This is a criminal and nail-biting drama of merciless killers with full of intrigue , unstopped action, tense , suspeseful , and lots of violence . John Lee (Chow Yun Fat) is the best hired hitman but a relentless vendetta emerges when he refuses to commit a murder because of a morally complicated target . However, the drug lord (Kenneth Tsang) has hired replacements (Til Schweiger, Danny Trejo) to finish the job , and kill the hitman . John then teams up with Meg Coburn to help him getaway these "Replacement Killers¨. Along the way , they're partenered to defend themselves and save a cop (Michael Rooker) and his seven year-old son . Both of whom will fight at whatever cost and they'll stop at nothing to get it , facing off Chinese bands and Triads chasing them , along with The Replacement Killers. Later on, things get awry more and more . Both , John Lee and Meg Coburn are drawn into a cobweb of violence , treason and deception. Kill or be replaced. When people need to disappear, they come to see Meg. When they're about to go, they never see John coming. Conscience has no place in the heart of an assassin. No law. No rules. No justice.
Slick and passable crime thriller in which two divergent characters , a Chinese hitman and a young Caucasian take on a war against hoodlums , rival bands and other underworld factions .Attractive action movie with thrills , action-packed , violence , betrayal and bloodletting shoot'em up . The movie has a John Woo style , there are amount of shoot-outs , frenetic action and running men while they are shooting . Chow Yun-Fat finally receives a Hollywood stardom that already had before internationally in Asia . Nevertheless , the action segments suffer in comparison to his work in John Woo films . While Mira Sorvino is fine as the tough forger and she showcases the talents that previously showed in other movies as Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite , Academy Award included. The thrilling script and interpretation are top-drawer , and there's crossfire enough to satisfy the average appetite for destruction. A good starring duo , Chow Yun-Fat as a troubled hitman who seeks aid from a forger to get papers and Mira Sorvino as the resourceful forger , both of them giving acceptable performances , being well accompanied by an appropriate support cast , such as Michael Rooker , Kenneth Tsang , Clifton Collins Jr , Carlos Gómez, Frank Medrano, Patrick Kilpatrick , Randall Duk Kim and Danny Trejo , Til Schweiger as the ring of hitmen and special appearance by the veteran German actor Jürgen Prochnow.
It contains an adequate and colorful cinematography by Peter Collister . As well as moving and thrilling score by Harry Gregson-Williams , composed by means of synthesizer and lots of oriental sounds . The motion picture was professionally directed by Antoine Fuqua , providing from his standout cast some decent interpretations . Fuqua originally did not want to do John Woo's trademark "Mexican Standoff" in this film , but producers begged him to include these kinds of rip-roaring scenes . This fine craftsman, director Antoine Fuqua , frequently deals with familiar conflicts set in N. Y , keeps the film slick and stokes up the race some , but this only accelerates the flick's deafening rush toward the top and ever over. Fuqua handles the explosive and the psychological undercurrents with equal assurance . Antoine Fuqua has made a lot of succesful movies , such as : The Magnificent Seven , Olympus Has Fallen, The Equalizer , Equalizer 2 , Southpaw , King Arthur , Training Day , Shooter , Tears of the Sun , Bait , among others. Rating : 6/10 . The yarn will appeal to Chow Yun Fat and Mira Sorvino fans.
