Rating: * out of * * * *
Rated: R for strong violence, language, drug use, nudity, and some sexuality.
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Anne Archer, Michael Chaykin, Donald Sutherland, Marie Matiko.
Running Time: 117 minutes
Directed by: Christian Duguay
I've never fully understood Wesley Snipes's career. He has his ups and downs, but mostly the downs. His best movie was one of the best of 1998 and that movie was entitled "Blade". He has had his typical action movies, "Boiling Point", "Passenger 57", but his new movie "The Art of War" should just be called "Rising Sun 2: The Art of War" cause basically it's a semi-remake of the same plot, with a different cast, and forced to be a ridiculously unbelievable thriller, that is high on style and low on substance.
Wesley Snipes plays a James Bondish type secret agent working for the U.N. After a chinese ambassador is killed, he is on the track of the killer, trying to find out who it is, how it happened, where the killer was, and what to do. Anne Archer plays his "boss" type person of the U.N. and she has hired Snipes to track down the killer. Well Snipes is mistakenly framed as the killer, and is now an outlaw, kidnapping a Chinese woman with him, and having her help him along the way. All this leads to a finale that is so dumb, and so stupid that is it unbelievably dumb, and the stunts, dialogue and acting all ruin this movie.
Wesley Snipes isn't one of my favorite actors because of the fact that the character he plays in every movie is the same character he plays in the movie before. The only good role Snipes has really had was in 1998's "Blade". I walked into "The Art Of War" expecting a good, high octane thriller, and all I got was a pile of mush. The only real 'good' thing the movie has is action, and plenty of it, but I noticed it is badly filmed, the camera is so shaky you cannot even tell what is going on. The ending finale is so worthless and pitiful, that it even tries to mock "The Matrix", laughably funny, it is undeniably stupid.
Christian Duguay's direction is also not that great. His camera angles and sense of style are all in place, but sadly his lighting and editing are all badly done. Even the whole "Matrix" ending wasn't even good. The stunts and action are badly filmed, and badly choreographed. His placing of the characters, and the assination of the Chinese Ambassador, and the plotting of the movie are so predictable and laughable, that it just takes all the fun out of the entire movie. Anne Archer who is usually good in her roles, turns in a horrible job here. She is sour, downbeat, and dreadfully dull with her forced dialogue, and dumb moves. Even Donald Sutherland as a co-star can't save this movie from being a bust.
So for an overall opinion: "The Art of War" is a total waste of time. It's not entertaining, nor exciting, or even action packed. It is a pointless movie, and makes absolutely no sense at all. If you really want to see a good version of "The Art of War", rent the Wesley Snipes and Sean Connery action vehicle of the same kind "Rising Sun", it isn't a great film either, but at least it's better than this.
Reviewed by Brandon Herring 8-25-00
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