Film Review: Romeo Must Die (2000)

In late 1990s and early 2000s Hollywood was fond adapting Shakespeare’s plays in non-traditional ways, resulting in films that belonged to different genres like teen comedies or musicals. But very few of such adaptations were action films. One of such rare examples is Romeo Must Die, 2000 film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak.

Protagonist, played by Jet Li, is Han Sing, Hong Kong policeman who spent years in prison after refusing to testify against is father, respectable businessman Ch’u Sing (played by Henry O), later revealed to be a common gangster. While he was in prison, father emigrated to San Francisco and built another crime empire. Its expansion is halted by similar organisation led by African American gangster Isaak O’Day (played by Delroy Lindo). Relations between gangs deteriorate further when Ch’u Sing’s younger son Po (played by Yonkit Lee) dies in mysterious circumstances. When her hears about it, Hang Sing escapes from prison, comes to San Francisco and tries to locate people responsible for brother’s death. While doing that he meets O’Day’s beautiful daughter Trish (played by Aaliyah). He soon realises that he is attracted to her, while Trish finds herself charmed by mild-mannered and gentlemanly Chinaman and decides to help him in his investigations, although both fathers don’t want the issue to be settled. In the meantime, killings continue and gang war seems inevitable, but Han is determined to see the justice done.

Most critics were hostile to Romeo Must Die because they saw it as “high concept” adaptation of Romeo and Juliet and its combination of kung fu action, rap and R&B music as too cheap trick to get attention. In reality, the only similarity Bartkowiak’s film has with famous Shakespeare’s play is subplot dealing with romance between members of warring clans. The person behind the film was famous action film producer Joel Silver who had Jet Li as part of the cast in Lethal Weapon 4 few years earlier. In that film Jet Li, who was one of the main Hong Kong actions stars, played the villain. He asked Silver to produce a film in which he would play a hero and thus finally achieve Hollywood stardom which, until that point, none of Asian stars achieved with possible exception of Jackie Chan. Silver accepted and, to make Li further attractive to American audience, had him paired with Aalyiah, young and popular R&B singer for whom Romoe Must Die represented acting debut.

With his action film formula already established, Silver didn’t have to bother much with finer details. Romeo Must Die features script that doesn’t have much to do with logic and common sense, cardboard characters and rather predictable ending. Another problem is in Li’s poor command of English and almost complete lack of chemistry with Aaliyah. However, drama and romance aren’t the reasons why audience would watch this film. Instead they were attracted by prospect of Jet Li taking out hordes of villains and Hong Kong actor doesn’t disappoint. Director Bartkowiak, who used to work as cinematographer, helps him with that task and even adds somewhat innovative scenes in which breaking bones inside human bodies is displayed through X-ray and computer animation. While the cast generally isn’t something to write home about, Delroy Lindo is quite effective in the role of old gangster and brings a little bit of humanity to film. Bartkowiak also knows that this film can’t be taken too seriously, so he adds a lot of humour, with the scene in which “home boys” teach Han to play American football being one of the better parts of film. While Romeo Must Die is not particularly remarkable piece of action cinema, it nevertheless delivers goods to the fans of the genre.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

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