“War” (Lionsgate)
Battle of the Supercool Men
Two of Hollywood’s baddest and coolest men do battle in the new film “War.” Yes they don’t come any badder or any cooler than Jet Li and Jason Statham. These two men rarely break a sweat and can vanquish a foe with a flick of the wrist. So when they go up against each other who can win Well watch “War” and see.
Statham plays FBI Agent Jack Crawford. He and his partner are on the trail of a hitman named Rogue but things go awry and their efforts fail. Years pass and suddenly Rogue (Li) is back on the scene. This time Crawford is determined to get him.
Rogue is working for a leader of an Asian mob in the States. The leader of the Triads (John Lone) is in a bitter battle with the leader of the Yakuza (Rio Ishibashi) and Rogue can help tip the balance of power. Crawford is trying to stop this gang war from breaking out and he has to take down Rogue to do it.
Both Statham and Li know how to do the martial arts thing as well as other dangerous looking stunts. This is an action movie that features a full panorama of action events. There is very little dialogue in the movie and very little time between action happenings. This film knows its audience and serves them what they want.
Statham is an actor whose popularity has been growing since his “Transporter” days. He has a strong silent persona and it fits his character here perfectly. Jet Li has been playing the hero in his last few movies but it was as the villain in the second “Lethal Weapon” movie that he really made his mark. He returns to his villainous ways in this film.
The film is rated R for violence, profanity and brief nudity.
The amazing thing about this movie is that it is full of action from start to finish, and appears to be a fairly predictable tale of violence and vengeance. Then it hits you with a twist at the end that makes it more enjoyable than you expected. Rather than being a routine film of this sort it becomes one that makes a lingering impression.
“War” is not an extraordinary movie but it is a film that you might enjoy – just because of that twist at the end. I didn’t see it coming and I like being surprised.
I scored “War” a peaceful 5 out of 10.
