The Replacement Killers
by Fred M. Hung
Though born and raised stateside, I was fortunate enough to watch Hong Kong action movies growing up. And though my definition of the ultimate hero is more Jack Ryan than Jackie Chan, I can still appreciate the slickness of Chow Yun Fat. Naturally, I was excited when I heard of his debut in the American mainstream market in The Replacement Killers.
The plot is rather wafer thin. Fat is an assassin who refuses to kill his mark, a detective's son, and in doing so condemns himself to the ire of his underworld employer. To aid in his escape, fat solicits the aid of forger Mira Sorvino.
The atmosphere, however, is very Michael Mann-esque slick. In addition to Chow Yun Fat's smooth demeanor and solemn expressions, The Replacement Killers is a cinematic exercise in mood setting. Peter Collister has filled every frame with midnight blues and metallic grays enhanced by a neon-lit background. The firefight sequences are choreographed to a dance, with every draw and trigger pull an extension of the characters themselves. What Fat does not speak, he more than expresses with the use of twin 9mm Berettas.
Yet although the plot is thin, the not all the characters are not completely uni-dimensional, close but not quite. Fat's, John Lee, is one of few words. His dour face suggests a tortured soul beyond the cool veneer. His movement and form is so graceful, he becomes almost mythological. Fat certainly has presence, and while that is sufficient to carry him through this film, his future projects could make better use of his incredible acting range as yet not witnessed by Hollywood.
Sorvino, though incredibly arresting and alluring, is wasted here. Her Meg Coburn attempts to be both Lee's grounding in sanity and firepower assistance amidst the chaos. Though Sorvino gives more than a valiant attempt to breathe life into Meg, the plot does not give her room to maneuver.
The supporting actors, Jurgen Prochnow, Michael Rooker and Danny Trejo, are all underutilized. Prochnow impressed everyone as the stolid and lonely captain in Das Boat. Rooker was much more animate in Cliffhanger, Sea of Love, and Days of Thunder, as was Danny Trejo in Heat. Being relegated to supporting roles notwithstanding, their characters should have been more significant.
The Replacement Killers, like Ridley Scott's Black Rain, is definitely competent entertainment and not as mind-numbing as it easily could have been. Antoine Fuqua attempts to make no social commentary and only a token address to morality, and thus the audience will find no dose of profundity. What the audience does find is Fat and Sorvino, radiating ambiance behind a glossy backdrop of Los Angeles.
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