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Review by Susan Granger
2 stars out of 4
Despite its thin veneer of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
tragedy, this is a martial-arts adventure featuring Jet Li (Lethal
Weapon 4) and recording star Aaliyah as reluctant members of the
Chinese and African-American mobs who are drawn to one other despite
their crime lord families' disapproval. Aimed specifically at fans of
Hong Kong action pictures, the story introduces 36 year-old Jet Li as
a disgraced ex-Hong Kong cop who escapes from jail to arrive in
Oakland, California, in time for his younger brother's funeral and, of
course, to avenge his murder. The plot that ensues is not logical yet
utterly predictable. But who cares? Audiences flock to see Jackie
Chan, Chow Yun-Fat, and now Asian superstar Jet Li for the fighting
not the fiction. And the intricate fights are impressively staged by
cinematographer-turned-director Andrzej Bartkowiak, who did the
visuals for Lethal Weapon 4. One cool, computer-enhanced sequence
that impressed me showed precisely what happens inside the human body
when bones crack and break. But the audience seemed to respond best to
a stunt in which Jet Li polishes off five opponents while hanging
upside down, tied to a rope by one foot. Russell Wong, Henry O, Delroy
Lindo, and Isiah Washington co-star and popular R&B singer Aaliyah
makes a creditable feature-film acting debut - plus makin' music with
hip hop star DMX. Credit writers Mitchell Kapner, Eric Bernt, and John
Jarrell for trying to give their stock characters, bound by tradition,
some background and depth. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10,
Romeo Must Die is a violent, fast-paced 5 - but recommended for fight
fans only.
Copyright © 2000 Susan Granger
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out of 4
