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Romeo Must Die

Romeo Must Die (2000)

March. 22,2000
|
6.1
|
R
| Action Thriller Crime

Two warring gang families (one African-American, the other Chinese) maneuver for bragging rights to the Oakland, California, docks. Hang Sing and Trish O'Day uncover a trail of deceit that leaves most of the warring factions dead … or worse!

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Lawbolisted
2000/03/22

Powerful

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CommentsXp
2000/03/23

Best movie ever!

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Donald Seymour
2000/03/24

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

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Zandra
2000/03/25

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

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ivo-cobra8
2000/03/26

Romeo Must Die (2000) is Jet Li's first American action film that he made in America in a lead hero role and it is solid action flick! His whole entire film career Jet Li was always playing a good guy, until he come to America for the first time his film role was a bad guy in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) right after success of the last installment in Lethal Weapon series he agreed to make this film and it worked. It was his first hero role, before he went to make The Expendables films. I grew up watching Romeo Must Die as a teen, that's how Jet Li become my favorite action star of all time. In this flick you have Anthony Anderson and Russell Wong from Vanishing Son. Aaliyah will be missed she did a good job on this movie. R.I.P Aaliyah (1979 - 2001). I seriously love this film and most people wouldn't agree with me, with taking this film as Jet Li's number 1 action film. It is my number 1 Jet Li film, I borrowed the VHS tape in summer 2001 just for seeing this film, till today I still love it and I own it on Blu-ray."Had to? My brother? , That... was a mistake!" Plot: International action-star Jet Li (Lethal Weapon 4) stars in this hi-octane thriller from the producer of blockbusters "The Matrix" and the "Lethal Weapon" franchise. While hunting down his brother's murderer, he falls in love with the daughter of a rival crime boss who is his prime suspect. A modern take on the classic "Romeo and Juliet" co-starring hip hop star Aaliyah Haughton (one of 1999 Teen People Magazine's "21 Hottest Stars Under 21"), Delroy Lindo ("Ransom," "The Cider House Rules"), Isaiah Washington ("Out of Sight") and rapper DMX.The basic plot about this film is about a murder and a blood feud between rival gangs, when Han Sing's (Jet Li) brother is murdered in Oakland, California, Han escapes from Hong Kong prison and he flees the country by coming to US, to investigate on his own, his brother's murder while facing off the same time with his estranged father. All leads lead to Trish O'Day (Aaliyah). Han shares an attraction with Trish O'Day (screen-debuting songstress Aaliyah) even tough their families are rivals in a fierce Oakland turf battle. The two also share plenty of danger as they try to find the real cause of the blood feud.This film has pretty much all action, gravity- warping martial arts, cool visual effects and all star music track combine in this revved-up action movie from producer Joel Silver (The Matrix) and starring Jet Li (Lethal Weapon 4) in his first English-language lead role.The action in this movie is really good and the acting is really decent from all actors. I love the theme song of the movie. Moving on, the story was okay not bad, but as the same time not fantastic. The pacing of the movie was smooth and stylish. The director really made a good job directing the movie, I still would stay Romeo Must Die is a lot better than Steven Seagal's Exit Wounds. There is a lot of martial arts in this film and betrayal. This was the first Jet Li film he made in America and it was none Chinese film. The fights between Jet Li and Russell Wong was incredible but I think the special effect was made just like was in The Matrix . I also love the script and Jet Li's lines the one that were really funny one's. In my honest opinion with Cradle 2 the Grave, Romeo Must Die is the most underrated Jet Li's American action film. I would say it is way better than Don Wilson's Bloodfist and even tough it is not a martial arts tournament film, it is still better and more enjoyable. You have Delroy Lindo in here from Broken Arrow and Gone in Sixty Seconds and Anthony Edwards who always makes me lough in the movies he is in it. The film is also filed with humor and it is visually stunning and exceptionally detailed and loud sound. The movie has several amazing action scenes and a few funny ones too. Jet Li & Delroy Lindo are both at their best.Overall: Romeo must die was sweet and entertaining I love this flick to death, I enjoy the song DMX - First I'm Gonna Crawl, gosh they aren't movies made like this one today. Jet Li's film get's a perfect 10 by me 10/10 still I think it is underrated action film.Romeo Must Die is a 2000 American action film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak in his directorial debut, and also fight choreography by Corey Yuen, and starring Jet Li and Aaliyah. The film was released in the United States on March 22, 2000.10/10 Grade: Bad Ass Seal Of Approval Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures Starring: Jet Li, Aaliyah, Isaiah Washington, Russell Wong, DB Woodside, Anthony Anderson, DMX, Delroy Lindo, Henry O Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak Producers: Joel Silver, Jim Van Wyck Screenplay: Eric Bernt, John Jarrell Story by Mitchell Kapner Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 55 Mins. Budget: $25,000,000 Box Office: $91,036,760

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Dangb81
2000/03/27

Let me start by saying I adore the late Aaliyah. For her first role, she did a pretty good job. She played the part well and this part was made for her. However, I enjoyed the soundtrack more than the movie itself. Not saying it was a horrible movie, it was just OK. I wish the fight scenes were more authentic. You could tell they were choreographed. When I watch a movie like this, I want it to look like people are really fighting each other. I also felt that Jet Li and Aaliyah lacked in the chemistry department. Sure, they look good together as friends and/or partners in crime, but nothing more and I mean nothing. Anything beyond that seemed forced. I actually felt the entire cast lacked in chemistry. There were a couple of twists that were unexpected and the plot was OK, but nothing to really knock your socks off. It is entertaining if nothing else is on TV, or if you just want to watch the beautiful Aaliyah in action. For me, it is a bit nostalgic for that reason. Also, I was still a teenager when this came out and this was the movie to watch at that time. Again, not the worst movie, but not the best. I will admit that I have probably watched this at least 5 times. Sometimes, I just can't say no because although it is not perfect, it is still entertaining.

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FlashCallahan
2000/03/28

The death of Han Sing's brother catapults him out of a Hong Kong jail to the San Francisco waterfront, where he vows to find his brother's killers. It lands him in the middle of a three way deal between "businessmen" who will stop at nothing to create a new money making stadium. Han finds help from Trish, a woman with close connections to the mob, and together they work to find their brothers' killers.....One thing that I really can't understand is that this movie was Li's big Hollywood breakout movie, and whilst it's not the worst action movie out there, the Director and star have made some astonishingly good movies since (and in Li's case, before) you really cannot believe that Hollywood gave them this vehicle, its a little disrespectful.And it's down purely to Joel Silver. Now this chap has produced some brilliant movies, he produced my favourite movie of all time, Die Hard. But after the phenomenal success of The Matrix, he became a sell out, and thought that this was what the people wanted.For an athlete like Li, its cringe inducing to see the wire work, it's really bad, and wreaks of Matrix cash in, and the inclusion of the Hip Hop soundtrack disrupts the flow of the narrative.But, it's not a bad film. Li is a brilliant screen presence, and Aaliyah shows that she could have been a huge star. The rest of the cast are good, but you just can't get that after taste of making a quick buck from The Matrix out of your head when watching this.

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Amanda Boyle
2000/03/29

Romeo Must Die (2000) Romeo must die is a modern variation to Romeo and Juliet, this action/thriller film consists of a mixture of martial arts and hip hop. This film was directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak and was released in March, 2000. The actors chosen to play the characters in this film are very well matched and suited to the genre of the movie such as Han Sing (Jet Li), Trish O'Dayn (Aaliyah), Isaak O'Day (Delroy Lindo) and Mac (Isaiah Washington). In this film we see two rival gangs, between a Chinese mafia headed by Ch'u Sing (Henry O) and the black gangsters ruled by Isaak O'Day. The soundtrack is very well suited to the genre of this film there is a mixture of rap/R&B music and also Chinese music which is mostly played at any fight scenes, in this very action packed mafia/crime film the music adds tension and creates an exciting build up to the fights. Han Sing (Jet Li) is an ex-cop who went to jail for taking the blame for his father's crimes, in his first scene in the film we see him escaping from prison after hearing of his brother's murder but not before he takes down the guards with his exquisite martial art skills. This fight scene is one of many throughout this film which is like Romeo and Juliet as it is famous for its many dwelling scenes also. Han returns to America to seek answers and revenge for his brother's dead, while in America he falls for Trish O'Day daughter to the ruler of the black gangsters. This romance is very similar to that of Romeo and Juliet's as Han and Trish's relationships is forbidden because of the rivalry between their two families. However, the love between Romeo and Juliet is more passionate and it is clear to see that they are very much in love, as for Han and Trish in Romeo must die, they come across in the movie as friends more than lover's there is no spark between the couple. Unlike in Romeo and Juliet we don't see any intimate scenes between these two characters. As an action film we see many violent scenes which all of them mainly involve Han and his very creative martial art skills. However, it is clear that some of these scenes and stunts are exaggerated and not humanly possible. We also see some x-ray images of bones breaking with the use of special effects throughout many of the fight scenes. Some of the fight scenes between Han and the black gangsters mainly Maurice (Anthony Anderson) very humorous, we see Han battle against many men on his own and still defeat which leaves them all lying in the yard not able to move, we then see Maurice and the gang try to get Han back by making him play American Football with them, which he knows nothing about, but this swiftly turns into Han once again defeating them. We see the rivalry between the two gangs get worse when both gang leader's sons are murdered which we find out is all for a business deal in which both gangs are involved in. Ch'u Sing's son Po was killed because he was a threat to the business deal and his people did not want anything or anyone getting in the way of this. Han comes across as a very strong and quiet character in this film, he does not show much emotion unlike Trish she is a very talkative individual and we see her reminisce about her childhood when she learns of her brother's dead. She is very open about her life compared to Han. Isaak O'Day comes across as a very serious business man but we also see a caring father side to him too when he orders full time protection on his two children when he learns of the murder of Po Sing. He also shows this side of him at the end of the film we see him put his differences with the Chinese mafia aside as he shake's Han hand because he is happy to see his daughter happy and safe. This scene is very like the ending of Romeo and Juliet when the Capulets and Montagues agree they should settle their differences because of the deaths of their children. However, in comparison we see no relationship between Han and his father Ch'u throughout the film and perhaps this is why Han does not show any emotion and is quite a silent character. Han does the right thing at the end of the film as he makes his father pay for all of his mistakes especially the murder of his own son.

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