Writer: Lee Anthony Smith, Gregory J. Bradley
Director: Philip G. Atwell
Cast: Jet Li, Jason Statham, Devon Aoki, John Lone, Luis Guzman
Rating: R
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: January 1, 2008
Jason Statham is one of my favorite action stars these days. I am not sure if it is his acting ability, his looks, or his accent, but something about attracts me to his movies every single time. Naturally, when War was being released I knew just who would be handling this review. As a fan of action movies, like most people, I was thrilled to hear of a Jason Statham, Jet Li matchup. War not only offers said matchup, the movie attempts to wrap a plot around it so that it’s not just gratuitous fighting.
War offers a premise in an action film that you may recognize. The thing that makes it work is the cast. Don’t get me wrong though; there are some ups and downs here that will be addressed as we go on with the review. However, for the most part, you are offered a watchable action flick that is fairly entertaining, despite not being Jason Statham’s best work.
Release Information:
War was released in theaters on August 24, 2007. The movie received a somewhat warm welcome at the theaters and would end up being released on January 1, 2008 on DVD. The DVD includes a series of special features in addition to the main feature. You can pick War up at most major retailers including Amazon where it is available for $19.99.
The War Plot
The basic story for War is one that has fueled a good number of action movies. The story deals with revenge. Jack Crawford (Jason Statham) is about as pissed off and driven by revenge as any FBI agent can get. Crawford’s target was the man that he believes was responsible for killing his partner and his family, Tom Lone (Terry Chen). The man, known only as Rogue (Jet Li) is a high paid assassin that has dealings with the Japanese Mafia, the Yakuza. Rogue, assuming he is smarter than the rest, is also in cahoots with the Chinese Mafia (the Triads) and the FBI, to boot.
Crawford is the Yin to Rogue’s Yang. Crawford is emotional, hot headed, and has his mind set on one thing. Rogue perfers to be ice cold, calm, and collected in all things. Crawford will chase Rogue to the end of the Earth if he has to just to get from him what he took from his partner and best friend.
Of course, as any good action movie will show you, sometimes the thing you’re chasing is not always what you plan to find. The thing that I like most about War is that there is a storyline feeding the movie. Some action movies lack an interesting plot and attempt to ride solely on their action sequences. The fact that there is an interesting plot to work with here is a definite plus.
War is fast paced and will keep most people interested throughout the movie. The main flaw here is that people were hoping for a real knockdown, drag out fight between Li and Statham. While there is a short fight sequence between the two (with plenty of action before and after), there is not nearly enough to constitute calling it a war. The name seems to refer more to the mafia relations in the film and not Li and Statham, or at least not against each other. This is the only real flaw of the movie, but for some it will seem unforgivable.
The character development in War is strong and some excellent performances are given throughout the course of the film. When I said earlier this was not Statham’s finest hour, it was not so much referring to his performance as it was the actual movie. The smaller characters also give good performances though it is obvious that they are never truly central to the main plot. That being said, Devon Aoki gave a memorable performance as the mob daughter, Kira, and the bosses, John Lone and Ryo Ishibashi also do excellent jobs.
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Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
War offered a stunning graphical presentation. The video is presented with an aspect ratio of 2.40:1 in anamorphic widescreen that has been enhanced for 16×9 televisions. The overall picture is crisp, the colors are vibrant, and there is no grain to be seen. The audio is equally as pleasing for this presentation. The DVD makes use of Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, which offers a dynamic sound in this case. You can also choose from English and Spanish subtitles, which are optional.
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Audio:
Bonus Features:
War offers quite a few special features. Some of them are not too impressive, but others manage to entertain and inform about the movie. The disc offers two commentaries, one with the director and the other with the writers. The features section also offers an audio trivia track, gag reel, and deleted and/or extended scenes. There is also two featurettes available for viewing that includes “The Action of War” and “Scoring War.”
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Bottom Line:
If you can forgive the fact that this war is not as much about Jason Statham and Jet Li as it should be then you will have a great time watching this movie. However, if you are expecting something big in the way of a fight scene between these two you will be sorely disappointed. Overall, this is a solid action picture with a good plot and decent acting. If you’re into action movies, you should check this one out. If you want a real war between these two though, you might want to rent this one first just to be sure it’s what you are expecting from this film.
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Technorati Tags: War, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Drama, Action, FBI, Mafia, Thriller, DVD Review, Lionsgate, Home Entertainment
