classicsoncall I was expecting more in the way of martial arts action in this one and it didn't deliver on that score. Turns out it's a fairly standard assassins flick with not much thought put into a story line as it's far from compelling. Perhaps the best that can be said here is that the picture had an eclectic international cast, but beyond that, it's only the action sequences that keep the picture moving forward to a completely expected conclusion. A tip for future assassin film makers - by the time a professional killer rises to the top of the ranks, he's pretty much decided whether he would ever kill a kid or not. This should not have been a surprise to Terrence Wei (Kenneth Tsang), particularly after he described John Lee (Chow Yun-Fat) as ruthless but honorable. Even more so, Lee should already have known that about himself as well.

SnoopyStyle John Lee (Yun-Fat Chow) is a skilled killer. Terence Wei (Kenneth Tsang) is his boss. He's given a final assignment after which his obligation ends. Corrupt cop Michael Kogan (Jürgen Prochnow) wants fellow cop Zedkov (Michael Rooker) dead, but John can't pull the trigger as he plays with his kid. John needs to get a fake passport to go back to China before Mr Wei takes him out. He uses forger Meg Coburn (Mira Sorvino), but Wei's men tracks him down. John is in the wind and Wei brings in other professionals, the Replacement Killers.It's a very superficial action movie in the HongKong style. It's a lot of flash but very little depth. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the style is copied with mixed results. It feels very much like a transplanted movie especially with Chow Yun-Fat's Chinese accent. He's playing an unemotional killer, and quite frankly Mira Sorvino is almost as cold. Antoine isn't experienced enough yet but the style already shows promising signs. This is an exercise in style rather than a compelling story.

zardoz-13 A deadly Chinese assassin with a sense of scruples and a woman who forges passports team up in freshman director Anton Fuqua's gritty crime thriller "The Replacement Killers" that marked Chow Yun-Fat's American film debut. Naturally, Chow plays the killer with a conscience who has no qualms about terminating his targets with extreme prejudice until he is required to kill a seven year old child. As it turns out, the man who hired John Lee is crime kingpin Terence Wei (Kenneth Tsung of "Die Another Day"); he wants to see the man, Detective Stan Zedlov (Michael Rooker of "Mississippi Burning"), who killed his son lose his own son. "A child is irreplaceable," Wei assures Lee who is an outsider. "Scar City" scenarist Ken Sanzel penned this straightforward shoot'em up. "The Replacement Killer" is neither as exciting as either "The Killer" or "Hardboiled," but at 88 lean, mean minutes, it doesn't wear out its welcome. "Poetic Justice" lenser Peter Lyons Collister makes everything look dark and polished in this high body count actioneer. "The Rock" composer Harry Gregson-Williams furnishes an atmospheric orchestral sound track score that enhances the suspense. Lee has Zedlov's son in the sights of his rifle when he decides that he cannot kill a child, so he asks his friend for the name of somebody not associated with Wei who can create a passport for him. No sooner has John Lee gone to visit Meg Coburn (Mira Sorvina of "Mighty Aphrodite") who has an office in the Olive Building than Mr. Wei's henchmen are on to him. A brief but lethal shoot-out ensues with our hero making a clean getaway, but the police nab our heroine. Four of Wei's gunmen die in the shooting. Detective Zedkov doesn't have enough to arrest Meg so he lets her hit the street again in the hope that she will take him to what he wants. John Lee visits Meg again and they go to the car wash business that Eddie owns where they find not only his dead body but also Michaek Kogan (Jürgen Prochnow of "Beverly Hills Cop 2") and more gunmen. Zedkov and the cops show up after the main shoot-out but our hero and heroine manage to escape. "Don confuse luck with skill," Wei reprimands Kogan after the assassin eludes the villains at the car wash. Wei has Kogan hire the eponymous murderers. Til Schweiger plays Ryker, and Danny Trejo is cast as Collins. They arrive by airliner and try to ice Zedkov at a movie theater when he has his son with him. Lee and Meg show up to thwart their plans. Ryker dies, but Collins survives the fracas. At this point, John Lee decides to remove Wei as his primary source of trouble. Along the way, Meg helps him obtain is forged documents and firearms. They make a good team when they go into action gunning for the bad guys. Mind you, this potboiler isn't any great shakes, but you'll be entertained, especially if you're a die-hard Chow fan.

gilbertdl I have watched this movie so many times that I can't remember how many. Although I have read that Sorvino and Chow didn't get along very well during the filming, you would never know it based on the chemistry between the two of them on the screen. They are perfectly paired. The gunfight scenes in this movie are some of the best I have ever seen. More bullets fly than you can ever possibly count, and Chow Yun-Fat can shoot two guns with more determination than anyone else in the industry. He moves like art in motion. I have seen many of Chow's movies, and I consider this one to be one of his best, so if you like John Woo Hong Kong action movies you need to watch this one and watch the sparks fly.