Romeo Must Die - The Movie
Starring Jet Li, Aaliyah, Isalah Washington, Henry O, Delroy Lindo, DMX, Russell Wong, Anthony Anderson, and Jon Kit Lee.
A story where Kung Fu kicks and Hip-Hop beats get connected to present us with this alleged modern day Romeo and Juliet.
Ok, so here's the tale.Oakland is the place, and gang warfare is breaking out between the Chinese and African American mobsters, led by Chu Sing and Isaac O'Day. Both groups are taking part in some seriously murky goings-on to try and buy up a huge plot of waterfront property, to construct a sports stadium (and take over the world presumably). Of course, there’s more twists and turns in this plot than a Jet Li move.
When Po Sing is murdered this provokes his brother Han, (wrongly imprisoned in a Hong Kong jail), to escape to the USA. Han has already paid heavily for his loyalty to his family, it has already cost him his career in the Hong Kong Police Force and a jail sentence, now his brother is dead Han feels compelled to avenge him. This task requires intense mental discipline and martial arts skill (Oh, and an array of computer trickery courtesy of Matrix producer Joel Silver).
In a freak coincidence, he teams up with Trish O'Day, played by Aaliyah, and yes, you guessed it, she just so happens to be the daughter of Isaac, Han's father's arch rival. She too has lost her brother to this gangland crime and wants to put an end to the bloodshed before everyone she cares for is dead. The two, team up and according to the film blurb, start to fall in love. However I found that within the film the pair just seemed to bond well as good friends, with only the slightest hint of sexual chemistry displayed. It certainly fell short of the "budding forbidden romance" that it was billed as. Aaliyah is surprising in her debut film role, although it really isn’t that challenging a role, however she makes the transition from singer to actress fairly well and I suspect that this will not be the last we see of her on the big screen.
Jet Li, is good also, there is plenty of Kung Fu action to keep you enthralled, even though it is a mystery why so much computer trickery was used within the fight sequences. It simply gives a cartoon’ style look, as the moves are so blatantly impossible, that it borders on the ridiculous. In The Matrix it was plausible, here it's unnecessary.
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