Romeo Must Die
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| Romeo Must Die | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Andrzej Bartkowiak |
| Written by | Mitchell Kapner (story) Eric Bernt John Jarrell |
| Produced by | Joel Silver Jim Van Wyck |
| Starring | Jet Li Aaliyah Isaiah Washington Russell Wong |
| Cinematography | Glen MacPherson |
| Edited by | Derek G. Brechin |
| Music by | Stanley Clarke |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date | March 22, 2000 |
Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25,000,000 |
| Box office | $91,036,760 |
Romeo Must Die is a 2000 martial arts film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak. Starring Jet Li, Anthony Anderson, Aaliyah, Delroy Lindo, Isaiah Washington, Russell Wong, and features action and fight choreography by Corey Yuen. It is considered Jet Li's breakout role in the English-speaking American film industry.[citation needed]
The movie's setting was Oakland, California, but other than a few establishing shots, the film was entirely shot in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Plot
The son of the head of the local Chinese gang, Po Sing (Jon Kit Lee) gets into a confrontation at Silk's Nightclub with several black gang members. Po's bodyguards, led by Kai (Russell Wong), come to retrieve him. After a fight, Silk (DMX) and his bouncers drive the Chinese gang members out with machine guns. Kai argues with Po over his stirring the current gang war by going into an enemy club, but Po brushes him off and drives off. In the morning he is found dead. Word quickly travels to his father Chu Sing (Henry O), as well as to the leader of the black gang, Isaak O'Day (Delroy Lindo). In Hong Kong, Po's brother, Han Sing (Jet Li) learns of his brother's death and escapes prison, heading to America.
Issak sends Maurice (Anthony Anderson) to guard his daughter, Trish O'Day (Aaliyah), who accompanies her as she goes to a music store. She gives him the slip and jumps into a cab, which Han has just hot-wired . He agrees to drive her where she wants to go, and along the way they enjoy friendly conversation. Meanwhile Isaak meets with Vincent Roth (Edoardo Ballerini) to discuss his acquisitions of various waterfront lands so Roth can become a part owner of the city's NFL football team and its new stadium. Isaak desires to go legitimate for his children.
In her store, Trish is upset to find her brother Colin O'Day (D.B. Woodside) there talking business, and reminds him that she wants nothing to do with their "gangster" business. After they argue, he tells her not to worry and that he loves her. Meanwhile, Han breaks into his dead brother's apartment and discovers that the last number Po called was Trish's store. At a diner, Isaak's second in command, Mac (Isaiah Washington), confronts Trish and warns her to be careful due to the raising violence. When she arrives home, Han follows her into her apartment and asks her about the call. She suspects Po called Colin, and tells him so. Maurice and others arrive and find Han there. They try to fight him and are all defeated, after which Han steals Maurice's SUV.
At Po's funeral, Han confronts his father and demands to know who killed his brother, but his father does not answer. Kai tells him the two gangs are fighting for majority control of the [[waterfront property]. Han meets again with Trish to see if she has learned anything more, and to enjoy flirting with her. That night, Colin and his girlfriend are thrown out of a window by an unidentified assassin. The next day, Po's place is ransacked and Han finds Po's car in the garage, where he examines Po's cane and finds a list of addresses. He returns to the apartment where Trish is crying among the mess. After telling him of Colin's murder, she asks for his help.
They start visiting the list of addresses on the list, and at the first find the Chinese owner has just been murdered. They spot the assassins leaving, who also spot them and give chase. During the chase and subsequent fight, Han discovers they are Chinese. He tells his father who dismisses it as a plot by Isaak and warns Han that Trish is just tricking him. Meanwhile Mac muscles a black fisherman out of his waterfront estate while Kai and his Chinese agents murder the owner and workers at a Chinese-owned waterfront business and steal their property deeds.
Isaak goes to Trish's home and forces her to come to her childhood home for protection. When he warns her against being with Han, she asks if he had anything to with Po's murder. Isaak promises that he did not and that he will make the Chinese pay for killing Colin. They later have a long talk, and he apologizes for not always being the best father and tells her he needs her in his life. Roth calls and interrupts, asking about the deeds. They agree to meet at Silk's at 8 for the exchange, while Trish finds Han standing on her balcony.
Han and Trish head to Silk's club, the only place on the list of addresses that has yet to be invaded or signed over. Everyone stares at them, so Trish drags Han to the dance floor. Silk goes down and calls them to his office to talk, asking what is going on. He explains that Isaak is buying up all the property, but that he is not selling. Mac comes in and murders Silk to take the deeds. Han is beaten unconscious, and comes to in a warehouse surrounded by Maurice and other gang members. In an extended fight sequence, Han manages to escape and goes to find Trish.
At the Oakridge Men's Club, Isaak declines to sell the deeds, wanting to become a partner instead. Mac says he's fed up with him and turns on him, revealing that he was working with Chu to kill any property owners who would not give up the deeds, and that Mac was the one who murdered Colin. An enraged Isaak attacks Mac, and is shot. A gunfight breaks out between Isaak's folks and Roth's bodyguards, leaving most of Isaak's men dead. Roth flees with the deeds, while fleeing he drops them from the helicopter and loses them. As Mac gathers them, Han confronts him about his brother, but Mac says it was done "in house" before pulling a gun. Trish arrives and shoots him off the roof. Inside, Isaak shakes Han's hand before Han goes to Chu's to confront his father.
First, Han must get through Kai, who tells him that he is the one who killed Po. After a lengthy fight, Han kills him, then meets with Chu who explains that he had to protect the business venture. He asks if Han will now kill him, but Han says he has avenged his brother and will leave it to the police and the families of the murdered Chinese property owners to deal with him. As he leaves, Chu kills himself.
Han meets with Trish and they share an embrace before walking away together.
Cast
- Jet Li - Han Sing
- Aaliyah - Trish O'Day
- Russell Wong - Kai
- Delroy Lindo - Issak O'Day
- Isaiah Washington - Mac
- Anthony Anderson - Maurice
- Henry O - Ch'u Sing
- D. B. Woodside - Colin O'Day
- Jon Kit Lee - Po Sing
- Edoardo Ballerini - Vincent Roth
- DMX - Silk
- Matthew Harrison - Dave
- Terry Chen - Kung
- Derek Lowe - Chinese Messenger
- Ronin Wong - New Prisoner
- Kendall Saunders - Colin's Girlfriend
- Benz Antoine - Crabman
Production
The movie was shot between May 3 to July 23, 1999.[citation needed] 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 was met with derision from a pre-screening, with an urban audience.[1]
Reception
The film was produced with a budget of US $25,000,000. In North America, Romeo Must Die was a box office success, earning a strong $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.[citation needed]
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack, Romeo Must Die: The Album, is a hip hop/R&B compilation work released by Blackground Records released on March 8, 2000. The soundtrack eventually sold over 1.5 million copies in the United States.[2] Produced by Aaliyah, Timbaland, Barry Hankerson, and Jomo Hankerson, it was recorded between May 1999 and January 2000. It includes four songs by Aaliyah, as well as works by Chante Moore, Destiny's Child, Ginuwine, Timbaland and Magoo. Three singles were released from the album: Aaliyah's number-one pop hit "Try Again", the Aaliyah/DMX duet "Come Back in One Piece", and Timbaland and Magoo's "We At It Again", which introduced Timbaland's younger brother, rapper Sebastian, to audiences.
References
External links
