This movie got rather bad reviews, and the critics were probably right about it. However, if you're awake at 4am and don't want to watch a Korean soap opera on Netflix, this is a reasonable choice.
Jason Statham and Jet Li are on opposite sides here. You know there's going to be a duel between them eventually, but, man, it takes forever. Sadly, the fight choreography doesn't even make it seem all that epic. Still, it beats those action movies where the fight you've been waiting 90 minutes to see never even happens.
If you're a connoisseur of these types of films, you'll recognize a lot of the cast. Hey, that's Ryo Ishibashi! Hey, that's Saul Rubinek! And Devon Aoki and Sung Kang! Cool stuff. Some of them were even used. Ryo Ishibashi got to have a swordfight, and Sung Kang was an FBI sniper who got several of the best jokes.
So what got the critics so riles up, anyway? Well, the action sequences weren't exactly stunning. The exploitative elements were kind of unintentionally funny, like a woman who just randomly takes off her clothes. I mean, OK, she's supposed to be a Triad prostitute, but it's still pretty random. There's a car chase that isn't too thrilling, and some motorcycles, too. Not bad, just not thrilling.
It's the ending that really gets you, I think. You have to be a huge fan of B movies to like this climax. If this were a cheesier film, it would have been an awesome plot twist. But because the film has seemed like it was going for a sorta, kinda realistic feel, it comes off as absurdly silly.
The end credits song is great, though. And, really, what else are you going to watch on Netflix? An anime show about teenagers who fight off monsters at their high school while trying to impress their crush? Sometimes I wonder why I still check Netflix's recent additions.
Jason Statham and Jet Li are on opposite sides here. You know there's going to be a duel between them eventually, but, man, it takes forever. Sadly, the fight choreography doesn't even make it seem all that epic. Still, it beats those action movies where the fight you've been waiting 90 minutes to see never even happens.
If you're a connoisseur of these types of films, you'll recognize a lot of the cast. Hey, that's Ryo Ishibashi! Hey, that's Saul Rubinek! And Devon Aoki and Sung Kang! Cool stuff. Some of them were even used. Ryo Ishibashi got to have a swordfight, and Sung Kang was an FBI sniper who got several of the best jokes.
So what got the critics so riles up, anyway? Well, the action sequences weren't exactly stunning. The exploitative elements were kind of unintentionally funny, like a woman who just randomly takes off her clothes. I mean, OK, she's supposed to be a Triad prostitute, but it's still pretty random. There's a car chase that isn't too thrilling, and some motorcycles, too. Not bad, just not thrilling.
It's the ending that really gets you, I think. You have to be a huge fan of B movies to like this climax. If this were a cheesier film, it would have been an awesome plot twist. But because the film has seemed like it was going for a sorta, kinda realistic feel, it comes off as absurdly silly.
The end credits song is great, though. And, really, what else are you going to watch on Netflix? An anime show about teenagers who fight off monsters at their high school while trying to impress their crush? Sometimes I wonder why I still check Netflix's recent additions.