Romeo Must Die
Tags: comedy, boring, murder, violence, flashback, revenge

Plot synopsis:
Po Sing (Jon Kit Lee) is waiting for someone in a club in a predominantly African American neighborhood when a group of angry patrons try to start a fight with him. His father's right-hand man Kai (Russell Wong) and his Asian henchmen pull Po out of the club after a brief fight with the bouncers before the meeting can take place. The next day, Po is found murdered.
Fearing retribution, real estate developer and gang leader Isaak O’Day (Delroy Lindo) arranges for his chief lieutenant Mac (Isaiah Washington) to place security on both of his children. Meanwhile, Po’s brother, Han (Jet Li), learns of the murder in the Hong Kong prison where he is serving time. After starting a fight in the mess hall, Han is dragged to an isolation cell for punishment. He overpowers the guards and escapes, disguised in one of their uniforms.
Eventually, Han makes his way to Oakland and learns that Po may have been a casualty in a gang war that seems to have erupted between Black and Asian gang families over control of properties along the Oakland waterfront. O’Day and Han and Po’s father, Ch’u Sing (Henry O), are engaged in a joint business venture to acquire and sell the properties to Vincent Roth, a businessman who plans to buy a new NFL franchise in Oakland and build a new stadium on the waterfront. He also learns that his brother called O’Day’s daughter Trish’s (Aaliyah) record store the day before he was killed. After a chance encounter with her, he follows her and learns that Po may have actually been calling Trish’s brother, Colin (DB Woodside).
At his brother’s funeral, Han confronts his estranged father, blaming him for failing to keep his promise to protect Po after Han had helped them both flee to America to escape the Chinese authorities, an action which resulted in his own imprisonment and disgraced status as a former police officer. Meanwhile, O’Day reveals to his son that the deal he is working on will get their family out of the crime business for good, but that he must be careful. That night, unseen assailants kill Colin and his girlfriend by throwing them out of his high rise apartment window.
As Han comforts Trish, he learns that Po had put together a list of businesses that were either destroyed or being threatened with destruction for failing to sell their properties, and that Po was trying to contact Colin to warn him about this. The two visit one of the few remaining properties on the list but the Chinese owner and his employees have been killed. Han dispatches the hitters who, to his surprise, are a Chinese hit team - and when he is reluctant to fight one because she is a woman, Trish lets him direct her to fight in his place. When Han confronts his father over this, he tries to deflect suspicion by telling him O'Day may have used outside contractors.
It is revealed that the gang war is a ruse; Mac and Kai are using violence and intimidation to force their fellow owners of waterfront properties to sign over their deeds. Trish and Han visit the last property on the list, the nightclub where Po originally intended to meet Colin. Mac and his goons kill the club’s owner (DMX) and kidnap both Trish and Han, taking them to separate locations. Han escapes by overpowering his guards, led by Maurice (Anthony Anderson). Meanwhile, Ch’u Sing has the other Chinese crime lords killed, ensuring that he will have control over their business interests.
O’Day and Ch’u Sing meet with Roth at the Oakland Men’s club to sell Roth the deeds for the properties they now control. Sing takes a multimillion-dollar payment and leaves, but O’Day refuses his payment, stating that his payment will be in the form of a share of ownership of the new franchise. An enraged Mac reveals to O'Day the fake war scheme to secure the deeds and has Trish brought out at gunpoint to force O’Day to hand over the deeds to the developer. O'Day, realizing that Mac also killed Colin, attacks Mac in a rage, but Mac shoots O'Day. Roth flees to the rooftop and escapes via helicopter but Mac shoots the deeds out of his hand, sending the deeds flying to the winds. Han arrives and confronts Mac about his brother; Mac reveals to Han that it was Ch’u Sing’s lieutenant Kai who killed Po, and is about to fire at Han as well when Trish arrives and kills Mac first.
Han and Trish return to Isaak to find that he is grievously wounded but will live, and that he wants to shake Han's hand, which Han gladly does. He leaves Trish with her father, tracks down Kai at the Sing compound and engages him in an all-out fight. Overcoming burned hands from coals by ripping his shirt and improvising hand wraps, Han ends up killing Kai by landing a kick on his skull with such force that he breaks Kai's spine completely. He confronts his father, knowing now that his father had his own son killed "like running over a dog in the street" for no other reason than that he was interfering with a business deal. He tells his father that he will answer for his crimes, either to the American authorities or to the other Chinese families. As Han walks away, his father picks up his gun and shoots himself in the head, committing suicide. Han finds Trish waiting for him outside and the two walk away from the house together.

Review: Not usually a fan of this type of all-out Action movie, "Romeo Must Die" knocked me off balance when I found it to be one of the best films I have ever enjoyed.
I decided to watch Romeo Must Die with Jet Li in her memory as it has a lot of her music(Come Back in One Piece", "I Don't Wanna", "Try Again" and "Are You Feelin' Me?"), and it is one great movie that I watch over and over again.
Thanks, Aaliyah, for the music you gave us.I never get tired of watching Jet Li in action and look forward to many more movies with him..
The other characters are left beautifully in the background until the necessary time when they spring to the limelight to steal the show, however briefly, from Li.Ok so it isn't his best martial arts movie (that was probably the Legend of Fong Sai-Yuk) but his fighting is coupled with an excellent story, one that is far more elaborate than a simple Romeo and Juliet, with less of the soppy love stuff too.For any martial arts, mystery, action, thriller, even dare I say sports (a wonderful American Football scene) film fan will love this film.Definitely one for any video collection!.
The wild action scenes, fairly involving story and nice colors and interesting sound track all make this movie a cut above the normal martial arts fare.
When he gets there, he gets entangled in a money scheme plot involving two rival families, where the daughter of a crime lord, Trish O'Day (Aaliyah), is also caught in the middle.It's almost like a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, but with Han and Trish caught in the chaos and them helping each other to stop the war and bring the criminals to justice.
However, Jet Li and Aaliyah had some great chemistry together; in her first motion picture, Aaliyah delivered a pretty witty and dramatic performance.Overall, it's a good action film with a well-paced plot.Grade B.
This was by far, one of the best movies I've seen.Even if action movies are not your scene,this one is guaranteed for your enjoyment.It had everything you could want in a movie,humor,action,drama,suspense,and good actors.The actors,they were just brilliant.I just like Han's cool.Aaliyah was very good,considering the fact that ,that was her first movie.The tag-line was not your common one,where good guys run after the bad guys and at the end the bad guys are arrested,and everybody lives happy ever after.This movie was more realistic,something you can believe.The directors did a fantastic job,so did the actors.Sheer enjoyment..
Granted, the x-ray effects were a welcome change, but that was about all this movie had to offer in terms of fresh ideas.The plot is drawn out at great lengths, with fight scenes a little too few and far between for my tastes.
Also, I felt the black gangsters were over-developed, while the asian gangsters were under-developed (Russell Wong's character is barely on the screen for 10 minutes of the movie, while Isiah Washington's incessant melodrama drowns out a good portion of the flick).I think most of the problem comes from the over-ambitious screenplay.
+) The fight scenes are great and Jet Li is pretty much the star of this movie.
He looks like an Asian James Bond in a way.+)Aaliyah is ok too, but the best actor in this movie is Isaiah Washing, Russel Wong,Delroy Lindo, Anthony Anderson, and Henry O+) Some of the comedy is very funny~ The story is very silly but at the same time they take it so serious.
It is about two companies who are trying to buy all the land so that they can then sell it to this guy in Canada who will then turned it into a football field for the NFL.~The modern day "Romeo and Juliet" story is also very sillyGood movie to watch for the fight scenes.
Between the acting, fight scenes, and DEFINITELY some good music, it was overall a great movie to watch.
The R n'B soundtrack is also great but the problem is that no one wants to upset the audience and the whole film feels like it's trying to be some sort of PC black movie.
Why did the producers get such a great martial arts actor only to waste his talents by having poor fights that rely on CGI?Overall the film is just about enjoyable, but it's hard to watch it without seeing the wasted opportunities at every step..
"Romeo Must Die" stars Jet Li as Hang Sing.He is a cop that was framed for a crime that did not commit and winds up being locked in a Hong Kong prison.Finding out that his brother has just been murdered,he breaks out and goes to America seeking vengeance on his brother's murder because that is where the murder took place.That is when we meet Trish O'Day,played by singer Aaliyah.She becomes Han's love interest which.Trish's family seems controlling and Trish seems to have no freedom of her own.Eventually Han and Trish get involved in alot of trouble involving some really great fight scenes.Some of the fight scenes involve special effects like the one in "The Matrix".Although "The Matrix" had fight scenes done with effects because it was necessary,this was not.But it still looks pretty cool although I would have liked to have seen the fight scenes done without the use of special effects."Romeo Must Die" is an enjoyable action film that I found very watchable and Jet li takes charge of the movie.Aaliyah,who had sadly been killed in a plane crash was really great in the film and was set to star in another Joel Silver production which were two sequels to "The Matrix".Watching these films can be an entertaining film and although this film is not the best of the Jet Li films,I consider it one of the best."Romeo Must Die" is a movie that I would have no trouble seeing again..
Romeo Must Die was his first lead role in an American production and I feel unfortunate to report it didn't live up to my expectations.Li stars as Han Sing, a former cop from China who escapes from prison to avenge the death of his brother.
With virtually no one to trust, Han turns to the rival boss's daughter (Aahliyah) for help.The movie is very loosely based on Romeo and Juliet, but despite what the purist naysayers might think, the thought of adapting the play into a martial arts thriller actually seemed like an interesting idea.
The closest they get to intimacy is a hug, and even that looks like a hesitant move."Love" story aside, Romeo Must Die is actually part kung-fu flick and part hip-hop gangster movie blaring with an obtrusive rap soundtrack.
The plot is mostly nonsense, seeing as it relies on duping its audience into believing nobody in the press would somehow catch onto the connection between all these "mysterious" deaths and this high-profile NFL deal.Far worse is the fact that Romeo Must Die simply doesn't have enough action, especially for a film that runs nearly two hours.
A modern take on the classic "Romeo and Juliet" co-starring hip hop star Aaliyah Haughton (one of 1999 Teen People Magazine's "21 Hottest Stars Under 21"), Delroy Lindo ("Ransom," "The Cider House Rules"), Isaiah Washington ("Out of Sight") and rapper DMX.The basic plot about this film is about a murder and a blood feud between rival gangs, when Han Sing's (Jet Li) brother is murdered in Oakland, California, Han escapes from Hong Kong prison and he flees the country by coming to US, to investigate on his own, his brother's murder while facing off the same time with his estranged father.
The two also share plenty of danger as they try to find the real cause of the blood feud.This film has pretty much all action, gravity- warping martial arts, cool visual effects and all star music track combine in this revved-up action movie from producer Joel Silver (The Matrix) and starring Jet Li (Lethal Weapon 4) in his first English-language lead role.The action in this movie is really good and the acting is really decent from all actors.
Jet Li & Delroy Lindo are both at their best.Overall: Romeo must die was sweet and entertaining I love this flick to death, I enjoy the song DMX - First I'm Gonna Crawl, gosh they aren't movies made like this one today.
Pictures Starring: Jet Li, Aaliyah, Isaiah Washington, Russell Wong, DB Woodside, Anthony Anderson, DMX, Delroy Lindo, Henry O Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak Producers: Joel Silver, Jim Van Wyck Screenplay: Eric Bernt, John Jarrell Story by Mitchell Kapner Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 55 Mins.
It was crazy, wild, funny, and featured some ridiculous over the top wire-work that seems to have been hailed by many as a wow factor!Personally, I thought the wire-work was a mess.As a huge fan of both Jet Li and Corey Yuen Kwai, with over 3000 DVDs in my Hong Kong collection, I felt that the action in RMD was created by studio pressure to go wild which resulted in a complete shambles that made said fights look unprofessional and wrong.I have been watching much better work, even from 70's Hong Kong cinema, and while the action still had its moments, felt let down by it all.Anyways, with my gripe out of the way, I did actually enjoy the film.
One that focused on improbable displays of over choreographed martial arts action complimented by acting of a quality found on the low budget DVD rack and which is only used to set the scene for further unlikely fight culminating scenarios featured solely to showcase the leading star's talent.
Through a plot-line based, about as loosely as possible, on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet the protagonists Han( Jet Li) and Trish(Aaliyah) struggle to unearth the truth behind the murders of their respective siblings.
So for those who had hoped for a more authentic retelling of the story there may be disappointment, but only if they cannot fully appreciate Jet Li's mastery of the Hong Kong action genre in which case they are in the wrong cinema anyway.However, they may be consoled by the fact that Andrzej Bartkowiak has directed a funny and clever film.
Film review "Romeo Must Die" Action movie.
It tries to put everything into one film: comedy elements like a group of men, caught in a deadlock with their guns pointing at each other, fat Maurice who is not able to look after Trish because he is so busy with dancing and flirting or Han who has his problems to drive in San Francisco; all the hilarious fighting scenes where we can only see flying fists and feet or where Han beats all the African American guys in football just by using his Kung Fu or Wushu techniques; a mob story that includes different ethnic groups and a love story that should link everything but fails in doing that because there is actually no romance or at least flirting between the protagonists.
The first, is the romantic love between Jet Li's character Hans and Aaliyah's character, Trish O'Day. This brings me to the title of the film, 'Romeo Must Die'.
A good film if you like martial arts stunts and if you are a Jet li fan.Story is about a martial arts expert who escapes from prison in Hong Kong and comes to USA to find and eliminate his brothers' killers, amidst gangsters and his own family issues.The good- the action sequences, the story, Jet li's acting and stunts.
Romeo Must Die is a very slick competent action flick with some great wire-fu provided by Jet Li. The film has a fairly basic plot about two rival gangs but all the twists can be seen coming it's the likeabilty of Li and Aailiyah as well as some very cool action scenes that make this film entertaining.The action scenes are way over the top but Li remains super cool throughout, the bad guys are mostly comedy villains apart from a nasty yuppy who seems to come straight out of Wall Street and the main baddie (who i wont name as it's meant to come as a surprise!).
And to compensate for the lack of classic martial arts action in LW4, there are tons of wire-work/CGI laden kung fu in this movie.The storyline's pretty decent, with a gang war between an African American gang, and a Chinese gang, in which Jet belongs to.
She is a real loss to both the music and acting scene.The music from the movie was good too, and I think it fitted in with the film well.
The fighting scenes were also very good, though it wasn't as natural as I would've liked it to have been.All in all, I love this film, and think that even if there was a Romeo Must Die 2, it wouldn't be the same without Aaliyah..
but it does have reprieves such as impressive action scenes, jet li truly is a master of martial arts and shows this well throughout the movie.
Jet Li plays Han Sing who falls in love with Trish O'Day (Aaliyah) but their families disapprove their romance.That sounds awfully familiar.That's because this is kind of a modern day version of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.Andrzej Bartkowiak's Romeo Must Die (2000) includes lots of kung fu action.Jet Li, who is one of the coolest guys on the planet, gets to show his skills in this movie.He can't only fight good, he's also a fine actor.Aaliyah is also superb in this movie.
This great actress and R&B singer sadly died in an air crash on August 25th in 2001 at the age of 22.She was incredibly beautiful and talented woman.There are also other great actors in this film, like Delroy Lindo, Isaiah Washington, Russell Wong and the rap artist DMX.Many critics don't like Romeo Must Die too much, which is a shame.This movie is filled with amazing action sequences.Many things work in this movie just great.I certainly liked it, so why don't you give it a chance..
"Romeo Must Die" is one film that I truly liked because it was not filled with 120 minutes of action, it actually had a story to it.Jet Li seems like he never lost a step from his breakout American debut in "Lethal Weapon 4." I can't believe that he didn't come to America sooner because he is incredibly talented and excellent martial artist.
"Romeo Must Die" is one film that I truly liked because it was not filled with 120 minutes of action, it actually had a story to it.Jet Li seems like he never lost a step from his breakout American debut in "Lethal Weapon 4." I can't believe that he didn't come to America sooner because he is incredibly talented and excellent martial artist.
What worked: Romeo Must Die is a good action film which displays the acting talents of each of its stars and newcomers like Anthony Anderson whose career looks promising, But Aaliyah actually is good as Trish O Day she almost made me cry a couple of times,u actually connect with her character, and Jet Li injects some emotion to his character,coming off as lovable but furious(especially when he fights!) This movie unlike most other action films actually tries to develop a story and even though it is somewhat predictable it's still watchable but the second half of the movie is when it actually gets better,the action is well choreographed.
The action scenes aren't as good as the top Hong Kong directors but still decent enough - I'd prefer a lighter touch on the computer enhancement.Jet Li will never be a great actor but he does pretty well here as the love interest of Aaliyah, daughter of the black gang leader.
Aaliyah and Jet Li are like good buddies the entire movie.
If you can come up with an interesting excuse of why these guys are feeling so froggy that they have to leap on each other than its a pretty good story for a martial arts movie and romeo must die does that.
Han and Trish are trying to find out of why the to famillies fighting each other, without knowing that it will put them both in great danger.A very good movie, and i am sure that this will be an action-classic, if you haven't seen it then: WHAT ARE YOU WATING FOR?**** out of *****.
The ending is anticlimactic and just made me angry about the time and money I had wasted watching the movie.Do yourself a favor and go see a REAL Hong Kong action film instead..
The title of the movie still vexes me, but the effect is minimal.Overall, "Romeo Must Die" was a great beginning for Jet Li in America.
i came out of the theater asking (as posted in another comment) 'why the need for the special effects in the fight scenes?'   i, too, agree that Jet Li is great with karate/kung fu/whatever you want to call it, and that this movie just made him appear, well, average.
But for a really good action flick based more on fighting than stunts, the west now knows to look to Li. If you liked the fights in the Matrix, go see the man who had the most influence on them - Jet Li - in Romeo Must die.
We know how the story must end.The action is fantastic in this film, which is not surprising - in fact, it's what we expect from Jet Li.
When watching HK films one can admire that Jet Li is actually hanging from those wires, and while being obviously fake, it is more believable than the use of digital effects on the fights in `Romeo Must Die'.
The plot, like most martial arts films, is a secondary consideration - the sole purpose of every character and all dialogue is to set up the next fight scene.
The actors are all good enough, especially Delroy Lindo and Aaliyah, but you'd be better off renting one of Jet Li's older Hong Kong movies..