Romeo Must Die (2000) Reviews

• A good action movie!

  tonymurphylee2008-05-21

  jet Li rocks, and this film was great. Sure, it's silly, but it's never boring, there are some slick fight scenes, and the soundtrack is pretty neat. It manages to be a romantic film without being sappy and stupid, it manages to be an action film where the action rocks but isn't too over-the-top, and it manages to make good use of the Shakesphere story, ROMEO AND JULIET while still respecting the themes and the humor. Generally, the film is pretty silly. The acting isn't particularly good, the characters are two dimensional, the plot holes are numerous, and events are sometimes quite predictable. However, I don't regret watching it. I was entertained and was satisfied by the film as a whole. It worked really well. If you're looking for a good film that doesn't require a lot of thought and investment from the viewer but is at least entertaining and energetic, ROMERO MUST DIE is a good film to check out.

• Action with Depth.

  Translucid2k42005-07-11

  Not usually a fan of this type of all-out Action movie, "Romeo Must Die" knocked me off balance when I found it to be one of the best films I have ever enjoyed. Producer Joel Silver (Who also produced "The Matrix") describes the film as an "Urban rendition of Romeo and Juliet" and although this is a very simple way of looking at the film, it's not far off the mark. Like the great Shakespeare work, there are two opposing families in this film, each looking to make big commercial gains in the world of real estate development. Caught up in their lies, greed and violence are Trish O'Day (Played by Aaliyah) and Han Sing (Played by Jet Li). The story revolves around their quickly blooming relationship and the opposing families around them. The film boasts some serious eye candy with some of the best special effects you'll see. Luckily, this is not the only good thing going for the movie as the eye candy is wonderfully supported by some fantastic performances from the cast. In her first feature movie, Aaliyah is absolutely breath taking as Trish O'Day. Showing the kind of charm and 'x' factor that few will ever have, she alone makes this film a must see. Jet Li's performance is, as always, about his skills as a martial artist but his scripted acting continues to improve. Another stand out performance for me was that of D.B. Woodside who plays Trish O'Days brother - Colin. Although not such a major role, D.B. excels in this role. High end production values mean the film has a real style and "gloss" to it and everything fits in place and the story moves along at just the right pace. In fact, "Romeo Must Die" is a shining example of how good story telling does not need to be lost in a sea of special effects and glossy American values. Jonathon Ross describes the film as "Fast, Furious, Fun", which is definitely true, but there is more to this film that the audience can take away with them. The reason the film works is that it works on two levels - storyline and action. You can enjoy both aspects and take from them what you like. This is a brilliant film and I highly recommend it.

• Superior Gangster Film; Mediocre Kung Fu Film

  Bob-452000-05-21

  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?

• The most violent "interpretation" of Shakespeare I`ve ever seen

  action-62000-12-01

  "Romeo Must Die" is definetely the most violent "interpretation" of Shakespeare I`ve ever seen. Okay, interpretation is not the right word to use, but that is nevertheless what this movie at some point wants to be. I really liked Jet Li in this movie, and I`ve liked him since I first saw him in "Lethal Weapon 4" a couple of years ago. Fighting and betrayal is what "Romeo Must Die" is all about, and the fighting is very entertaining, although sometimes a bit cheesy, because some of the "Matrix-scenes", which is out of place outside the world of science-fiction. Still, "Romeo Must Die" is an actionflick you wouldn`t want to miss. It manages to be interesting enough, but the fighting is what makes it really good. 8/10

• Good...but over-the-top Chineseness

  sarmoti_tiger2006-02-01

  I read some not-so-great reviews about "Romeo must Die" so I really didn't have my hopes up high. I only decided to watch it because I love Jet Li. Good thing I did watch it!! It was SO cool!! Jet Li didn't disappoint - not only was his fighting as 'wow' as ever (and I know, a lot of people think too much CGI was used, compromising his true abilities. I agree with that, but you have to admit, it still looked pretty dayam good), his dramatic acting is amazing too!! However, living in Hong Kong, I DO have a few problems with the film. Firstly, it REALLY exaggerates the whole Asian thing, making it seem like we Chinese all practice Kung Fu in our backyards while drinking Oolong tea every day...which in fact, is NOT what Hong Kong people do (yes, I'm sorry if I'm shattering some dreams here - Hong Kong people do too watch television and shop and do things other than learn Kung Fu. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find one person in Hong Kong who knows martial arts Jet Li style). The Chinese people in the film all have names like "Po" and "Han" and say things like "let's show them our true strength"...I'm surprised they didn't put some phrases like "Let's summon our family's ancestral dragons" in. ALSO, I was really confused when they showed Hong Kong. It was nothing like the Hong Kong and all but one person spoke in Mandarin (most people in Hong Kong speak cantonese). I'm not sure if that bit WAS actually Hong Kong but...if you're going to say that he's in prison in Hong Kong, why choose a place which does NOT give a proper image of Hong Kong? There must've also been some confusion with Chinese and Japanese because I swear, at times, Han's (Jet Li's character) dad seems more Jap than anything... Still, I liked the film. There wasn't enough development between Jet and Aaliyah but Jet Li still looked really cute. Jet Li really kicks something serious in the movie and so I let all the other things slide - even the idea that the Chinese guys turn out to be the bad guys and the black guys turn out to be actually...awww...really nice people. Lindo was good and Aaliyah was REALLY REALLY good. It's sad - she would have made a terrific actress and I'm happy that she did leave behind at least this movie. Watch this movie. I just realised that my review doesn't actually sound too positive but trust me - I really did like the film. In fact, I'm going to watch it again now!