Romeo Must Die Movie Review 2000

Romance is decidedly secondary to action in this kung fu/hip hop hybrid. After an over-extended (but flashy) credits sequence, the story kicks in. Black crime lord Isaak O'Day (a magnetic Lindo) and Asian crime boss Ch'u Sing (O) are maintaining an uneasy truce in order to do a mega-business deal. Then Sing's useless younger son is killed and soon O'Day's son bites the dust as well. Into the mix springs good guy/ex-cop Han Sing (Li), who's out to avenge his brother's death, and lovely Trish O'Day (Aaliyah), who wants the same for her brother. (This is the chastest romantic pairing in modern movies.) The action sequences are frequent and frequently amazing and Li has minimal English dialogue to worry about. The supporting players, including Wong and Washington, are also solidly watchable. There's also humor, including Li's introduction to touch football.

Distribution

Warner Home Video, Inc., 5775 Linder Canyon Rd., Westlake Village, CA 91362, URL: http://whv.warnerbros.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 115 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Martial Arts, Bad Dads, Crime Drama, Organized Crime, Hong Kong, Great Escapes, Brothers & Sisters, Interracial Affairs, Asian America, African America, Ex-Cops, Football

Screenplay

Eric Bernt, John Jarrell

Cast

Jet Li, Aaliyah, Delroy Lindo, Henry O, Isaiah Washington, Russell Wong, DMX, DB Woodside, Edoardo Ballerini, Anthony Anderson, Jon Kit Lee, Francoise Yip

Cinematography

Glen MacPherson

Director

Andrzej Bartkowiak

Music

Stanley Clarke, Timbaland

Producer

Joel Silver, Jim Van Wyck, Silver Pictures, Warner Bros.