Romeo Must Die

December 12, 2004

Rated: R Runtime: 120 min Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Romeo Must Die

DVD Quick Take

To me Romeo Must Die is a 3/5 movie. The storyline was very interesting, predictable much of the time but with enough twists to keep me from flipping over to RAW. Also, while I�m not exactly a gangsta rap enthusiast, the music in the film was good and helped set the mood for the film.

My biggest gripe with the movie is the fight choreography. Jet Li is, to say the least, extremely talented. So why did they insist on transforming him from a kick-butt martial arts expert to a Chinese Peter Pan on a fly wire (see harness reference below in the theatrical review)? I mean, at least let me be tempted into thinking that a move or sequence in a fight is believable. But no, they couldn�t do that. Instead we�re treated to ridiculous shots of him jumping up to kick one guy, then somehow levitate to the next victim, and oh, what the hell, let�s have him kick a third guy while he�s up there. Brother!

That isn�t to say that all the fight scenes were bad. A lot of the scenes and particular elements were very cool, particularly how they showed someone getting seriously injured or killed without actually showing it (you�ll know when you see it). My main gripe is that I think Jet Li�s talent is enough to keep from having to resort to fly wires.

Other than those frustrating moments I really enjoyed the movie. It had pretty good acting, some characters who were likeable and others you couldn’t wait to see bite the dust. I particularly liked Delroy Lindo as the father and head honcho of the African-American crime family. His portrayal was sincere and even though he was into shady business dealings I couldn’t help but like the character for the love he had for his kids and his desire to go straight.

Finally one interesting note about the DVD features I noticed. As mentioned above the DVD includes options for English and French soundtracks and subtitles. My question is, for a movie that revolves around African-American and Chinese crime families, where are the Jive and Chinese language options on the features? I’m half kidding, of course, but after listening to all the gangsta rap in the film I couldn’t help but be disappointed.

It’s true. It’s true.

Posted by Steve Payne | Filed Under 4 Stars, Aaliyah, Action, DVD, Isaiah Washington, Jet Li, R, Russell Wong