"Romeo Must Die" - Muddled Story Leaves Film Critically Wounded by Homer Yen (c) 2000
I want to share a strange experience with you that I always seem to suffer whenever my friends and I visit a Chinese restaurant for dinner. We order four or five different entrees. The food is brought to our table and placed upon a Lazy Susan (a circular platform that revolves so that you can bring a dish closer to you without having to reach across the table). I sample a portion from each of the entrees. Yet, no matter how much I sample, I never seem to be able to satisfy my hunger. Perhaps this empty feeling arises because the dishes feature only chunks of chicken, slivers of vegetables, and slices of beef. For my kind of appetite, however, I'd prefer something meatier that I can take a knife and fork to.
"Romeo Must Die" suffers in much the same way as my Chinese dinners. It incorporates several plots and sub-plots that lack a noticeable meatiness. The film opens with the murder of a Chinese warlord's son. This incident starts a chain reaction of events. His brother, Han (Jet Li), comes to America in search of his killer. Meanwhile, the unsolved murder increases tensions between the Chinese sect and the Black sect that are in an ongoing power struggle. As the movie continues, there's also a component that revolves around a shady real estate deal, a brush with the virtues of honor and loyalty, and a desire for the leader of the Black sect, Isaak O'Day (Delroy Lindo), to make things right with his life and his two children.
There is just too much going on. The only constant is that just about everyone carries a spare gun and seems blinded by vengeance. The story lines converge from different angles and at different speeds in ways that left a strange taste in my mouth. Try eating Orange Chicken and Beef in Oyster Sauce in the same bite, and you'll know what I mean. The result is a movie that is sprinkled with jumbled ideas, generally flat acting, and only slivers of a comprehensible plot.
Among the Asian stars that are starting to gain a noticeable foothold with American audiences (in addition to Jet Li, I am referring to action stars Chow Yun-Fat of "The Replacement Killers" and Jackie Chan of "Rumble in the Bronx"), Jet Li's persona isn't as cool or hip as Chow's and is certainly more fierce than that of Chan's. Although Li has a boyish face and a meek demeanor, when he coldly stares down an opponent and angrily mutters "THAT was a mistake," you can see his rage begin to swell as he tightens his lip and tenses his muscles. Some serious butt-kicking is about to happen. Jet Li performs several well-choreographed scenes in which his gravity-defying maneuvers (aided by special effects) are stunning. He pummels lesser opponents while suspended upside-down, executes an array of acrobatic moves, and utilizes a host of props-as-weapons such as belts, fire hoses and even other humans. Another interesting effect to highlight the impact of Li's blows is that the film cuts to an X-ray view of the human body to show the internal damage that he inflicts. But his subtle style is drowned out by the seemingly endless hail of gunfire and the bass-heavy, urban flavored soundtrack.
The film's one bright spot was actually one of the second rate thugs (Maurice played by Anthony Anderson) in the O'day camp. He seemed like the only one who was enjoying his role. However, the film is just too unfocused to offer any real value. We can't associate with any of the characters, we have a tough time following the plot, and in the end, we are just hoping that Jet Li's fighting makes up for the lulls (and it does). So now we've come to the end of the review, and I open my fortune cookie. It reads: Chunks, slivers, and slices aren't enough to sustain "Romeo Must Die."
Grade: C
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