War (2007)

FBI Agents Jack Crawford and his partner Tom Lone have been hunting a killer known only as Rogue and they think they have finally killed him however there is no body. Shortly afterwards Tom, along with his wife and young child are murdered; Crawford is convinced that Rogue is alive and behind the killing. Three years later Rogue is back. He appears to have turned against his former employer, Yakuza boss Shiro and is be working for Triad leader Chang… or perhaps he is playing both against the other for motives that aren't immediately obvious. Crawford is soon on the case determined to catch the man who killed his friend.If you want action either Jason Statham or Jet Li will be guaranteed to deliver the goods so when they are cast against each other you know you should be in for something fun! They are both on good form with Statham doing a fine job as Crawford and Li making an impressive bad guy. These two characters are of equal importance as we spend time with each of them. The rest of the cast are pretty good too. Crawford's story is the more conventional as he is merely after revenge while Rogue is intriguing as he plays two different groups of gangsters against each other in much the same way as the protagonist in 'Yojimbo', or its better known remake 'A Fistful of Dollars' did. There is a lot of solid action; this includes shootings, car chases, martial arts and even some impressive sword fights. This action is fairly bone-crunching at times. When we learn the truth about Rogue it comes as quite a surprise and is quickly followed by a second unexpected twist; while these twist do seem a little unlikely they didn't spoil the film for me. Overall I'd recommend this to anybody wanting some good solid action.

FBI agents Jack Crawford (Jason Statham) and Tom Lone (Terry Chen) take on the Yakuza. Tom thinks he shot infamous assassin Rogue (Jet Li) but Rogue returns to massacre him and his family. Three years later, Rogue resurfaces working for Triad boss Li Chang (John Lone) against his former employers, the Yakuza. Jack is now the head of the FBI Asian Crime Task Force and divorced from his wife Jenny (Andrea Roth). Yakuza head sends his daughter Kira (Devon Aoki) to handle an important deal in San Francisco.Philip G. Atwell is more of a music video director. He needs to do a few more of these films before he can get a handle on this. It's a lot of flash and a lot of pose acting in the place of real tension and intensity. The action is good at times but not great. It's not wild enough to be crazy. Jason Statham is trying his best and Jet Li keeps up even with his limited English. Atwell just doesn't have the skills yet. It's a good first effort.

Before The Expendables, Jason Statham and Jet Li appeared in The War. Statham plays a dedicated cop whose Chinese heritage partner has been killed and he has been highly strung since then.Statham is looking for The Rogue (Li) the assassin hired by gangsters to kill his partner. Meanwhile Rogue is back in LA working for rival gangs and playing one off against the other.The film has actually more than a run of the mill action setting. The presence of Li adds bite to the film as well as some good martial arts sequences. Statham is the determined cop after Li but there seems to be more to them than a shared enmity.The film tries to develop layers to its plotting to add some depth and motive, it even adds a kick to the gut to add some unpredictability to the formula.

War starts as two FBI agents Jack Crawford (Jason Statham) & Tom Lone (Terry Chen) confront an international assassin known only as Rogue, in a shootout Rogue is shot in the face by Tom & falls into the sea. Not long after Rogue finds Tom & kills him & his wife & baby, Crawford is devastated & vows revenge. Three years later in San Francisco & two opposing Japanese gangs, the Triads & the Yakuza are at war & the super smooth assassin Rogue (Jet Li) is at the center of it all as the bodies pile up, after having plastic surgery Ceawford is unsure of who Rogue is & works with the local police to get to the bottom of Rogue's involvement & try to prevent an all out war as two priceless gold horse statues seem to be at the center of everything but Crawford isn't the only one with revenge on his mind...Also known as Rogue Assassin in some countries this was directed by Philip G. Atwell this action crime thriller had the potential to be something great but it isn't, War wastes it's two great leading men & turns what could have been a great twist into into a silly gimmick. The whole film feels so routine, there's the standard FBI partners, one is killed & the other seeks revenge while his marriage & family life suffer. Seen it all before. The themes brought to the table by the Japoanese Triad & Yakuza angle like loyalty & the martial arts that all Japanese gangster seem to know is again standard fare seen in dozens of other better action thrillers. The attempts at drama with Crawford's relationship with his wife & the Triad & Yakuza's ancient rivalry is just weak & slows an already dull film down even more. The action set-pieces are disappointing too, Jet Li just walks around in a suit & looks cool but there's little action until the end & even then I am struggling to think of anything memorable. War just goes back & forward too much, the narrative is bitty with too many people in suits talking & acting hard. I understand that Rogue is trying to play both the Triads & Yakuza off each other for reasons revealed in a twist ending that could have been great if it were not sandwiched in the middle of a sword fight, the reveal has no dramatic pay-off & while the idea is quite clever the makers mess it up big time & to be frank the twist deserves to be in a better all round film. The character's are standard fare, the usual heroes & villains with nothing between, the dialogue is forgettable & as a whole War takes itself a bit too seriously.War really is second rate stuff considering it's talent, I love Jason Statham (not in a gay way) & think he's a great action film star who doesn't take himself seriously & has all the moves but he is wasted here & Jet Li is an incredible martial artist but again is wasted here with one or two average fights & nothing else. The two barely meet each other on screen & when they do it's rather bland & there's no chemistry there at all. It's hard to believe two of the biggest action film stars currently working made such an average & routine crime drama action thriller. War looks like a modern film with quick editing, flashy fast cars, cool fashions & the latest technology on display but it's all rather hollow & War just feels empty which is a shame as War should have been a lot better with it's two stars & a potentially great twist.With a supposed budget of about $25,000,000 this looks alright but it's nothing special, although set in San Francisco this was filmed in Vancouver in Canada. Previously Jet Li & Jason Statham appeared together in the enjoyable The One (2001) & will do again in Sylvester Stallone's upcoming action film The Expendables (2010).War is a pretty bad action thriller that could have been great but for a wasted twist ending & the wasted action star potential of Statham & Li I wouldn't even call War average, not something I would want to see again.