Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Romeo Must Die

Action

Director - Andrzej Bartkowiak (Cradle 2 The Grave, Exit Wounds)

2000, Rated R for violence, language and brief nudity, 115 minutes.

We received this DVD a couple of years ago when purchasing a DVD player, it came free in the box. I'm not sure about you, but I think if they have to give away copies of the film that doesn't bode too well for it. I didn't like it the first time I saw it and would have never watched it a second time if not for this write-off.

This is part two of my first double entry into the Excellent and Excruciating Write-off being co-hosted by two of my favourite guys: CaptainD and Slarter. It requires two postings in a category, one a five star review, the other one star. A link to my corresponding five star movie review will be at the bottom.

Romeo Must Die takes place in Oakland, California where there is a turf war for control of the waterfront between organized crime gangs, one group African American, the other Asian. As the movie opens the clichés begin immediately when we see almost everyone wears dark glasses even inside buildings. Po, (Jon Kit Lee, The Corruptor,) the cocky, young son of the Asian boss is depicted as a womanizer. He is visiting a nightclub run by Silk (DMX, Exit Wounds, Cradle 2 The Grave,) a fight breaks out because he doesn't belong there but it all seemed very stereotypical and run-of-the-mill to me. The dialogue was abysmal and trite, the fight scenes were a poor imitation of The Matrix. The next morning Po is found dead, hanged from a lamp post supposedly by the rival gang. When his father is informed of this it is in another stereotypical setting, this time Asian.

Romeo Must Die then switches to Hong Kong where Po's brother Han Sing (Jet Li, Cradle 2 The Grave, The One,) is in prison. He is informed of what has happened and becomes angry with grief. He purposely starts a fight in the dining hall and is put into solitary confinement where the guards prepare to torture him. He fights back and escapes the prison through events that were simply too incredulous for me. He steals a guards uniform and bicycle, calmly walking out the front gate. The guard at the front gate suspects nothing is amiss and doesn't even ask for identification although I found it impossible to believe he wouldn't have been suspicious upon not recognizing this guard. Even when the alarms are sounded, Han continues walking away from the gates unchallenged. The next thing we know he's in the United States, where he got a passport from is not explained whatsoever.

Once arriving in the States our hero purchases many items, where he got the money to do this is also (like the passport) never explained. My brain is being forced to dumb down to watch this film. Of course, events too convenient begin to happen. For example, Han ends up stealing a taxi then, amazingly, Trish (Aaliyah, Queen of the Damned) the daughter of the rival gang boss gets into his cab and they begin to feel some attraction for one another. How damn convenient is that?!?!? When she realizes he stole the cab, does she demand he pull over and let her out? Of course not! She feels safe with someone she believes to be a criminal! Ugh, someone shoot me. The fight scenes tended to border on the stupid. In one of them, Han pulls the belt out from someone's trousers and they fall down. Now I realize some people wear their trousers very loose but I'm sure if you removed the belt they wouldn't fall down around their ankles! It was so stupid I laughed. Han's next stop is to see his deceased brother, the one he loved and promised to protect (dunno about you, but I would have thought this would be his first stop.) In some scenes with his estranged father there are English sub-titles, I thought that was contrived and unrealistic. After weeping over his dead brother, Han then goes outside and has a play fight with a friend. Huh? Yep, he's in deep despair and minutes later is laughing.

In the next plot development (to use the term loosely,) the son of the black gang leader is killed, supposedly by members of the Asian gang in retaliation. Han and Trish suspect something is wrong and begin investigating these events and others that are occurring. They discover some murdered Asians just minutes after they have been killed. The couple drives away being pursued by the murderers on motor cycles. When they finally come face to face it is
discovered one of the killers is also Asian and female. In possibly the most ridiculous fight scene of the film, Han realizes he cannot hit a woman and so uses Trish as a weapon, swinging her around to kick the assailant and holding her arms to hit the woman. It was just too implausible and looked fake. In another fight scene, Han uses a fire hose to keep his attackers at a distance. However, when someone cuts the fire hose behind him, water does not rush out of the cut part!

The ending of Romeo Must Die is totally predictable and boring, just about everyone dies.... zzzzzzzzz. I knew what was really going on soon after the movie began, I knew there would be a big fight scene at the end, I knew who the evil people were, I knew our couple would live happily ever after. At the end where there are many deaths, the two are allowed by the police to just wander away from the scene of the crime, arm in arm. Awwwwww..... yuck.

One thing I will say about this film and the only reason it gets a one star rating (otherwise it would be zero or negative) is the music. There's some good stuff here, usually appropriate to the scene and enjoyable. However, the sound quality throughout the film was terrible, I kept having to increase the volume during spoken parts and decrease it when music came on or during a fight. I hate that.

Jet Li may be considered a martial arts master but I thought his acting left much to be desired, it was unnatural and forced. The beautiful Aaliyah was acceptable; if not for her untimely death in a plane crash in 2001 she may have become a decent, but not great, actor. Everyone was formulaic, predictable and boring, right down to the dumb bodyguard character of Maurice (Anthony Anderson, Cradle 2 The Grave, Scary Movie 3.) This film is going back into the t.v. cabinet, never to see the light of day again.

The DVD has some extras but nothing special:
A cast and crew listing which only mentions other films they have been in or associated with.
The theatrical and international trailers.
Two music videos from Aaliyah, Come Back In One Piece featuring DMX and Try Again. Also there is a Making of the Try Again video.
Making of Romeo Must Die.
Minidocumentaries: Making of a Stunt, Diary of a (Legal) Mad Bomber, Inside the Visual Effects Process and The Soundstage.
Personality Profiles on Jet Li, Aaliyah and Anthony Anderson

Extras for DVD-ROM's:
Original Theatrical Web-site
Theatrical Trailer Sample

Cast:

Jet Li - Han Sing
Aaliyah - Trish O'Day
Isaiah Washington - Mac
Russell Wong - Kai
DMX - Silk
Delroy Lindo - Isaak O'Day
D.B. Woodside - Colin O'Day
Henry O - Ch'u Sing
Jon Kit Lee - Po Sing
Edoardo Ballerini - Vincent Roth
Anthony Anderson - Maurice
Matthew Harrison - Dave, Roth's Assistant
Terry Chen - Kung

Soundtrack:

"First I'm Gonna Crawl" - performed by DMX
"This Is a Test" - performed by Chante Moore
"It Really Don't Matter" - performed by Confidential
"You're Not From Brighton" - performed by Fatboy Slim
"I See You Baby (Full Frontal Mix)" - performed by Groove Armada featuring Gram'ma Funk
"Come Back in One Piece" - performed by Aaliyah featuring DMX
"Perfect Man" - performed by Destiny's Child
"Inside My Mind/Blue Skies" - performed by Groove Armada
"High Roller" - performed by The Crystal Method
"Rose in a Concrete World" - performed by Joe
"We At It Again" - performed by Timbaland & Magoo
"Going Home" - performed by DJ Frane
"I Don't Wanna" - performed by Aaliyah
"Rollin Raw" - performed by BG from Ca$h Money
"Are You Feelin' Me?" - performed by Aaliyah
"Thugz" - performed by Mack 10 featuring The Comrades
"Keep Hope Alive" - performed by The Crystal Method
"Try Again" - performed by Aaliyah
"Somebody's Gonna Die" - performed by Dave Bing featuring Lil' Mo

For my corresponding Excellent review in this write-off please click here.

To join in this Write-off, click here or here. My thanks to Dave and Simon for coming up with a challenging idea. I must say, placing the ppropriate (p)links pertinent to this prite-off was a pain in the pitutie. Does that count for extra points, p-Dave?

Recommended: No

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older