Romeo Must Die

Last updated

Romeo Must Die
Romeo-Must-Die-Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak
Screenplay by
Story byMitchell Kapner
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Glen MacPherson
Edited byDerek G. Brechin
Music by
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
  • March 24, 2000 (2000-03-24) [1] [2]
Running time
115 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million [3]
Box office$91 million [3]

Romeo Must Die is a 2000 American action film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak in his directorial debut, and features fight choreography by Corey Yuen. The film stars Jet Li, Aaliyah (in her film debut), Isaiah Washington, Russell Wong, DMX, and Delroy Lindo. The film marks Aaliyah's only film that was released during her lifetime, before she was killed in a plane crash one year later on August 25, 2001. The plot is loosely related to William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet , transplanted to contemporary Oakland with Black-American and Chinese-American gangs representing the feuding families.

Contents

Frustrated by the lack of originality in Hollywood action films, producer Joel Silver built the film around Hong Kong action films. He cast established Hong Kong actor Jet Li following his role in Lethal Weapon 4 . R&B singer Aaliyah was cast and sung the soundtrack's lead single "Try Again" which topped the US Billboard Hot 100.

Romeo Must Die was released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on March 24, 2000, where it received mixed reviews from critics, but was a box office success, grossing $91 million against a production budget of $25 million. The film was considered Li and Aaliyah's breakthrough in Hollywood. [4] [5]

Plot

Po Sing is the youngest son of Chinese Triad boss Ch'u Sing, who is accosted by African-Americans in a nightclub owned by Silk in Oakland, California. Po is rescued and admonished by Kai, Ch'u's chief lieutenant. Po leaves the club, but is found murdered the next day by a kid on a bicycle. Han Sing is Po's brother and a former cop who has been imprisoned in Hong Kong. Han learns of his brother's death and escapes to Oakland to investigate, where Ch'u is engaged in a joint business venture with Isaak O'Day, a black real estate developer and gang leader. The two have been acquiring deeds to properties along the waterfront to sell to Vincent Roth, a business magnate who plans to buy a new NFL franchise and build a stadium.

Despite assurances from Ch'u that their partnership remains intact, Isaak fears retribution following Po's death and has his chief lieutenant Mac place security details on his son Colin and his daughter Trish, who refuses to be involved in her father's illegal enterprises. In a chance encounter, Han befriends Trish by helping her ditch her assigned security Maurice and then discovers Po called Trish's clothing store the day before he was killed. At his brother's funeral, Han confronts his estranged father and blames him for failing to protect Po after Han helped them both flee to America to escape Chinese authorities, which resulted in Han's imprisonment. Kai informs Han that Po's death has been the result of the escalating gang war between the Chinese and African-Americans.

Meanwhile, Colin tells his father that he was supposed to have met Po at the club on the night of his murder to discuss information that could end the war. That night, Colin and his girlfriend are murdered by an unseen assailant. Trish and Han team up and realize that Po wanted to show Colin a list of businesses that were either destroyed or being threatened for failing to sell their properties. The two visit one of the remaining businesses on Po's list, but the Chinese owner and his employees have been killed. After killing the Chinese hitmen responsible, Han questions his father, who deflects suspicion by suggesting Isaak may have used outside contractors. Later, Ch'u is shown ordering the death of several other Triad bosses to acquire their territories. Trish and Han visit the last holdout on Po's list: Silk's nightclub where Po was last seen.

Han and Trish meet with Silk, but Mac kills him for his deed and abducts Trish and Han. At a remote location, Han defeats Mac's henchmen led by Maurice and goes to rescue Trish. Isaak and Ch'u meet with Roth to sell him the deeds for the properties they now control. After Ch'u takes a multimillion-dollar payment and departs, Isaak refuses his payment, stating that "his compensation" will be in the form of an ownership share of the new franchise. An enraged Mac threatens Isaak to take the deal using Trish as a hostage. He also reveals that the "gang war" was a ruse he and Ch'u concocted to cover their murder and intimidation of businessmen who refused to sign away their properties and admits to killing Colin. In the ensuing shootout, Isaak is wounded while Roth escapes via helicopter.

However, Mac shoots Roth's briefcase out of his hand and the deeds scatter into the wind. Han arrives and confronts Mac about Po who reveals that it was the Chinese who killed him, and is about to shoot Han when Trish kills Mac first. Trish waits with her father for an ambulance while Han leaves to find Ch'u. At the Sing compound, Kai admits he personally killed Po for interfering with Ch'u's dealings with Roth. Han engages Kai in a fist fight, and eventually kills him. Han berates his father for killing Po out of greed and declares that he will leave him to be punished by either the police or the other Triad families. As Han walks away, Ch'u picks up his gun and shoots himself. Han finds Trish waiting for him outside and the two walk away together as the police arrive.

Cast

Production

During the late 1990s, the producer Joel Silver became annoyed that he did not see anything fresh or original in American action films. For inspiration, he turned to Hong Kong action cinema, where Jet Li was an established movie star. In addition to the influence of Hong Kong martial arts films, the production team also introduced a new visual effect technique: the presentation of martial arts fighting in X-ray vision. They initially experimented with it for a single fight scene with Jet Li and tested it in front of an American audience, which gave an overwhelmingly positive response, before using it in more action scenes throughout the film. [6]

The film's setting is Oakland, California, but other than a few establishing shots, film production was entirely in Vancouver, British Columbia. Principal photography began on May 3, 1999 and ended on July 23, 1999. [7] [8] Filming locations included Gastown, Grandview–Woodland, Vanier Park, Chinatown, Versatile Pacific Shipyards, and the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden.

According to the documentary The Slanted Screen , Han and Trish were supposed to have a kissing scene, which explains the title of Romeo, but this did not test well with an urban audience. [9] Jet Li stated on his personal website that they had filmed both versions of the scene (with kiss and without), and decided to use the latter because it would be "somewhat strange and awkward" for Han to have witnessed his father's suicide and then to come out and kiss someone. [10]

Release

Romeo Must Die debuted at #2 at the U.S. box office behind Erin Brockovich , which had come out a week earlier. [11] [12] [13] The film was produced with a budget of US$25 million. In North America, Romeo Must Die earned $18,014,503 (2,641 theaters, $6,821 per screen average) in its opening weekend. Romeo Must Die's total North American gross is $55,973,336. The film's worldwide box office gross is $91,036,760. [3]

It was released in the United States on DVD on August 1, 2000, [14] and on Blu-ray on August 14, 2012. [15]

Critical reception

The film has a 32% approval rating from 94 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator; the critical consensus reads: "In his second Hollywood movie, Jet Li impresses. Unfortunately, when he's not on screen, the movie slows to a crawl. Though there's some spark between Jet and Aaliyah, there isn't any threat of a fire. And as impressive as the action sequences are, some critics feel they are over-edited." [16]

Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times called the movie "dreary" but said it was bound to be a hit due to its combination of martial arts action and hip hop. [17] Writing for the San Francisco Chronicle , Bob Graham likened it to The Matrix , describing it as a "cross-cultural kung fu extravaganza" that shines during Li's stunts. [18] In his review for the Chicago Tribune , Rene Rodriguez said the film is "needlessly convoluted" and should not have added special effects on top of Li's stunts, which he said makes them seem less impressive because of the artificiality. [19] Roger Ebert rated the film 1.5/4 stars and also criticized the use of computer-generated special effects in a martial arts film, saying that it "misses the point" of having audiences be impressed by realistic stunts. [20] Aaliyah received praise for her role. [21]

Soundtrack

Romeo Must Die: The Album was released on March 28, 2000 through Blackground/Virgin Records in association with Warner Bros. (who helped co-financed the soundtrack). Composed of hip hop and R&B music, it features contributions from film star Aaliyah, who appears on fours songs and served as one of executive producers on the soundtrack album. Three singles were released from the album: "Try Again", "Come Back in One Piece" and "We At It Again".

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaliyah</span> American singer (1979–2001)

Aaliyah Dana Haughton, known as Aaliyah, was an American singer and actress. She has been credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop, and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jet Li</span> Chinese-born martial artist and actor (born 1963)

Li Lianjie, better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese-born Singaporean martial artist and actor. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Horse Award, a Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award, a Hong Kong Film Award, and a Shanghai Film Critics Award. Li is widely regarded as one of the most iconic Chinese film stars and one of the most renowned martial arts stars of his generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wong Fei-hung</span> Chinese martial artist and physician (1847–1925)

Wong Fei-hung was a Chinese martial artist, physician, and folk hero. His recent fame was due to becoming the protagonist of numerous martial arts films and television series. Even though he was considered an expert in the Hung Ga style of Chinese martial arts, his real public fame was as a physician who practiced and taught acupuncture, Dit Da and other forms of traditional Chinese medicine in the now famous Po Chi Lam, a medical clinic in Canton (Guangzhou), Guangdong Province. A museum dedicated to him was built in his birthplace in Foshan, Guangdong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuen Woo-ping</span> Hong Kong film director

Yuen Woo-ping is a Hong Kong martial arts choreographer and film director who worked in Hong Kong action cinema and later Hollywood films. He is one of the inductees on the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong. Yuen is also a son of Yuen Siu-tien, a martial arts film actor. He attended the China Drama Academy for one year as a day student of Master Yu Jim-yuen as well.

Corey Yuen Kwai was a Hong Kong film director, film producer, action choreographer, and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donnie Yen</span> Chinese actor and martial artist (born 1963)

Donnie Yen Chi-tan is a Chinese actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and action director best known for his martial arts films. He is the recipient of various accolades, including three Golden Horse Awards and five Hong Kong Film Awards. He is one of the highest paid actors in Asia.

<i>Once Upon a Time in China and America</i> 1997 film

Once Upon a Time in China and America, also known as Once Upon a Time in China VI, is a 1997 Hong Kong martial arts western film directed by Sammo Hung in his last directorial effort until 2016, who also worked on the film's fight choreography. The film is the sixth and final installment in the Once Upon a Time in China film series. The film also saw the return of Jet Li as Cantonese martial arts master and folk hero Wong Fei-hung, who had been replaced by Vincent Zhao in the fourth and fifth films. The film was released theatrically in Hong Kong on 1 February 1997, and garnered positive reviews.

<i>Romeo Must Die</i> (soundtrack) 2000 soundtrack album by various artists

Romeo Must Die: The Album is the soundtrack to Andrzej Bartkowiak's 2000 action film Romeo Must Die, composed of hip hop and R&B music. It was released on March 28, 2000 through Blackground Records and Virgin Records in association with Warner Bros. Records. Recording sessions took time between May 1999 and January 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrzej Bartkowiak</span> Polish cinematographer and film director

Andrzej Bartkowiak, ASC is a Polish cinematographer and film director based in the United States.

<i>Jet Li: Rise to Honor</i> 2004 action-adventure video game

Jet Li: Rise to Honor is an action-adventure video game developed by Foster City Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It was originally released in 2004. The game features the likeness, voice acting and motion capture work of martial arts actor Jet Li, and features martial arts choreography by Corey Yuen. It is notable for being the only game fully developed by San Mateo Studio, which is located in Sony Computer Entertainment's headquarters and mainly does support work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Try Again (Aaliyah song)</span> 2000 single by Aaliyah

"Try Again" is a song recorded by American singer Aaliyah for the soundtrack to Romeo Must Die (2000). After its initial release, it appeared as a bonus track on international editions of Aaliyah's eponymous third and final studio album (2001). The song was written by Static Major and Timbaland, while production was handled by the latter. "Try Again" was released to Rhythmic contemporary radio stations by Blackground and Virgin Records on March 21, 2000. Musically, it is an R&B, electro, dance-pop, and trip hop song. It also includes influences from hip hop, EDM, and acid house. The intro contains an interpolation from Eric B. & Rakim's song "I Know You Got Soul" (1987). Lyrically, the narrator (Aaliyah) encourages a potential partner not to give up when she initially rejects his advances.

<i>Fearless</i> (2006 film) 2006 Hong Kong martial arts film

Fearless, also known as Huo Yuanjia (霍元甲) in Chinese, as Spirit in Japan and as Jet Li's Fearless in the United Kingdom and in the United States, is a 2006 martial arts film directed by Ronny Yu and starring Jet Li. It is loosely based on the life of Huo Yuanjia, a Chinese martial artist who challenged foreign fighters in highly publicized events, restoring pride and nationalism to China at a time when Western imperialism and Japanese manipulation were eroding the country in the final years of the Qing Dynasty before the birth of the Republic of China. Li stated in an interview that the film was his last wushu martial arts epic, a point also made in the film's television promotions and other publicity.

<i>My Father Is a Hero</i> 1995 Hong Kong film

My Father Is a Hero is a 1995 Hong Kong action film starring Jet Li and Anita Mui, directed by Corey Yuen, who also co-stars in the film. The film was released in Hong Kong on 2 March 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Come Back in One Piece</span> 2000 single by Aaliyah featuring DMX

"Come Back in One Piece" is a song recorded by American singer Aaliyah, featuring a guest appearance by American rapper DMX, for the soundtrack to the 2000 film Romeo Must Die. It was written by DMX, Stephen Garrett, Irv Gotti, Rob Meys, George Clinton, Bernie Worrell and William Collins, while the production was handled by Gotti and Lil Rob. The song was released as the second single from Romeo Must Die on June 6, 2000, by Blackground Records and Virgin Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Don't Wanna (Aaliyah song)</span> 2000 single by Aaliyah

"I Don't Wanna" is a song recorded by American singer Aaliyah. Written and composed by Johntá Austin, Jazze Pha, Donnie Scantz, and Kevin Hicks, it appears on both the Next Friday (1999) and Romeo Must Die (2000) soundtracks.

<i>Once Upon a Time in China</i> 1991 film by Tsui Hark

Once Upon a Time in China is a 1991 Hong Kong biographical martial arts film directed and produced by Tsui Hark, who also wrote with Yuen Kai-chi, Leung Yiu-ming, and Elsa Tang. Jet Li stars as Chinese martial arts master and folk hero of Cantonese ethnicity, Wong Fei-hung. The film co-stars Yuen Biao, Jacky Cheung, Rosamund Kwan, and Kent Cheng. It is the first installment in the Once Upon a Time in China film series. It is a staple in the Wuxia genre. It is regarded as one of the most influential martial arts movies of all time.

<i>The Bodyguard from Beijing</i> 1994 film

The Bodyguard from Beijing is a 1994 Hong Kong action film directed by Corey Yuen, and starring Jet Li, who also produced. The film co-stars Christy Chung, Kent Cheng and Sing Ngai. The film was released theatrically in Hong Kong on 28 July 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jet Li filmography</span>

Jet Li is a Chinese-born Singaporean martial artist, retired wushu champion, film actor, film producer, and philanthropist. His first non-Chinese film role was as a villain in the 1998 buddy cop action film Lethal Weapon 4 with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. His first leading role in a Hollywood film was as Han Sing in the 2000 martial arts action film Romeo Must Die with Aaliyah. He has gone on to star in other international action films, including the Luc Besson-produced French films Kiss of the Dragon (2001) and Unleashed (2005). He co-starred in The One (2001) and War (2007) with Jason Statham, The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) with Jackie Chan, the first three of The Expendables films with Sylvester Stallone (2010-2014), and as the title character villain in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008). In 2020, he portrayed The Emperor of China in the live-action fantasy drama Disney film Mulan.

Henry O is a Chinese-American former actor. He is the father of Ji-li Jiang, the author of Red Scarf Girl.

<i>Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B</i> 2014 biographical television film directed by Bradley Walsh

Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B was a 2014 American biographical television film that was directed by Bradley Walsh and is based on the life and career of R&B music star Aaliyah Dana Haughton, following her rise to fame and tragic death at age 22 when she was killed in a plane crash. The film is also based on the biography Aaliyah: More than a Woman by Christopher John Farley. The film premiered on Lifetime on November 15, 2014, and was met with criticism in its early stages of production due to Aaliyah's family's disapproval of Lifetime's choice to create the film. The film drew 3.2 million viewers upon its premiere, making it the second highest-rated television film of 2014, despite overwhelmingly negative reviews.

References

  1. Basham, David (February 18, 2000). "Aaliyah, DMX, Ginuwine Pitch In for "Romeo" LP". MTV News . Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  2. Mitchell, Gail (March 4, 2000). "The Rhythm and the Blues". Billboard . p. 43. Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 "Romeo Must Die". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on March 29, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  4. Noxon, Christopher (July 4, 2001). "Taking a Fast-Track Career in Stride". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 1, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  5. Loayza, Beatrice (August 27, 2021). "The Imperfect Legacy of Romeo Must Die". Vulture . Vox Media. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  6. Yu, Sabrina Q. (2012). Jet Li: Chinese Masculinity and Transnational Film Stardom. Edinburgh University Press. p. 119. ISBN   978-0-7486-8955-2. Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  7. "Home | Pressroom". Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  8. "Romeo Must die (2000) - IMDb". IMDb . Archived from the original on September 9, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  9. Jose Antonio Vargas (May 25, 2007). "'Slanted Screen' Rues The Absence Of Asians". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 25, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  10. Li, Jet. "Jet's Message 7". Archived from the original on August 8, 2004. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  11. "Martial arts moves get a hip-hop flair". Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
  12. Welkos, Robert W. (March 28, 2000). "Weekend Box Office; 'Erin Brockovich' Holds Off 'Romeo'". The Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on June 18, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
  13. Natale, Richard (April 3, 2000). "A 'Beauty' of a Weekend for Oscar Winner; Box office * Best picture award pays off; 'Brockovich' hangs on to the No. 1 spot. 'Skulls,' 'Fidelity' debut well". The Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
  14. Beierle, Aaron (July 21, 2000). "Romeo Must Die". DVD Talk . Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  15. "Romeo Must Die - Blu-ray - IGN". IGN . Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  16. "Romeo Must Die (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on November 10, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  17. Mitchell, Elvis (March 22, 2000). "FILM REVIEW; Hip-Hop Joins Martial Arts but Lets Plot Muscle In". The New York Times . Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  18. Graham, Bob (September 11, 2010). "Romeo Must Die' Flies On the Strength of Jet Li". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on February 10, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  19. Rene Rodriguez (March 23, 2000). "Convoluted Subplots Kill Off 'Romeo Must Die'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  20. "Romeo Must Die". Chicago Sun Times. March 22, 2000. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  21. "Aaliyah: A 'beautiful person's' life cut short". CNN . August 27, 2001. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.