One nice thing about fantasy films is
that, if they are properly produced, you can enjoy them and not have to have
any real content go by. Nothing to worry about here - Romeo Must Die is all
about {wonderfully} choreographed action, special X-ray visual effects that
show us how things like bones and stuff are behaving under pressure even as the
plot tries to get us involved in how the various gang members behave under
pressure, and Jet Li's action mode. Joel Silver poured all of his resources
into this slick, fast paced, and satisfying romp through underworld Oakland.
Jet Li, the (serious) Chinese action star, not
pictured at right, is making his way into American releases sometimes as
villain, sometimes as hero. No matter what, he is good, and elevates the
proceedings simply with his presence. It takes a while for him to reveal his
true colors here, but it is worth the wait, and you are not bored because so
much else is happening.
In Romeo, Li is serving out a prison sentence
when he learns of his brother's murder at the hands of a black gang in Oakland,
California, America. Making his escape, in action that I will only tell you is
the martial arts equivalent of Clint Eastwood shooting four bad guys
simultaneously (the 60's westerns), Li starts to track down the person
responsible - for a purpose that we can only guess at until the end. And none
of that has anything to do with the inset picture.
What the inset picture has to do with is the
visual style that went into the film, the lush colors, angle, inventive action
sequences and exotic locales, like barber shops and city parks. And hi-rise
fast-fall apartment buildings. It is over the top, and makes the film feel more
significant than it is.
Providing comic relief is a huge bodyguard
named Maurice (Anthony "Hang Time" Anderson) and suitably referred to
universally as Mo(ron). He is shameless and un-self-conscious in his
buffoonery, and his attempts to bust a move on Li are as hilarious as they are
futile. That little Asian guy sure bust a brother up.
No, no no. Those are my words. Trying to
find some acceptable way to say it, yet retain some flavor of the momentous
attitudinalization of the parties of the first part being ex-pounded on by the
party of the second part. Li kicks Maurice's ass all over the place, finally
using him as a landing pad in a free-for-fall. And somehow, this moron salvaged
the tatters of his dignity and got in the last word. It was
perfect.
It was just a great time on a late afternoon at
the movies.
Still, I sat there dumbfounded, because the
movie was all about the rivalries between black and yellow, the quest for a new
waterfront football franchise, and the romance between Li (Romeo) and the
nicely curvaceous and sassy Aaliyah (Trish O'Day - you were expecting her name
to be some derivation of Jul? Like Julianna or Julea?) seemed to be just the
ticket to incite a full scale race riot. The theater was half full (say 300
people) with about 90% blacks in attendance, and the rest predominately
white.
I expected the blacks in the audience to take
offense at the ass-whooping that little Chinese guy puts on every one of the
bad guys (mostly blacks). Given all I have been told about black rage and pride
by the media, I didn't think they'd like seeing such a thing on the screen. And
I felt really uncomfortable rooting for Li with such an unknown quantity behind
me. (I sit down in front, if you didn't get my drift.)
Well, surprise, surprise.
From the get-go they were clapping and cheering
Li on. They laughed when the bad guys got it in clever ways, they laughed when
Maurice made a total fool of himself, they went DAMN! with the minority in
attendance when Jet Li took a half a dozen cable ties and completely hog-tied
six gang members in about a minute and a half with like two ties left over. In
fact, they did not seem to notice the races at all - and I thank God for that
experience. It has restored my faith in the ability of people to just be
people, and in the good old American-Chinese Way. Take names and
tie-up-ass.
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