Rating: 
Summary: Sound and fury this certainly has
Review: Romeo Must Die is typical of a number of recent action-adventure movies. Fill the screen with lots of special effects, with heavy emphasis on explosions. Raise the decibel level on the sound track. Mix in a lot of jarring hip-hop music, paying scant attention to whether or not the vocals have anything to do with the movie. Give all the bad guys flashy cars to drive, lots of great jewelry to wear and houses to live in that are bigger and grander than those lived in by the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Finally, make the villains more likable by implying that tactics such as drug dealing and homicide are the only means certain people have to succeed and that most of them plan to go straight one day soon. The result of all this hocus pocus is that it will hopefully divert the audience so much that it will not realize that the movie has a dumb plot, if it has one at all. Or maybe to make them too dazed and confused to care.As Romeo Must Die opens, two gangster warlords, one black and one Chinese, are in open warfare with each other. Since each one's fortune will be made by a joint effort to put together a deal with a supposedly legitimate corporation, I never understood the war part, but who needs a plot? The war is just a setup so that Chinese warlord Ch'u Sing's [Henry O] son can get murdered, the obvious suspects being members of the black gang and their leader, Isaak O'Day [Delray Lindo]. This provides an excuse for Sing's other son, Han [Jet Li], to single-handedly break out of a Hong Kong prison, come to America and seek revenge. One day in San Francisco, where the movie is set, Han steals a cab [don't ask] and just happens to rescue Trish O'Day [Aaliyah], Isaak's daughter, who is fleeing one of Dad's bodyguards, one that is supposed to be protecting her. Han whisks her away, never once thinking that the police might be looking for said cab. When he lets her off, their eyes meet, the music sweeps up, and, yes, love has landed. Both are alienated from their fathers, he on a little matter of Dad's letting him take the rap back in Hong King to save the old man's hide, and she because father is a self-righteous jerk who does bad things for a living. What greater justification for love could there be? Soon the plot gets both thicker and thinner, a writing feat in itself. Halfway through the movie, every audience member with at least a grade school education has figured out who is the culprit behind the war. Never mind that. There are lots more explosions, big fights and other events to follow to keep the viewers awake, and thus, presumably entertained. Jet Li is a Hong Kong kung fu movie star who can sometimes also act. Here he seems mostly confused, not by America, I suspect, but by the director. He is grand in the fight scenes, though assisted often by flying pulley wires plus a few graphics effects. There aren't enough of these fights because the movie spends too much time taking itself seriously. As Trish O'Day, beautiful supermodel Aaliyah is pert and attractive, but this is no movie by which to measure her assets as an actress. Some of the supporting actors, especially Anthony Anderson, hilariously funny as Maurice the bodyguard, rise above their stereotypical roles. First time director Andrzej Bartkowiak is a master cinemaphotographer, and he might be wise to return to working the cameras ASAP. The trailer for Romeo Must Die was first rate and did much to sell the movie. In it, there were a lot of fast, intricate little cuts from the film. All were underscored by a short, powerful classical orchestral and choral piece, which is not in the movie at all. Interestingly, on the DVD version, the opening section where the DVD's menu choices are displayed is filled with fast, intricate little cuts and the same classical music. Some creative soul in the Warner Bros. DVD division must have been sending us a message.
Rating: 
Summary: Left Me in Awe!
Review: This refers to the VHS version. I first rented this movie to see what kind of an actress Aaliyah was. My comments... she pretty much nailed her part, so effortlessly you'd think she didn't even need to memorize a script. That's how great she was. We all still miss her...
I had seen Jet Li in Lethal Weapon 4 and was very impressed with his martial art techniques. I thought I'd rent "Romeo Must Die" to see how well of an actor he is, because in LW4 he doesn't really talk much. Turns out he's an excellent actor as well. The movie has a tinge of Shakespeare's famous play "Romeo & Juliet", two families fighting over property and higher status with Li and Aaliyah trying to bring peace to the out of control families. Thankfully, and unlike the tragedy itself, the heroes (Li and Aaliyah) DO NOT kill themselves at the end! There are some really intense fight sequences, especially the one at the end with Han (Li) versus Kai (Russell Wong). Some great effects going on in this movie, but like all my reviews, I'm not giving away all of the movie. This is a must see for anyone, but I don't recommend it for children under 13 because of lots of violence and language. Happy viewing everyone!
Rating: 
Summary: Great Plot + Fantastic Action Sequences = Outstading Movie
Review: When I first saw trailers for this movie, I thought it was some hastily put together, no plot, American Martial Arts Movie. I was very surprised to see that the movie had 2 plots intertwined and took up most of the movie. You might say that the movie focused too much on the plot. The action sequences are fantastic, however, the X-Ray death sequences feel out of place at times. The movie is unexpected at times and is very entertaining. Also, the DVD is full of extras including Aaliyah's video for "Try Again", the movies top track that is very catchy. It can also remind you of your old elementary school teachers. I don't ever really feal like trying again after I fail. On a 1-10 scale, this movie is an 8. Wait, I forgot to include the great acting, 8.5
Rating:
Summary: cool movie.
Review: I think the movie is wonderful, but I could be a bit bias since I love Aaliyah. I saw this movie the first week it came out, and I also bought the VHS version right when it came out. I just recently got a DVD player, and I really want to get this movie so I can see the extra footage. I love Aaliyah, and I loved the movie. it was really good, and I thought the cast that they chose was wonderful. they gave everyone the right role -- but I think they could have found someone else to play jet-li's role, he was a little too old for aaliyah. they could have found someone younger who was great at martial arts, too.
Rating:
Summary: entertaining but..........
Review: The movie is entertaining enough. Soundtrack is okay if you like that kind of music. The martial arts is very good, as can be expected of yet li. The story is ....... well, you all know Romeo and Juliet. Nothing else special to mention.
You can spend 2 hour being entertained but don't expect a good plot. Just wait for the next fighting scene and you'll cope.
Rating:
Summary: breath of fresh air & humor
Review: The main reason why I like this movie so much was because it had a very fresh feel to it. It's something I haven't seen before. The mixing of Chinese and Black characters is very new to Hollywood and makes this movie one of a kind. The fight scenes were also very fun to watch even if the special effects and editing got in the way at times. Also, the subtle humor keeps this movie so fun to watch that I might even consider this a comedy, well, an action comedy anyway. The DVD extras were also fun to see. There were short interviews with many actors during the behind the scenes. The addition of the music video was also a nice feature.
Rating:
Summary: Hero in a nutshell
Review: What can I say? You have Jet Li and Aaliyah, God bless her soul and you have the same great intense action you get from Marix.
You know what I'm talking about! When you first saw Matrix in theatres and the janitor could have swept your jaw into a dust pan! SAME CONCEPT!
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie with lots of Action
Review: This movie was really good, and that suprised me. I thought it was going to be the usual beat them up kind of movie but it actually had a complex plot that wasn't as easy to predict as I was expecting. I really like the old Jet Li films (except any of the once upon a time in china(s)). I wasn't sure if I would like a film like this one but it was really good. Plenty of action but it was done so Diffrently that it was like watching something really new. This is even a movie for compromise if one person wants to watch action and the other a slight romance. It has both.
Rating: 
Summary: An average action flick.
Review: Stylish, but somewhat hollow martial arts flick with a cool soundtrack and a promising performance from Aaliyah. I bought this DVD many months before her unfortunate death, so it's hard to watch this without a tinge of sadness. Nevertheless, if you're looking for a reasonably entertaining action film with a hip-hop edge, you can do worse than this.
Rating: 
Summary: HATED IT!
Review: i know,the good guy always wins.BUT PLEASE,CAN SOMEONE MAKE IT LOOK CONVINCING?!?!?!?!?!?AND PLEASE,CAN ALL THE RAPPERS/SINGERS ATTEND THE ICE-CUBE ACTING CLASSES INSTEAD OF THE LAME ICE-T SCHOOL FOR STRAIGHT TO VIDEO LIMBO?????where to begin with this horrible actioneer...hhhmmmmm.acting;horrendous,plot;horrendous;directing;horrendous,charactors;horrendous.maybe it should have been a horror(ble)movie instead of a junk-fu borefest.kids will like the soundtrack i guess but i really dont know whatelse these reviewers saw in this mess.it boggles my mind what is passed off as movie making.i can only pray there wont be a sequal!!!!!!!!i am editing this reveiw to ask why people are harping on the wire thing?do you think they really float and spin in real life?ofcourse theres wires!!!!!DUH!!!!!!!and as for the beauty of an actress,thats neither here nor there.bottom line,this movie is for those who find commercials entertaining.its no wonder movies like this end up for rent a month after its release.can anyone say ''exit wounds''?
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