Romeo Must Die

Leave it to Hollywood to combine hip-hop rhythms with kung fu mystique in Romeo Must Die. What's more surprising is that, to a great extent, it works. With Jet Li flashing his trademark fancy footwork (he's the Gene Kelly of Kung Fu), this film is a pleasant if not altogether successful diversion. Still, you shouldn't be expecting any really deep story telling here. This movie is exactly what you think it will be: Cool and edgy with an awesome urban soundtrack and (almost) enough of Li to please Hong Kong action buffs. As for the nod to Romeo and Juliet, a nod is just what it is, nothing more. But then, without the nod, where would that nifty title have come from?

So, why must Romeo -- aka Han Sing (Jet Li) -- die? It takes awhile for the plot to fall into place, but eventually the reason is simple. When Han, a former Hong Kong police officer who was falsely imprisoned, arrives on the scene, he is a pain in the proverbial butt. Just like the Montagues and the Capulets, we have here the African American gangstas run by elegant Isaak O'Day (Delroy Lindo) and several Chinese clans led by Ch'u Sing (Henry O), Han's father.

Now the idea of gang rivalry isn't new by any stretch and it's to the credit of writers Bernt and Jarrell that they don't try to make it seem fresh; they simply try to make it feel true. And this, they do quite well. This isn't Shakespeare and there's hardly even a glance at old Bill's famous story of star-crossed lovers. In fact, the dynamics of family loyalty are more at the fore here. When Ch'u Sing's son - and Han's brother - Po (Jon Kitt Lee) is killed, fingers automatically point at O'Day's men and O'Day starts to worry about the safety of his own kids, Colin ( D. B. Woodside) and the very independent, very sexy Trish (Aaliyah). The casting of hip-hop queen Aaliyah is more than appropriate. She proves herself to be a more than decent actress, whose ease in front of the camera compensates for Jet Li's sometimes almost goofy demeanor.

Back in Hong Kong, Han hears about his brother's death and, in the first of several exquisitely choreographed fight sequences, he escapes from prison and makes his way to San Francisco, looking for revenge. Like Jackie Chan, Li is an expert at using props to shore up his fighting style and, as he gets more and more inventive, his antics are a joy to watch. What he finds in the City by the Bay is more than he bargained for: A turf war between rival waterfront factions (O'Day vs. Sing). Both men are selling real estate to Roth (Edoardo Ballerini), a crooked developer intent on building a new NFL stadium at any cost. Han and Trish team up, not only to get to the bottom of the violence, but because they feel an unspoken attraction for each other. Although there is an oddly noticeable absence of physical affection here -- no Romeo and Juliet rolls in the hay for these two -- there is solid chemistry between them, especially in one dynamic fight sequence where Li uses Aaliyah as his weapon of choice.

As you might have noticed, there are plenty of references here to fight sequences and, let's face it, that is one of the chief attractions of this film. Li has teamed up with former cinematographer-turned-director Andrzej Bartkowiak, who made him look so good in Lethal Weapon 4. Plus, there's the added -- and quite obvious -- bonus of the fight sequences being enriched by effects courtesy of the same house that brought us the wire work in The Matrix. Clearly, that film served as a major reference point for director Bartkowiak, who also cleverly incorporates nerve-jarring, x-ray effects of how the human body reacts w