Movie Review: War

I would be lying if I didn't say I was looking forward to this. Jet Li is one of the greatest martial artists to ever grace the big screen and Jason Statham is turning into an excellent badass of cinema. The idea of pairing these two together would appear to be a stroke of genius with a story that would seem to write itself. Sure, the two did appear together in 2001's The One, but that was before Statham made his rise to the top. The problem with War is that the story is incredibly over-written and they seem to have forgotten this was supposed to be an action film. The end result was a film that offered some B grade fun, but ultimately it was too much plot, too little action.

War gets off to a rip roaring start that would seem to promise a movie that would deliver the action goods. FBI agent Jack Crawford (Jason Statham) and his partner Tom Lone (Terry Chen) are crashing a shootout between rival factions of the Japanese Yakuza and the Chinese Triads operating. This battle brings the two face to face with the Yakuza's hired gun, a silent assassin called Rogue (Jet Li). Their disruption of the evening's activities puts them on Rogue's hit list. Rogue targets Tom and his family, he enters their home and brutally kills the entire family, after which he disappears, leaving Jack to torture himself over it and plan his revenge.

Three years after the massacre of the Lone family, evidence arises which signals the return of Rogue to American shores. This news reinvigorates Crawford's desire to have his revenge. So far, so good. Rogue is back, which is a good thing. The problem is that Rogue is not only working for the Yakuza. The plot takes on the familiar notes of Yojimbo and A Fistful of Dollars. A mysterious man playing rival families/clans against each other. This is where everything begins to fly off the rails.

Article Author: Chris Beaumont

Christopher Beaumont spends much of his time writing about music and movies when he isn't indulging in them. He is always ready to talk about his favorite form of entertainment and offer up recommendations. Follow: Twitter and Tumblr. Visit: Critical Outcast. …

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