Romeo Must Die
Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak Stars: Jet Li, Russell Wong, Delroy Lindo, Aaliyah, DMX
Alright Face it, Jet Li's debut in Lethal Weapon 4 was the biggest piece of Monkey Crap you have ever seen right? Okay maybe not that bad but hey, Hong Kong martial arts legend Jet Li is here to make a name for himself with his first starring role in the US with "Romeo Must Die."
This is NOT an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Get it straight now. You see, Thangs are flarin up between two crime families in Oaktown, the Chus, a Chinese Triad family, and the O’Days, an African-American family. A young Chinese guy is whacked after causing all sorts of trouble in a club with strong ties to the O’Day family. As it turns out, he’s Han Sing’s (Jet Li) younger brother. Han Sing used to be a cop in Hong Kong, but he took the rap for his father, the head of the Chu family, you know the Mafia type stuff!
Han hearing about his brother’s death,he breaks out of jail. I have heard from many peeps the jailbreak scene is on point and that it sets the tone that Jet will indeed be here for a while. Or so that is what i have heard. I wander if its as cool as the breakout scene in "My Father Is A Hero"? Anyways,He makes his way to Oakland to investigate his brother’s death and gets help from Trish O’Day (Aaliyah). Trish is the daughter to Isaac O’Day (Delroy Lindo). She is little fed up with all the death and crime in her family and wants no part of it.
This is more of a standard action-adventure-Jet Li wiping your ass all over the floor-thriller than a romance. Not that either Jet Li or Aaliyah aren’t fit for it. She is a talented singer and from what I have heard, a telented actress too. If you don't know who she is, Aaliyah is one of the hottest R&B artists todayand her recent album "One in a Million" Has went Multi Plat! Her hits include, "Are you that somebody", "If your girl only knew", "One in a Million", and "Four-page Letter". Jet Li has done a number of martial arts movies in Hong Kong With a little romance twist to them. Remember, "Fist of Legend," "Dr. Wai," "High Risk", "Black Mask", And the "Fong Sai Yuk" series? He shows off his comic timing in all of these movies as well.From what i have heard on other sites, the stunt choreography was top notch, and Russell Wong shows off some pretty sharp fighting skills. The action is decidedly Hong Kong with some stunning special effects in a couple scenes. I have seen a number of Jet Li movies, so the expectations are going to running high. But don't get me wrong, when was the last time you ever saw a Jet Li movie that was bad....Lords of Wu-Tang? Even that one was pretty cool.
From what i have read and heard, the movie carries a hefty amount of authenticity with subtitles, especially in key dramatic scenes, instead of going for English dubbing. Jet Li is a refreshing Asian leading male actor and all of us are hoping (At least me and anyways) that he will be a huge success here in the U.S. Talk is already in negotiations with Disney for him to start in another role. After the baby of course which is due sometime in June or July."Romeo Must Die" stands out as a huge hit that will satisfy Jet Li’s legions of fans. I can’t wait to see it again and again.
Source taken from ign.com
Saw the movie and it's a 6 out of 10 stars. I'm waiting for the next one..nuff said.