mad Bomber", "Inside the Visual Effects Process" and "The Soundstage"; action scene mini-documentaries: "Stairway Dance", "Kung Fu Football", "A Benz, a Bike, a Babe and Some Badass Kung Fu", "The Hose" and "Master on Fire".

I would give this movie a miss to be honest, if you fancied seeing it. I'm differing whether to give it a 2 or a 3 out of five. I've seen better movies that deserved a 3, I'm just not sure. Go watch Cradle 2 The Grave instead, that's much better. And has DMX in it in more than just two measly scenes.

Rating:
Summary: BAD PLOT, MEDIOCRE MOVIE
Review: A JAILED CHINESE COP [JET LI] ESCAPES FROM PRISON TO COME TO OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA TO SEEK HIS BROTHER'S KILLER. NOT LONG AFTER HE GETS THERE, HE FALLS IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL GIRL [PLAYED BY THE LATE AALIYAH] WHOSE FATHER [DELROY LINDO] HAPPENS TO BE THE LEADER OF A RIVAL SYNDICATE. HAS SOME GOOD MARTIAL ARTS SCENES, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, A MEDIOCRE MOVIE WITH A BAD PLOT. AS I'VE SAID MANY TIMES BEFORE, I'M NOT REALLY A FAN OF JET LI, AND THE ONLY REASON I EVEN TAKE A LOOK AT HIS FILMS IS BECAUSE I HAPPEN TO LOVE MARTIAL ARTS MOVIES. IF YOU DO LIKE JET LI, I ADVISE YOU TO SKIP THIS MOVIE AND SEE THE FIST OF LEGEND, WHICH IS HIS BEST MOVIE.

Rating:
Summary: A martial artist, a singer, and a comedian walk into a movie
Review: Tell me if you've heard this one from Joel Silver: a martial artist, a singer, and a comedian walk into a movie.

The punch line: Romeo Must Die.

Romeo Must Die is a slickly produced, big budget action flick that revolves around a gang war between two crime families, led by the African-American Isaak O'Day (Delroy Lindo) and the Chinese Ch'u Sing (Henry O). They are engulfed in a battle over the sale of Oakland-San Francisco waterfront property, the future location of an NFL stadium. Oozing all over the deal as The White Man is Vincent Roth (Edoardo Ballerini) who embodies greed in a corporate suit.

Isaak has a plan to stop his life of crime after the sale, but his second-in-command, Mac (Isaiah Washington), has other plans. Ch'u has his own lieutenant, Kai (Russell Wong), who doesn't seem to do much but wear sunglasses until the end of the movie.

As a result of all the skullduggery, things don't go as planned. Ch'u son (Po Sing, played by Jonkit Lee) is murdered, setting off what seems like a retaliatory strike against Isaak's son, Colin (D.B. Woodside). Word of the murder reaches Han Sing (Jet Li) in prison, who immediately breaks out and flies halfway around the world to avenge his brother's death.

There, he meets Isaak's daughter, the gorgeous Trish O'Day (Aaliyah). After Han steals a taxi and barges into Trish's house, the two decide to work together to discover who's really behind the murders. Why Trish should trust Han so quickly, given that he is the son of a rival gang leader, is never made clear.

Even more inconceivable is the supposed relationship that exists between the two. That's right folks, Li is supposed to be Romeo and Aaliyah is his Juliet. The two never even kiss. Somewhere, Will Shakespeare is spinning in his grave. With the high death toll, Romeo must Die has a lot more to do with Hamlet than Romeo and Juliet.

This movie is so grossly enthusiastic about its violent content that it actually has special effects to demonstrate how people die. In other words, instead of indicating that an arm has been broken by a loud crack, the movie shifts to an x-ray vision view of the victim's body, showing the bone break. It's like Speak n' Spell for action films, explaining in precise detail the damage inflicted just in case you didn't figure out how the bad guy died. This is alternately amusing and pathetic - now we have to dumb down our action movies too?

Li (the martial artist) has some amazing action sequences, including the most creative use of a fire hose and zip lock ties. When he's fighting, Li is in his natural element. When he's speaking...he's not. The considerably more handsome and understandable Wong should have had the lead role.

Aaliyah's (the singer) presence is breathtaking, but she has very little to do in the movie. Mostly, she complains about her father's criminal activities. Although Aaliyah's music floats in the background of most of the scenes, all evidence of her musical talent is subsumed under two extremely contrived dance moves. Worse, Aaliyah's dancing sucks.

Let us not forget about the comedian, Maurice (Anthony Anderson). Big and loud, Maurice is the bodyguard assigned to Trish. He's also a non-stop laugh machine, churning out joke after joke, sometimes mumbling punch lines that only he gets.

The movie's lack of romance, despite the title, is forgivable. The attempt at a plot (and the inevitable twist) is high-minded if misguided. But what makes this movie almost unwatchable is the rampant racist remarks.

The taxi that Han eventually steals is driven by "Akbar," an Indian man. Everyone calls Han "Akbar" with a sneer, because clearly that's a name for Indian people who drive taxis, not Chinese guys driving taxis. Then Han is called "Dim Sung," after he pretends to be a Chinese food delivery guy. The blacks have rhythm, swear a lot, and break out into random dance moves. The Chinese are unfailingly polite, grieve in private, and all know martial arts (a trait Han says, with a smirk, is "state law"). And the white guy is a corporate suit, with slicked back hair and his own crony.

Ever since the success of Exit Wounds, starring DMX (who made a guest appearance in this film) and Steven Seagal, Joel Silver has been trying to create more cross genre pictures of this type to attract the hip-hop and martial art crowds. Romeo Must Die simply doesn't have the guts to go all the way with its romance, with its plot, or by breaking any stereotypes.

Rating:
Summary: Not a cinematic masterpiece,but
Review: I owe Jet an apology.I saw Cradle 2 The Grave in March and trashed it in a review.TV Guide described C2G as a derivative thriller,and now I see why,it ripped so much from Romeo and Exit Wounds,it was a perfect cookie cutter movie.I still think C2G was a bad movie and everyone that was involved in it and this movie took a major step down,but I now do think Jet has some acting ability,as he demonstrated in Romeo.Romeo is a hip hop/martial arts version of Romeo and Juliet,and although the story was not a believeable one,but it was written well enough to keep you guessing who was up to what.Jet played the imprisoned former cop who escaped from jail in Hong Kong to find the killer of his brother and he has the chops to came off as a likeable character.Aaliyah played his love interest.She was good in the role.It's a shame she died tragically,she could have went on to become a decent actress.Anthony Anderson played a comic relief role as a body guard,and DMX played a believable part for once as a night club owner.The rest of the cast really did not impress me,interchangeable Asians and blacks to play the stereotyped gangsters,but they really played secondary roles.I would not recommend buying this,but as a rental you could do worse

Rating:
Summary: They faked it.
Review: I like Jet Li but this movie is so faked it was impossible to get into the story. We are suppose to beleive this is the Bay Area of California but we see the Vancouver B.C.'s skyline,and locations and mountains, scene after scene, only the license plates and flags have been changed to protect the innocent. I just could not take any of it seriously. Lets have more truth in location. Pleeeease!