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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Danny Trejo Danny Trejo's character speaks only 4 words in the movie... "What about me?" and "Checkmate".

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Goofs

During the carwash shootout, the car that John and Meg jump into becomes riddled with bullet holes. Whenever the camera angle switches to the more distant view, as they drive off, the bullet holes are gone.

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Quotes

Meg Coburn: Hostage etiquette: kidnapper pays the incidentals.

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Alternate Versions

Available in an extended version on DVD and Blu-ray.

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Connections

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

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Soundtracks

Escape From The City Of Angels
Written by Ithaka Darin Pappas (aka Ithaka) and Pedro Passos
Performed by Ithaka Darin Pappas (aka Ithaka) and Marta Dias
Courtesy of Sweatlodge Records

User Reviews

Chow Yun Fat chews up Hollywood perfectly!

I'm a huge fan of CYF - for almost 30 years now. His on-screen persona is just the finest and he is one of the best actors out there!

But with other HK stars transfers to Hollywood - where the big wigs all claim that they know what is best - I was quite concerned for his debut.

Replacement Killers actually plays quite well!

Still carrying that 90's look, we are treated to 85 minutes of stylish Hong Kong wanna-be shoot outs and angles that sometimes overdoes the John Woo homages - some of which are pretty good, some that just ended up quite slow.

Regardless, it was a great introduction to the US audience for HK's coolest actor, and an enjoyable film nonetheless!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Cantonese

Release Date:

6 February 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Replacement Killers

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

Gross USA:

$19,204,929

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$19,204,929

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, 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