War (2007)

Pitting Hong Kong legend Jet Li against UK tough guy Jason Statham seems like a surefire way to generate on-screen heat, and action fans will get a good deal of just that from the action-heavy War. Unfortunately, they also have to slog through a clichéd-riddled story about world-weary FBI agent Statham, who's gunning for Li, the master assassin that killed his partner years before, and who's currently neck-deep in a turf war between yakuza and triad gangs. Philip G. Atwell's style-over-substance direction doesn't help matters either, though he does have a way with shootouts and other combative set pieces. As for Li and Statham, their scenes together are surprisingly limited; there's also a twist in the film's final third that begs for serious suspension of disbelief. In short, those that found the duo's last movie team-up (2001's The One) lacking won't find much here to supplant that memory. The DVD includes three commentary tracks: one by Atwell, one by screenwriters Lee Anthony Smith and Gregory J. Bradley (it's the liveliest of the lot) and an audio trivia track that delves deep into the film's production, which is also covered in detail by nine separate featurettes. A gag reel and deleted/extended scenes round out the supplemental features. -- Paul Gaita Amazon.com

Lives Up to Its Name...WAR

I would have to say this movie was much better than most of Li's other films. There is plenty of action, not as much hand-to-hand combat, but the twist in the story line was plenty to satisfy most viewers. Both Statham and Li are headliners and the acting in this film was superb. However, the biggest negative was the actual audio--one could barely make out what the actors were saying in the most crucial parts of the film. If you can read lips, then you won't have the frustration we did, straining to hear the lines most relevant to the plot. September 21, 2008

War review

JetLi and Jason- what a combination, their engrossing (film) personalities and their acting skills make this an enjoyable action flick. September 7, 2008

Disappointed....

Jason Statham...LOVE HIM! Jet Li...LOVE HIM! I picked this up and thought....how could this go wrong. Obviously, I was disappointed. What could have been a great action/martial arts movie was tepid. As someone else mentioned Jet Li had little spark, which is unusual for him, and when/if you see this the twist will give you pause. He should have been angry, rightous, but I didn't get any of that.

Statham had some moments, and I will say the ending irked me being a fan of his, but the last five minutes of the movie...just seemed to pat.

If you like Statham see Crank. A Li fan see Unleashed, BUT if you have a few hours and are bored, you could do worse. August 26, 2008

could have been better

Ok. am a big Jason Statham fan and a Jet Li fan also, but the movie started off crapy and it didn't get good til mid end. Then they gave it a really crappy ending. Its quite a dissapointment for me. For anyone who wants to buy this movie and havn't seen it yet,RENT IT. am sure you wouldn't want to own it after you watched it. July 28, 2008

4.5 stars

Caveat #1: I love action films. Caveat #2: This is not a martial arts film.

Which is fine with me--I love action films, regardless of what kind of action it is. Well, some action films. This is one.

After an assassin named Rogue killed his partner and his partner's wife and child, finding Rogue is federal agent John Crawford's (Jason Statham) raison d'etre.

Meanwhile, Rogue's (Jet Li) purpose is a little less straightforward. Presumably working for the Triad, it becomes clear that he's manipulating the Triad into an all-out war with the Yakuza.

So basically, it's tailor-made for me: lots of action, a intriguing mystery (why is Rogue causing a war?), some nice eye-candy (Jason Statham), and a couple of really good twists.
June 27, 2008

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