Movie Review: War

Rating: R
Starring: Jet Li, Jason Statham, John Lone
Release date: 8/24/2007 (U.S.)
Official site: http://www.warthefilm.com/

If you want to see Jet Li doing sensational martial arts moves, this isn’t the movie for you. Li stated that he was retiring from martial arts films. War proves that he wasn’t joking. With the exception of a samurai sword duel, this film is characterized by John Woo-like “gun fu,” not kung fu.

Although I love action films, War had more brutal violence and nudity than I care to see—especially degrading violence towards women and violence towards children. While I know his reaction toward this type of violence was the hero’s motivation, it’s gross to see Yakuza bosses virtually raping women, women being sent as sex gifts for a job well done, and the image of the blood of a murdered mother and child pooling and mingling together. Also disappointing is that John Lone was not used to the best of his abilities.

Both Li and Statham give wonderful performances. I don’t think Li has played such a stone cold killer since Lethal Weapon 4. It’s truly disturbing to watch Rogue (Li) betray and double-cross and double-double-cross everyone around him. Statham also does well as the single-minded detective willing to sacrifice everything to catch Rogue.

A small thing I liked about this film is that, although Rogue is a badass assassin, he makes it clear that he does not drink or smoke. I wonder if this is a bit of Li’s Buddhist beliefs at work. Another small thing I liked is that the supporting characters are developed fully enough that I actually felt sad when they got blown away.

The BEST thing about War is its surprise ending. In truth, the twist is a bit far-fetched, yet I still like the idea of it. It elevates Rogue from cold-blooded killer to a man seeking justice.