The Replacement Killers (1998)

A troubled hitman seeks aid from a forger to help him get papers to China. However, the drug lord has hired replacements to finish the job, and kill the hitman.

Director:

Antoine Fuqua

Writer:

Ken Sanzel

Stars:

Yun-Fat Chow, Mira Sorvino, Michael Rooker

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yun-Fat Chow	...	John Lee (as Chow Yun-Fat)
Mira Sorvino	...	Meg Coburn
Michael Rooker	...	Stan 'Zeedo' Zedkov
Kenneth Tsang	...	Terence Wei
Jürgen Prochnow	...	Michael Kogan (as Jurgen Prochnow)
Til Schweiger	...	Ryker
Danny Trejo	...	Collins
Clifton Collins Jr.	...	Loco (as Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez)
Carlos Gómez	...	Hunt (as Carlos Gomez)
Frank Medrano	...	Rawlins
Leo Lee	...	Lam
Patrick Kilpatrick	...	Pryce
Randall Duk Kim	...	Alan Chan
Andrew J. Marton	...	Stevie
Sydney Coberly	...	Sara

Storyline

John Lee is the best hitman money can buy. But when John refuses to kill because of the seven year-old son of his target, John's bosses send someone after John to kill him and then take his place in the ring of hitmen. John then teams up with Meg Coburn to help him escape these "Replacement Killers."

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Plot Keywords:

hitman | sniper rifle | passport | forger | police | 

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Taglines:

Conscience has no place in the heart of an assassin.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Cantonese

Release Date:

6 February 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Asesinos sustitutos

Filming Locations:

Union Station - 800 N. Alameda Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,046,553, 8 February 1998, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$18,967,571, 19 April 1998

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$35,100,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, WCG Entertainment Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min 96 min (extended cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS (8 channels)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chow Yun-Fat's first American film.

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Goofs

In the scene where Meg is holding a gun to John's head you see the position of her thumb changing throughout shots.

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Quotes

Meg Coburn: So you didn't want to kill a kid. Welcome to the human race.

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Connections

Referenced in 'Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty' - Making of the Hollywood Game (2002)

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Soundtracks

Escape From The City Of Angels
Written by Ithaka Darin Pappas and Pedro Passos
Performed by Ithaka (featuring Marta Dias)
Courtesy of BCB Productions

User Reviews

This is superb Hong Kong action stuff !!!

Wow, this movie just blew me away !!! I am a fan of the John Woo type of action movies and I must say that even he was just one of the executive producers, his mark is all over this movie!!!

The result is very good : Nicely paced action sequences, more story and emotions than in your average Hong Kong action movie (But not as much story development as in an American production, but in this genre this just isn't needed that much, it would just slow down the pace), well acted , you kinda start feeling sympathetic for the leads and you'll certainly hate these villains. This is a thrill ride from beginning till the end. And this is where I have my only point of criticism : The movie is way to short !!! 80 minutes and the credits start to roll!!! You'll almost start to beg for more... I'll best describe this movie as a cross between "Face-Off" and "The professional" from director Luc Besson. A must-see for every action movie lover.