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6.5/10

Roshan Paul

Hang on to your seats! It's The Matrix meets Rush Hour, with the flavor of an inter-racial Romeo And Juliet. Such is the product of renowned cinematographer Andrzej Bartkowiak's directorial debut.

The plot is fairly simple and does not pretend to be otherwise. The African-American and Asian (read: Oriental) mafias are battling to monopolise the Oakland waterfront. Unfortunately, Po, the youngest son of the chief Asian 'godfather,' is an early casualty.

News of this murder filters back to Po's big brother, Han (Jet Li), an ex-cop imprisoned in Hong Kong for quite a bizarre reason. Full of the "don't get mad, get even" conviction, Han breaks out of jail and makes his way to America to search for the truth, which, of course, is out there.

He meets and teams up with Trish O'Day (Aaliyah), whose father heads the African-American mafia and who is also seeking the truth behind a sibling's demise. Despite being thwarted at every turn by their respective families, the duo stick to their guns. They eventually find the truth, but it is more twisted than they imagined and, needless to say, stranger than fiction.

The movie is a thrill-a-minute runaround; full of fights and action. It also contains all the ingredients of the stereotypical gangster movie. Much killing and double-crossing, a car chase, inept fighters, a fat bodyguard, pre-conceived notions about who's guilty for what and several offers that just couldn't be refused.

However, not much in it is original. Joel Silver, the producer of The Matrix, made it and that is clear enough without the billboards screaming it in your face. All the stunts that made the Keanu Reeves blockbuster so spectacular are present. There's even a character in it that looks suspiciously like Keanu but isn't.

A lot of the comedy stems from Rush Hour and is derived from the cultural divide between African-American and Oriental philosophies. Unfortunately, it is slightly toned down to "Hey brother" from the politically incorrect, "What's up, my nigga?" that punctuated the Jackie Chan-Chris Tucker hit; and this makes it less facetious. Furthermore, although Aaliyah is absolutely gorgeous, she is not as amusing as Chris Tucker; and Li's intensity doesn't permit him to pull off Jackie Chan's theatrics. Try thinking of Ajay Devgan trying to reprise Govinda and you'll get what I mean! Thus, the potential of Li's "I can do hip-hop" scene is not quite fulfilled.

There are some effects that are original; at least, I haven't seen them before. I won't give them away, but I promise you they'll leave you wincing in your chair.

Is Romeo Must Die entertaining? Yes. Is it trying to say anything? Naah. Go to watch it prepared to sit back and enjoy the action. But don't expect to remember much the next day.

However, even if you are not a martial arts fan -- and I'm not -- Jet Li is great to watch. Unlike Jackie Chan, he has grace. He also possesses a more commanding on-screen presence and his English is far more fluent. His prowess with unlikely weapons such as a belt, a water hose and even while chained upside down is fun to watch. The rest of the ensemble is not bad, but quite forgettable.

One refreshing thing about this movie is the portrayal of an Asian man with sex appeal. A recent trend in Hollywood and American television has been the portrayal Asian women as either exotic delicacies or sex kittens. On the other hand, the men are mostly still geeks. For example, you may laugh at Jackie Chan, but would you laugh with him? And would you want to date him? Jet Li is a different prospect and the burgeoning romance between him and Aaliyah is not too incredulous. Hopefully, this is the start of a new trend.

A rating? I'd probably give it 6.5/10. But then, I'm not a martial arts aficionado.