Romeo Must Die (2000)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Andrzej Bartkowiak

Writers (WGA):

Mitchell Kapner (story)
Eric Bernt (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

22 March 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

In A World Of Vicious Rivalries And Violent Betrayals Only One Thing Is Sure.

Plot:

An avenging cop seeks out his brother's killer and falls for the daughter of a businessman who is involved in a money-deal with his father.

Plot Keywords:

Brother | Hong Kong | Prison | Waterfront | Chinese Mafia

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

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 (as DB Woodside)
Henry O	...	Ch'u Sing
Jon Kit Lee	...	Po Sing
Edoardo Ballerini	...	Vincent Roth
Anthony Anderson	...	Maurice
Matthew Harrison	...	Dave
Terry Chen	...	Kung
Derek Lowe	...	Chinese Messenger
Ronin Wong	...	New Prisoner

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, some language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Australia:MA (TV rating) | Malaysia:18PL | Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 (w) (nf) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (cut) | USA:R | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Embarcadero Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Silver Pictures

Trivia:

The famous football action sequence in the film was filmed on a overcast day but with the help of background lighting and the camera angles chosen by the director, it seems like it was a sunny day.

Goofs:

Continuity: The length of Colin's cigarette between shots.

Quotes:

Maurice: I ain't even gonna look, I ain't even gonna look. I'm just gonna play. I can't see, I can't see.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 'Romeo Must Die' Movie Special (2000) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Keep Hope Alive

Superior Gangster Film; Mediocre Kung Fu Film

ROMEO MUST DIE is one of those rare films which, while not particularly good for its genre, is surprisingly good for other reasons. Most of the black characters, even the villians, are sympathetically portrayed, even though the hero is Asian. Aaliyah is wholesomely sexy and quite beautiful. Russell Wong is phenomenal is a very short role. This guy has the looks, style, and presence of Russell Crowe. Jet Li, however, is very humane and appealing, though his character is underwritten. Most of the asian characters are shortchanged dramatically. However the white (primarily Jewish) characters are shortchanged the most. They receive the brunt of the ugly stereotyping. The kung-fu sequences are nothing special. They are too fast and too confusing to be completely effective. Though neat, the Xray effect detracted from the "realism," sort of like the old split screen and slo-mo effects of the 1960s films. Bone-crunching is far more effective; and, would someone please dispense with this "flying" nonsense? I don't want to see anything up there or the screen that is not physically possible. Special note must be made of Francoise Yip, the Female bike / fighter. If Ms. Yip did all her own stunts, she's not only stunningly beautiful, she is also awesome. One quibble, which I feel follows a disturbing pattern in motion pictures. Though Jet Li and Aaliyah are quite obviously in love at the close of the film, they never kiss. In a film which shows two beautiful asian dances french kiss, and one bares the other's breast and kisses her erect nipple,would it have been too much to ask to have to people of different races who are obviously in love share a romantic kiss?