THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS
RATING: **1/2 (out of ****)
Columbia / 1:28 / 1998 / R (language, violence) Cast: Chow Yun-Fat; Mira Sorvino; Michael Rooker; Jurgen Prochnow; Carlos Gomez; Frank Medrano; Kenneth Tsang; Danny Trejo Director: Antoine Fuqua Screenplay: Ken Sanzel
Whether you love or hate "The Replacement Killers," you've got to respect it's running time -- at a slim hour-and-28-minutes, the film speeds by faster than the ammo discharged from star Chow Yun-Fat's endless supply of firearms. Unfortunately, "The Replacement Killers" also boasts more story and character holes than he puts in his opponents, a drawback that keeps the movie from being both truly enjoyable and involving. It's certainly nothing new to find a action movie riddled with flaws, but at least this one has a must-see attraction in its leading man -- Yun-Fat, a Hong Kong idol making his American debut here, radiates absolute cool.
He plays John Lee, an assassin with (yes, folks, say it with me) a heart of gold. Lee is hired by underworld kingpin Mr. Wei (Kenneth Tsang) to perform a hit in L.A. -- Wei's criminal son was killed in self-defense by stateside cop Stan Zedkov (Michael Rooker), and Wei would like Lee to shoot Zedkov's own seven-year-old in retaliation. Even though Wei will dispatch people to murder Lee's family if the job isn't completed, Lee just can't bring himself to pull the trigger. He then hooks up with a document-forger named Meg (Mira Sorvino), his only hope to get back to his home in time, and together they become marked targets from a new pair of professionals dispatched by Wei.
Director Antoine Fuqua, the man behind Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" music video, does what he can with Ken Sanzel's paint-by-numbers script; in particular, he's got style to spare, and demonstrates it from the first scene on. The loud, humdinger action makes up a large part of the movie, turning everyday locations like car washes, parking garages and theaters into dangerous, violent places (and that last one's quite a doozy). "The Replacement Killers" doesn't waste much time between them, and thus is over with quickly. The film is a dazzler for the eyes and ears, and that's about it.
Chow Yun-Fat, who learned English for the movie, has an undeniable screen presence. He's also a strong actor, and so it's puzzling -- and even disappointing -- that John Lee has few scenes where he can project emotional depth (could it be that Yun-Fat was still a little too stiff with his newly-acquired dialect?). Mira Sorvino offers game support as a sidekick and pseudo-romantic interest; she's given more to do than just tagalong, and ends up owning the movie's best scene and line ("Are you gonna put a bullet in your head now that our positions are reversed?"). The villains, however, are too underdeveloped or silly to be much fun, especially the replacement killers of the title; when they strut in slo-mo into an airport decked out in black leather, greasy hair, facial scars and nasty scowls, you wonder why customs doesn't just snatch them up right there.
While "The Replacement Killers" isn't challenging or even remotely thrilling, it sure isn't boring. Terrific visuals, a smooth color palette, a handful of strong sequences and the performances of Yun-Fat and Sorvino make the movie far from a dull sit. And that super-fast 88 minutes (you could fit two showings of this into one of "The Postman," and still have a couple seconds for a bathroom stop) earns "The Replacement Killers" a fraction of a star alone. The movie is a tiny blessing in disguise -- underneath the imperfect trappings lies a film that knows it's just about the ride and doesn't throw in any needless padding. When looking for a mild diversion, who could ask for anything more?
© 1997 Jamie Peck E-mail: jpeck1@gl.umbc.edu Visit the Reel Deal Online: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~jpeck1/
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