209 reviews
- claudio_carvalho
- Jan 12, 2008
- Permalink
- bastiaan-rook
- Nov 23, 2008
- Permalink
Reasons to see WAR
WAR kicks ass, and you should see it a lot of times, for these reasons:
-Jet Li and Jason Statham fighting each other. It's as epic as you might think.
So, in conclusion, if you, 1. Like things that are awesome. 2. Have a pair of testicles. 3. Need to see a movie that rocks for a change. 4. Are a human being.
...than WAR is for you.
WAR kicks ass, and you should see it a lot of times, for these reasons:
- Jason Statham yelling at people, and then kicking ass. In other words, being himself.
- Jet Li killing a guy by kicking him in the face....and that's not his best kill.
- Random girls getting nude for no reason.
- Ninjas. Just when you think this movie couldn't rock any harder, they put Ninjas in the movie.
- A twist ending that would make M. Night Shawhocares *beep* himself.
- A car chase every 10 minutes. There's even one with motorcycles.
- Violence. Lots of it. Guns, blades, blood, kungfu, decapitations, the bases are covered.
-Jet Li and Jason Statham fighting each other. It's as epic as you might think.
So, in conclusion, if you, 1. Like things that are awesome. 2. Have a pair of testicles. 3. Need to see a movie that rocks for a change. 4. Are a human being.
...than WAR is for you.
Hey, if you're interested in seeing a mostly-violent flick with a big body count, gratuitous in nature half the time, and a lot of hostility, anger, betrayal, a big twist near the end and tons of testosterone, then this movie is for you. If you want a quiet, low-key thriller, skip this one: this is somewhat brainless blood-and-guts, slice 'n dice. In other words: know what you're going to get here.
We get many, many gunshots to head., long range to up-close-and personal, swords into mouths and through back of head and through just about any other body part, a car chase, motorcycle chases, a few bare breasts and a bunch of attention-grabbing scenes of brutality, which definitely outnumber the quieter scenes.
Jason Statham seems to be the new macho man of the day, playing this kind of role in numerous films the past few years. Jet Li.....well, you know him. Statham versus Li? Yes, but not really. The two are only in the same scene twice, once for a couple of minutes of Jason giving threats and Jet standing there passively, and then in the finale fight scene. The latter, unlike most of these action films of today, is not overdone and go on and on. It's just about the right length.
The best part of this ultra-violent movie dealing with rival Asian gangs and FBI agent (s) in the middle in the BIG twist near the end of the film. At least it makes this a little more than a brainless action movie. I think it's kind of cool, although don't try to analyze it for credibility.
While a number of reviewers here weren't happy that the two big stars weren't on the screen at the same time for long, my choice for under-played actor is Luis Guzman, who is always very interesting but didn't have many lines here. I'd like to have seen his part a lot bigger, and I would have liked to see Statham tone it tone and sound a little more intelligent in his role. In real life, FBI agents have a lot more class.
Having said that, I still enjoyed the film because I knew in advance what it was, that it wasn't Li's best effort nor Statham's but it sufficed for a 100-minute diversion. I was looking for action...and I got it! I also recommend this for those who have HDTV and a Blu-Ray disc player. This is a very slick-looking film on Blu-Ray.
Just don't bring the kiddies or grandma into the living room to watch this!
We get many, many gunshots to head., long range to up-close-and personal, swords into mouths and through back of head and through just about any other body part, a car chase, motorcycle chases, a few bare breasts and a bunch of attention-grabbing scenes of brutality, which definitely outnumber the quieter scenes.
Jason Statham seems to be the new macho man of the day, playing this kind of role in numerous films the past few years. Jet Li.....well, you know him. Statham versus Li? Yes, but not really. The two are only in the same scene twice, once for a couple of minutes of Jason giving threats and Jet standing there passively, and then in the finale fight scene. The latter, unlike most of these action films of today, is not overdone and go on and on. It's just about the right length.
The best part of this ultra-violent movie dealing with rival Asian gangs and FBI agent (s) in the middle in the BIG twist near the end of the film. At least it makes this a little more than a brainless action movie. I think it's kind of cool, although don't try to analyze it for credibility.
While a number of reviewers here weren't happy that the two big stars weren't on the screen at the same time for long, my choice for under-played actor is Luis Guzman, who is always very interesting but didn't have many lines here. I'd like to have seen his part a lot bigger, and I would have liked to see Statham tone it tone and sound a little more intelligent in his role. In real life, FBI agents have a lot more class.
Having said that, I still enjoyed the film because I knew in advance what it was, that it wasn't Li's best effort nor Statham's but it sufficed for a 100-minute diversion. I was looking for action...and I got it! I also recommend this for those who have HDTV and a Blu-Ray disc player. This is a very slick-looking film on Blu-Ray.
Just don't bring the kiddies or grandma into the living room to watch this!
- ccthemovieman-1
- Aug 18, 2008
- Permalink
Nail-biting and violent thriller set in San Francisco, being well starred by the tough , two-fisted Jason Statham to track down a serial killer played by Jet Li who has been targeting Oriental mobsters by murdering them in cold blood . After his partner Tom Lone and family are killed apparently by the infamous and elusive assassin Rogue , FBI agent John Crawford (Jason Statham) becomes obsessed with revenge as his world unravels into a vortex of treason and guilt. As the FBI Agent seeks vengeance who murdered his partner , looking for a mysterious and lethal series killer . Crawford and his colleagues , Goi (Sung Kang) and Wick (Mathew St. Patrick), carry out a relentless manhunt going after the bloody murderer . Then Rogue eventually resurfaces to settle a score of his own, setting off a bloody crime war between Asian mob rivals Chang (John Lone) of the Triad's and Yakuza boss Shiro (Ryo Ishibashi) and his daughter Kira (Devon Aoki) . When Jack and Rogue eventually come face to face, it's a deadly and lethal confrontation and the ultimate truth of their pasts will be revealed. One wants justice, the other wants revenge ! . Vengeance is the ultimate weapon !.
Intriguing and decent thriller movie with noisy action, grisly killings , suspense , chills , car pursuits , crossfire , lots of violence and a surprising final twist . Jason Statham is nice in his usual style as the agent who is dispatched to take down a series murderer. Here Statham is top-notch as Agent Crawford , he plays following his ordinary manners as a tough and two-fisted guy , interpretations that have given him a considerable success, thanks to films as " Revolver" , "Crank" I and its sequel "Crank II" , "Transporter" saga, "The Expendables", "Killer Elite", "Safe" , "Homefront", "Wild Card", "The Mechanic" I and II, "Fast and Furious" 7 and 8, "Megalodon", among others . Along with martial expert Jet Li who previously played a lot of of successful action heroes in films as "Romeo must die" , "Cradle 2" , "Hero" , "The one " , "Kiss of dragon" , and "Danny the Dog" . Big Duo Stars Jason Statham and Jet Li are well accompanied by a good support cast, with full of familiar American/Japanese/Chinese faces such as : John Lone , Devon Aoki , Luis Guzmán , Saul Rubinek, Ryo Ishibashi, Sung Kang , Mathew St. Patrick , Nadine Velazquez , Andrea Roth , Mark Cheng and Kane Kosugi , Shane Kosugi's son , among others.
It contains a brilliant and colorful cinematography by cameraman Pierre Morel , completely shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and San Francisco, California, , as well as thrilling musical score by Brian Tyler . The motion picture was competent and professionally directed by an usual videoclip filmmaker called Philip G. Atwell, at his film debut , delivering action and tension enough . This filmmaker is a fine craftsman who has directed a large number of videoclips and episodes of TV series as The Shield . Rating : 6/10. The picture will appeal to action/thriller enthusiasts . Essential and fundamental seeing for Jason Statham and Jet Li fans.
Intriguing and decent thriller movie with noisy action, grisly killings , suspense , chills , car pursuits , crossfire , lots of violence and a surprising final twist . Jason Statham is nice in his usual style as the agent who is dispatched to take down a series murderer. Here Statham is top-notch as Agent Crawford , he plays following his ordinary manners as a tough and two-fisted guy , interpretations that have given him a considerable success, thanks to films as " Revolver" , "Crank" I and its sequel "Crank II" , "Transporter" saga, "The Expendables", "Killer Elite", "Safe" , "Homefront", "Wild Card", "The Mechanic" I and II, "Fast and Furious" 7 and 8, "Megalodon", among others . Along with martial expert Jet Li who previously played a lot of of successful action heroes in films as "Romeo must die" , "Cradle 2" , "Hero" , "The one " , "Kiss of dragon" , and "Danny the Dog" . Big Duo Stars Jason Statham and Jet Li are well accompanied by a good support cast, with full of familiar American/Japanese/Chinese faces such as : John Lone , Devon Aoki , Luis Guzmán , Saul Rubinek, Ryo Ishibashi, Sung Kang , Mathew St. Patrick , Nadine Velazquez , Andrea Roth , Mark Cheng and Kane Kosugi , Shane Kosugi's son , among others.
It contains a brilliant and colorful cinematography by cameraman Pierre Morel , completely shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and San Francisco, California, , as well as thrilling musical score by Brian Tyler . The motion picture was competent and professionally directed by an usual videoclip filmmaker called Philip G. Atwell, at his film debut , delivering action and tension enough . This filmmaker is a fine craftsman who has directed a large number of videoclips and episodes of TV series as The Shield . Rating : 6/10. The picture will appeal to action/thriller enthusiasts . Essential and fundamental seeing for Jason Statham and Jet Li fans.
War pits Jason Statham and Jet Li against each other. Both are known for their insane action and martial arts sequences, but for all that talent we never really see one good hand to hand fight between the two. It's your basic revenge story, Jet Li kills Statham's partner and Statham wants to crush his nuts. You know, your basic action movie. Don't expect War to win any awards. Unless there's some sort of awards show with all action movies in it nowadays. If you go into this movie expecting the next Shakespearean masterpiece, you're in deep deep trouble. It's a little more paced than some people make it out to be. There are huge breaks in the action that take time to tell the story and a little character development. Note that they are not small breaks but huge ones. Action comes in doses, but when it does it hits you like a train to the jaw.
There is a slight twist in the movie that helps to accentuate that it's trying to be different from other movies in this genre but it doesn't quite succeed. The "twist" ends up coming off as another of a hundred ways this is just like every other action movie ever made. In the same way most action movies treat themselves (and they should) lightly and with as little detail to realism as possible, so too does War. It knows that it's an action movie, and never expects you to think any thing more about it than that. In this same genre I would recommend Shoot 'Em Up over this, if you have already seen that this might feel a little tame in comparison. In that same way though, this movie has a different flavor and succeeds in its own way. Worth watching, but there are much better picks in this genre.
There is a slight twist in the movie that helps to accentuate that it's trying to be different from other movies in this genre but it doesn't quite succeed. The "twist" ends up coming off as another of a hundred ways this is just like every other action movie ever made. In the same way most action movies treat themselves (and they should) lightly and with as little detail to realism as possible, so too does War. It knows that it's an action movie, and never expects you to think any thing more about it than that. In this same genre I would recommend Shoot 'Em Up over this, if you have already seen that this might feel a little tame in comparison. In that same way though, this movie has a different flavor and succeeds in its own way. Worth watching, but there are much better picks in this genre.
- Daggerborn
- Feb 29, 2008
- Permalink
War walks in the footsteps of movies like Kiss of the Dragon, and the Transporter series. It blends martial arts with stylized shoot 'em up action fairly well to create visually stunning action sequences. One of War's strong points, is that none of these action sequences feel too contrived or pointless; most of them advance the plot in some matter. War attempts to blend it's action with a surprisingly compelling story line, the film's build up unfortunately falls apart in it's lack luster third act.
Jason Statham plays Jack Crawford, a special ops agent in L.A. (we never truly know the unit he's a part of, but face it, it's not important). L.A. is seeing the beginning of a gang war between two Japanese gangs, the Changs and the Triads. As he investigates, it soon becomes apparent that an assassin by the name of Rogue (Jet Li) is involved, the same assassin that killed Statham's partner 3 years ago. This story line seems to be the weaker one of two that are explored in the movie. The more intriguing one involves Rogue who seems to be playing on both sides of the playing field. This moves the movie forward as his dark agenda is slowly revealed.
The movie lends itself to some interesting fight sequences, shoot outs and sword fights. There is a brief chase sequence between Statham and Li, but it feels like an afterthought. The action is spread out well over the 100 minute running time, there are no real slow spots and yet unlike many of Statham's earlier works (Crank) it does give you a chance to breathe. We're treated to one or two exciting twists that tie up a lot of the intrigue before the final act. This is where War begins to slip, it is a very successful action thriller for the first ninety minutes, it's the brief closing that doesn't satisfy.
The ending feels forced and leaves you unsatisfied. It's unnecessarily bleak and doesn't really fit with the rest of the movie. They should have cut the final ten minutes of the movie and replaced them with a tighter ending. But, even accounting for this, War still succeeds in being a solid action thriller. Perhaps if it does well we'll be treated to a sequel that will pick up the pieces of the disappointing ending.
Jason Statham plays Jack Crawford, a special ops agent in L.A. (we never truly know the unit he's a part of, but face it, it's not important). L.A. is seeing the beginning of a gang war between two Japanese gangs, the Changs and the Triads. As he investigates, it soon becomes apparent that an assassin by the name of Rogue (Jet Li) is involved, the same assassin that killed Statham's partner 3 years ago. This story line seems to be the weaker one of two that are explored in the movie. The more intriguing one involves Rogue who seems to be playing on both sides of the playing field. This moves the movie forward as his dark agenda is slowly revealed.
The movie lends itself to some interesting fight sequences, shoot outs and sword fights. There is a brief chase sequence between Statham and Li, but it feels like an afterthought. The action is spread out well over the 100 minute running time, there are no real slow spots and yet unlike many of Statham's earlier works (Crank) it does give you a chance to breathe. We're treated to one or two exciting twists that tie up a lot of the intrigue before the final act. This is where War begins to slip, it is a very successful action thriller for the first ninety minutes, it's the brief closing that doesn't satisfy.
The ending feels forced and leaves you unsatisfied. It's unnecessarily bleak and doesn't really fit with the rest of the movie. They should have cut the final ten minutes of the movie and replaced them with a tighter ending. But, even accounting for this, War still succeeds in being a solid action thriller. Perhaps if it does well we'll be treated to a sequel that will pick up the pieces of the disappointing ending.
- movieman430
- Aug 23, 2007
- Permalink
Easily Jet Li's worst westernized movie. I usually don't comment or review movies.. i just rate them but after watching this i have to say something, i feel i need to.
A lot of people say that this is an action movie and should be judged on the mind-blowing action and just to enjoy the ride.. I saw no mind blowing action, most of the movie was plot and if i was to ignore all of that i would be left with only a few minutes of horrible action.
The action has little to no martial arts so Jet Li didn't need to be in the movie at all. The stunts were all tame and the editing cut every half-second in the action scenes so that it could make any actor seem like they could empty a room full of thugs.
Jet Li started out great in America with movies such as Kiss of the Dragon and Romeo Must Die. Statham and Li have both worked together in The One which i thought to be a brilliant movie where the plot and the action worked perfectly together.. This movie is the evil twin of The One, the actors stay the same but everything else is screwed up.
Kiss of the Dragon was a movie that had the least amount of plot needed to drive all of the fantastic action scenes. This movie almost wanted the viewer to be taken into its plot and twists. You don't seem to care about any of the characters, some lines you can predict yourself and most of all the action was mediocre at best.
I wont even go into detail about how horrible the ending is, but it left me and my friends in the cinema looking at each other thinking "is that it?"
Jet Li can do better
A lot of people say that this is an action movie and should be judged on the mind-blowing action and just to enjoy the ride.. I saw no mind blowing action, most of the movie was plot and if i was to ignore all of that i would be left with only a few minutes of horrible action.
The action has little to no martial arts so Jet Li didn't need to be in the movie at all. The stunts were all tame and the editing cut every half-second in the action scenes so that it could make any actor seem like they could empty a room full of thugs.
Jet Li started out great in America with movies such as Kiss of the Dragon and Romeo Must Die. Statham and Li have both worked together in The One which i thought to be a brilliant movie where the plot and the action worked perfectly together.. This movie is the evil twin of The One, the actors stay the same but everything else is screwed up.
Kiss of the Dragon was a movie that had the least amount of plot needed to drive all of the fantastic action scenes. This movie almost wanted the viewer to be taken into its plot and twists. You don't seem to care about any of the characters, some lines you can predict yourself and most of all the action was mediocre at best.
I wont even go into detail about how horrible the ending is, but it left me and my friends in the cinema looking at each other thinking "is that it?"
Jet Li can do better
This is a man's film. They really should be selling brats and beer in the theaters for attendees. Anyone going to a film with jet Li or Jason Statham should know what to expect. Going to a film with the two of them and you know there is going to be blood, violence, killing, action, noise, and an eventual winner. If this is not your cup of tea, go see The Nanny Diaries and leave this to the fan boys.
This is not their first film together. They both appeared in The One six years ago. This time they are the leads and on opposing sides - Statham an FBI agent and Li a contract killer. The action takes place in the middle of a Yakuza war in San Francisco.
Fans of Jet Li will not be disappointed. he still has all the moves even if he is 47; however, he does rely more on swords and guns, and other weapons in this film. Statham is Li's equal and gives as good as he gets. The story has an interesting twist which i will not give a clue on as it is a major plot point.
Interesting entertainment by girls in cages at the Yakuza club. I thought that went out in the 60s, but it was a nice diversion.
This film is red meat. It has no pretensions of quality and dialog is minimal, which goes along with the story. If you are a fan, you will be entertained. If you are not, why are you there?
This is not their first film together. They both appeared in The One six years ago. This time they are the leads and on opposing sides - Statham an FBI agent and Li a contract killer. The action takes place in the middle of a Yakuza war in San Francisco.
Fans of Jet Li will not be disappointed. he still has all the moves even if he is 47; however, he does rely more on swords and guns, and other weapons in this film. Statham is Li's equal and gives as good as he gets. The story has an interesting twist which i will not give a clue on as it is a major plot point.
Interesting entertainment by girls in cages at the Yakuza club. I thought that went out in the 60s, but it was a nice diversion.
This film is red meat. It has no pretensions of quality and dialog is minimal, which goes along with the story. If you are a fan, you will be entertained. If you are not, why are you there?
- lastliberal
- Aug 23, 2007
- Permalink
- crowcaster
- Oct 10, 2007
- Permalink
War undergoes one of those unnecessarily title changes for this part of the world, naming itself after Jet Li's assassin character Rogue. Billed as "The Ultimately Martial Arts Duel of the Year", the person who wrote that blurb for Rogue Assassin obviously hasn't seen many movies, or martial arts ones for that matter, or is plain lying through the teeth. You'd half expect that pitting two action stars against one another will instantly mean box office success by pulling in fans of both Jet Li and Jason Statham, but it's a downright insult as you don't see any punches pulled between the two for 99% of the time.
Jason Statham actually starred opposite Jet Li in the movie called The One back in 2001, where Li had no decent cinematic opponent to spar with, and had to do so with himself, assisted by CGI. With his movies like Crank and The Transporter doubles becoming guilty pleasures (read: just Statham kicking up a storm without a reasonable story to boot), I'd actually come to enjoy his work choreographed by Corey Yuen (who also does the action choreography here), together with other ensemble movies he starred in, like The Italian Job and Snatch, amongst others. It's no doubt I'm a fan, but in Rogue Assassin, all he had to show off his fighting chops, was a sequence in a ubiquitous teahouse.
But Jet Li fared no better too. His Hollywood foray had been more misses than hits, either playing assassins or cops like in Kiss of the Dragon, or be stuck in roles that require little dialogue and only to look bad-ass, like in Lethal Weapon 4, and Cradle 2 the Grave. Or the easiest of all, forget dialogue and kick around like a mad dog - no offense but that's what he really did in Unleashed (which I thought the notion of it all was rather degrading for an action star). Nonetheless he goes back to a story on warring factions again ala Romeo Must Die, but this time, it's not between boyz in the hood, but putting Japanese Yakuza and Hong Kong Triads in the streets of San Francisco.
As I mentioned earlier, there's nothing martial arts here. Everything is guns, guns and more guns, with a complimentary sword fight put in, but not between the touted leads. The action sequences, from fights to chases to stunts all looked rather tired and rehashed, with absolutely nothing that will make you go "wow, that's nothing I've seen before". Statham and Li share no more than 5 minutes together in the same scene, and only at best a minute bashing each other up, in the dark, in a narrow dock warehouse, before launching into more verbal mumbo jumbo.
Everything here is a caricature, and not even a clichéd revelation saved the movie, when it had expected to, except to give some runway to a possible sequel. War/Rogue Assassin reeks of plain laziness, and plays out like a cartoon. In trying to be sophisticated, having to label locales with "The Triad Warehouse", or "The Yakuza Lair" was just plain hilarious, unintentionally of course. The number of supporting caricatures, some recognizable Asian actors, all fall into the realm of predictability, and the villains are all too smug and too boring. You have HK actor Mark Cheng (from his latest movie Invisible Target) lending his charisma but becoming a laughing stock, John Lone demonstrating he's still very much being typecast in Hollywood roles, Devon Aoki continuing to be that flower vase who doesn't look good up close (somehow the cinematic camera dislikes her), and hey, once TV actress from this part of the world, Steph Song, gets a cameo too, spending most of the screen time screaming.
Everything's pure flash with zero substance. Even in trying to be a little sophisticated in its plot, it decided to allow some plot loopholes to go through an exercise of the implausible, and put in some major character motivation error. But then again, we're talking about cartoony caricatures here, so that probably won't matter. It became a victim of its own star casting - you don't know who you want as the bad guy, and as a result, becomes a below par mediocre, generic action movie that you can stick some other monkeys in and still work.
Jason Statham actually starred opposite Jet Li in the movie called The One back in 2001, where Li had no decent cinematic opponent to spar with, and had to do so with himself, assisted by CGI. With his movies like Crank and The Transporter doubles becoming guilty pleasures (read: just Statham kicking up a storm without a reasonable story to boot), I'd actually come to enjoy his work choreographed by Corey Yuen (who also does the action choreography here), together with other ensemble movies he starred in, like The Italian Job and Snatch, amongst others. It's no doubt I'm a fan, but in Rogue Assassin, all he had to show off his fighting chops, was a sequence in a ubiquitous teahouse.
But Jet Li fared no better too. His Hollywood foray had been more misses than hits, either playing assassins or cops like in Kiss of the Dragon, or be stuck in roles that require little dialogue and only to look bad-ass, like in Lethal Weapon 4, and Cradle 2 the Grave. Or the easiest of all, forget dialogue and kick around like a mad dog - no offense but that's what he really did in Unleashed (which I thought the notion of it all was rather degrading for an action star). Nonetheless he goes back to a story on warring factions again ala Romeo Must Die, but this time, it's not between boyz in the hood, but putting Japanese Yakuza and Hong Kong Triads in the streets of San Francisco.
As I mentioned earlier, there's nothing martial arts here. Everything is guns, guns and more guns, with a complimentary sword fight put in, but not between the touted leads. The action sequences, from fights to chases to stunts all looked rather tired and rehashed, with absolutely nothing that will make you go "wow, that's nothing I've seen before". Statham and Li share no more than 5 minutes together in the same scene, and only at best a minute bashing each other up, in the dark, in a narrow dock warehouse, before launching into more verbal mumbo jumbo.
Everything here is a caricature, and not even a clichéd revelation saved the movie, when it had expected to, except to give some runway to a possible sequel. War/Rogue Assassin reeks of plain laziness, and plays out like a cartoon. In trying to be sophisticated, having to label locales with "The Triad Warehouse", or "The Yakuza Lair" was just plain hilarious, unintentionally of course. The number of supporting caricatures, some recognizable Asian actors, all fall into the realm of predictability, and the villains are all too smug and too boring. You have HK actor Mark Cheng (from his latest movie Invisible Target) lending his charisma but becoming a laughing stock, John Lone demonstrating he's still very much being typecast in Hollywood roles, Devon Aoki continuing to be that flower vase who doesn't look good up close (somehow the cinematic camera dislikes her), and hey, once TV actress from this part of the world, Steph Song, gets a cameo too, spending most of the screen time screaming.
Everything's pure flash with zero substance. Even in trying to be a little sophisticated in its plot, it decided to allow some plot loopholes to go through an exercise of the implausible, and put in some major character motivation error. But then again, we're talking about cartoony caricatures here, so that probably won't matter. It became a victim of its own star casting - you don't know who you want as the bad guy, and as a result, becomes a below par mediocre, generic action movie that you can stick some other monkeys in and still work.
- DICK STEEL
- Sep 7, 2007
- Permalink
It's Jet Li vs. Jason Statham in War, an exciting martial arts action film. An FBI agent out for revenge pursues a notorious assassin named Rogue who's come to San Francisco to instigate a war between the Triads and the Yakuza. The storytelling is rather good, especially in creating suspense and intrigue. And, the fight sequences are particularly impressive. However, the characters aren't given much depth and seem more like stereotypes. While War is pretty much a typical revenge film, it's entertaining and has a good cast.
War is one of those martial art films you see on TV one weeknight and decided to watch not for because it is a piece of film history but just purely for the sake of entertainment. I read in previous reviews that people were quick to attack this movie due to the fact that Jet Li was in it and although Jet Li can act very well , War is a movie that one should watch purely for the action and not for any other reason at all. The action is War is sharp and fun , there is kung fu , sword fights and nudity and wise cracks to keep everyone satisfied. The film moves along at a nice pace although it might drag on which causes it to be longer than it really should be . However War's biggest fault is that is it's very weak , cheesy and shaky script which reinforces the point that it should be watched not for the drama or stand out performances , but just for the action. Trust me just leave your brain at the door and you will be fine.
WAR - 7.8 OUT OF 10
ONE WANTS JUSTICE , THE OTHER WANTS REVENGE...
WAR - 7.8 OUT OF 10
ONE WANTS JUSTICE , THE OTHER WANTS REVENGE...
- shadowman123
- Jun 8, 2008
- Permalink
- powerfull_jedi
- Mar 19, 2008
- Permalink
- MatthewLong23
- Jan 2, 2008
- Permalink
A good violent guy film. Which (unlike most films today)pays as much attention to the story and characters as it does to the action and gore.
I was very surprised with this movie. I expected this to be only brainless and slow motion action. It had some of that but it had twists and character development thrown in too.
The twist in this was very unexpected. I didn't see it coming at all. I didn't even think there would be one. Very nice job on the twist.
I had a problem with the ending. After all the action and good story it just ends with no real conclusion. Left me wandering about some things.
Good choice on the actors. Jet Li, one of the best in martial art movies and Jason Statham, who has been doing good in action movies.
I recommend it to the guys(and girls)who like movies with good cars,violence and who like a bit of a twist in it. Worth a look.
7/10
I was very surprised with this movie. I expected this to be only brainless and slow motion action. It had some of that but it had twists and character development thrown in too.
The twist in this was very unexpected. I didn't see it coming at all. I didn't even think there would be one. Very nice job on the twist.
I had a problem with the ending. After all the action and good story it just ends with no real conclusion. Left me wandering about some things.
Good choice on the actors. Jet Li, one of the best in martial art movies and Jason Statham, who has been doing good in action movies.
I recommend it to the guys(and girls)who like movies with good cars,violence and who like a bit of a twist in it. Worth a look.
7/10
- Thats_some_scary_stuff_Reviews
- May 29, 2008
- Permalink
- Leofwine_draca
- Nov 29, 2016
- Permalink
The movie is not the best of 2007, but it is a lot better than some people are giving it credit for. If you go in with the right expectations, you should find this film enjoyable.
While there is not as much action as some people might expect, and Jet Li and Jason Statham don't share a lot of screen time, the movie is overall a good one.
What action is contained here is overall exciting and energetic, and does manage to "deliver the goods". Worth a look if you're in the mood for this type of film.
7/10.
While there is not as much action as some people might expect, and Jet Li and Jason Statham don't share a lot of screen time, the movie is overall a good one.
What action is contained here is overall exciting and energetic, and does manage to "deliver the goods". Worth a look if you're in the mood for this type of film.
7/10.
- RequiredFields
- Jan 1, 2008
- Permalink
I saw the movie War with Jason Statham and Jet Li. Jason has let me down. I say that mostly because the movie sucked. Don't go watch it in the theater. Don't rent it on video. You could spend that amount of time getting your teeth cleaned or washing your garbage cans and it would be more fun. (Or, hey, stay home and watch Crank or Transporters I and II.) I know it's not High Cinema, whatever that is. But look, dialogue with a bit of wit and sass is not too much to ask. This is a movie about a Yakuza war, right? So three different times, someone says, "This means war." Literally. Duh.
The fighting was sparse. Worse, there were not many good fights. A rousing fight between Rogue and Kira would have pushed the envelope a bit and made the movie better. Devon Aoki made a good tough in Sin City. That might have been fun. Two things I did like were the vehicles and weapons, but there wasn't nine dollars worth of that eye candy.
Obviously, my perspective differs from the few previous posters', who loved this movie. I'm glad they got more out of it than I did. I just want my money back!
The fighting was sparse. Worse, there were not many good fights. A rousing fight between Rogue and Kira would have pushed the envelope a bit and made the movie better. Devon Aoki made a good tough in Sin City. That might have been fun. Two things I did like were the vehicles and weapons, but there wasn't nine dollars worth of that eye candy.
Obviously, my perspective differs from the few previous posters', who loved this movie. I'm glad they got more out of it than I did. I just want my money back!
If you walk into a movie theater showing "War" and expect to be dazzled by some thought-provoking paragon of acting destined to change the way the world thinks about film and culture, you're either an idiot or an idealist. It's called "War" because that's what it is, a bullet festival with some sideshow martial arts.
"War" was designed only to be a brutal, dazzling death picture, and it delivers handsomely. There's scarcely 10 minutes at a stretch that lacks any appreciable action sequences, and the end result leaves more dead Asians than WWII. There are some truly insane displays of gunplay and a handful of inventive deaths (my favorites include a hubcap to the skull). Jason Statham delivers a pretty good performance, considering that this is really designed for pure blood-and-guts glory, and Jet Li is as impressive now as he was in "Romeo Must Die" and "Kiss of the Dragon" (thank GOD he hasn't retired). The plot's also not as simplistic as it needs to be, and it includes several plot twists (yet it never quite seems too convoluted, thankfully).
If you want to see War, be ready for it. Know that you'll go in looking for a mountain of bodies, and you'll get precisely what you ask for. My only real complaint is the relatively abrupt ending-- after the many and close-together action sequences, it downshifts pretty quickly, and leaves you wishing there was still a half hour left.
"War" was designed only to be a brutal, dazzling death picture, and it delivers handsomely. There's scarcely 10 minutes at a stretch that lacks any appreciable action sequences, and the end result leaves more dead Asians than WWII. There are some truly insane displays of gunplay and a handful of inventive deaths (my favorites include a hubcap to the skull). Jason Statham delivers a pretty good performance, considering that this is really designed for pure blood-and-guts glory, and Jet Li is as impressive now as he was in "Romeo Must Die" and "Kiss of the Dragon" (thank GOD he hasn't retired). The plot's also not as simplistic as it needs to be, and it includes several plot twists (yet it never quite seems too convoluted, thankfully).
If you want to see War, be ready for it. Know that you'll go in looking for a mountain of bodies, and you'll get precisely what you ask for. My only real complaint is the relatively abrupt ending-- after the many and close-together action sequences, it downshifts pretty quickly, and leaves you wishing there was still a half hour left.
This movie started out at a furious pace and pretty much kept it up to the end. And I enjoyed it very much until the end. The stunts were great. The chase scenes were great. Pretty much everything was great. Until the end.
And the twist ending kind of sucked. I didn't find it believable. And honestly I don't think Statham and Li found it very believable either. That was the only part of the movie that I thought either of them did a less than decent job. I believe that the twist ending was an unnecessary complication and the movie would have been better with a more "standard" ending. Sometimes less is more.
As you would probably expect, the script was heavy on action and light on meaningful dialogue. Perhaps the back-story of Rogue could have been a bit clearer. Not that that made a difference to the film. It was after all an action movie. Cinematography was good and overall the entire look of the movie was vivid and colourful.
The only minor gripe I had was with the wardrobe. Why didn't the FBI guys look like FBI guys? It looked kind of like they changed the script to make them FBI after the wardrobe was already done, and originally they were supposed to be part of some other agency.
Performances by Statham and Li were overall good. I've seen both of them show more range in other films but they did just fine with what they had to work with. There just wasn't anything in the script that required them to do much except fight. It was nice to see Luis Guzman again. He always does a great job with even small parts. Saul Rubinek was good in the tiny part that he had. I was surprised that his part was so small considering he had fairly high billing. Devon Aoki was good, although she didn't seem entirely comfortable in the role. John Lone was good. Ryo Ishibashi was great, one of the high points of the movie.
It is extremely graphically violent and has a significant amount of nudity. I personally don't find it offensive but it is definitely not a family movie, so be warned.
Overall it is certainly worth seeing, even with my disappointment at the ending.
And the twist ending kind of sucked. I didn't find it believable. And honestly I don't think Statham and Li found it very believable either. That was the only part of the movie that I thought either of them did a less than decent job. I believe that the twist ending was an unnecessary complication and the movie would have been better with a more "standard" ending. Sometimes less is more.
As you would probably expect, the script was heavy on action and light on meaningful dialogue. Perhaps the back-story of Rogue could have been a bit clearer. Not that that made a difference to the film. It was after all an action movie. Cinematography was good and overall the entire look of the movie was vivid and colourful.
The only minor gripe I had was with the wardrobe. Why didn't the FBI guys look like FBI guys? It looked kind of like they changed the script to make them FBI after the wardrobe was already done, and originally they were supposed to be part of some other agency.
Performances by Statham and Li were overall good. I've seen both of them show more range in other films but they did just fine with what they had to work with. There just wasn't anything in the script that required them to do much except fight. It was nice to see Luis Guzman again. He always does a great job with even small parts. Saul Rubinek was good in the tiny part that he had. I was surprised that his part was so small considering he had fairly high billing. Devon Aoki was good, although she didn't seem entirely comfortable in the role. John Lone was good. Ryo Ishibashi was great, one of the high points of the movie.
It is extremely graphically violent and has a significant amount of nudity. I personally don't find it offensive but it is definitely not a family movie, so be warned.
Overall it is certainly worth seeing, even with my disappointment at the ending.
Jason Statham takes on Jet Li. Statham plays a federal agent on a big case. When Li blows into the middle of it all hell breaks loose. Statham's partner believes he's killed Li, but Li has survived and he kills the partner and his family to cover his tracks. Statham knows who's behind it and he begins to hunt down Li. Meanwhile Li is playing his own game involving the various Asian criminal organizations. Sub-par as Statham and Li movies movies go this is a just okay action thriller thats has a good many twists and turns none of which add up to much.Frankly even by mindless action movie standards its pretty crappy.All that the film really has is a good number of action sequences, however they are so blandly filmed, despite Corey Yuen's choreography that they aren't as exciting as they should be. Definitely wait for cable.
- dbborroughs
- Dec 23, 2007
- Permalink