All action

Rating: 7/10 (12 February 2006)

I remember seeing the advertisements for this film. It looked like a good popcorn-flick, plenty of action and not much else. What can I say... accurate ad campaign. That's exactly what this movie is. If that's a good thing or not is up for the viewer to decide, but know that if you go to see this movie, that is what you will get, nothing more, nothing less. The plot just barely makes sense and keeps the movie... well, moving. The pacing is pretty solid. The acting is just about average. The soundtrack consists mostly of hard rock and rap, which is fitting, I suppose. I personally didn't mind(I enjoy both music genres, though I wouldn't exactly say I loved the music in the film), but if you're one of those who would, you might want to consider another film to watch. The cinematography is fairly basic, though some of it is experimentally stylish... and as with most experiments, not all of it is good. Luckily, there's not too much of the bad. The martial arts choreography is pretty good, with some using of surroundings and nearby items in the fights. The action is cool. Very. It's very intense and the film has more than its share of it. Statham may not look like he can kick ass... but believe me, he can. I can't tell you how many fights or action scenes there are in this film; I lost count. One complaint that I simply have to make, though... the girl. She's just about the worst actor in there, she's annoying and every other time she opens her mouth, a screech comes out. I read in her mini-biography that she has a 'manic' acting style; that's OK, there are movies where that fits, where that would be considered good comic relief... but here, it just causes the viewer(maybe not all, but most definitely yours truly) to cringe. The humor in general is pretty tame. Very "Saturday morning cartoon". All in all, good if you're looking for a high-octane, leave-your-brains-at-the-door action film. Pointless if you're looking for anything else. I recommend this to fans of action-flicks who can accept that it's nothing but action and still enjoy them. Everyone else, avoid. 7/10