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Romeo Must Die

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Romeo Must Die
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAndrzej Bartkowiak
Written byMitchell Kapner (story)
Eric Bernt
John Jarrell
Produced byJoel Silver
Jim Van Wyck
StarringJet Li
Aaliyah
Isaiah Washington
Russell Wong
with DMX
and Delroy Lindo
CinematographyGlen MacPherson
Edited byDerek G. Brechin
Music byStanley Clarke
Production
company
Silver Pictures
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
March 22, 2000
Running time
115 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
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, Aaliyah, Anthony Anderson, 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.[1]

The movie's setting was Oakland, California, but other than a few establishing shots, the film was entirely shot in Vancouver, British Columbia. This film was the debut of R&B singer Aaliyah as an actress.

Plot

The son of the head of the local Chinese gang, Po Sing (Jon Kit Lee) gets into a confrontation at a nightclub run by Silk (DMX) just as Po's bodyguards, led by Kai (Russell Wong), come to retrieve him. Silk and his bouncers drive the Chinese gang members out with assault rifles. Kai argues with Po over his stirring the current gang war by going into an enemy club, but Po brushes him 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 a rival black gang, Isaak O'Day (Delroy Lindo), who orders an investigation. In Hong Kong, Po's brother, Han Sing (Jet Li) learns of his brother's death and escapes prison, heading to America.

Isaak sends Maurice (Anthony Anderson) to guard his daughter, Trish O'Day (Aaliyah), who gives him the slip and gets into a cab, which Han has just hot-wired. They enjoy friendly conversation before she takes off. 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. 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 rising 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. That night, Han meets again with Trish to see if she has learned anything more. 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. He warns her to stay away from Han, which leads her to ask if he was involved with Po's death, which he denies. 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. 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. Silk sees them and brings them into his office. He explains that Isaak is buying up all the property, but that he is not selling. Mac comes in, murdering Silk and kidnaps Trish. Han is beaten unconscious, and comes to in a warehouse surrounded by Maurice and other gang members. In an extended fight sequence, Han fights them all off and forces Maurice to tell him where to find Trish.

At the Oakridge Men's Club, Isaak declines to sell the deeds, wanting to become a partner instead. Mac says he is fed up with him and turns on him, bringing in Trish as a hostage. He reveals that he was working with Chu to kill any property owners who would not give up the deeds, and that he murdered Colin. An enraged Isaak attacks Mac, and is shot. A gunfight breaks out between Isaak's people and Roth's bodyguards, leaving most of Isaak's men dead. Roth flees with the deeds, but 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. Han tells Trish to stay with Issak and goes 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 or the families of the murdered Chinese property owners to deal with him, finally warning him that this time "no one will go to jail for you." As he leaves, Chu kills himself.

Han meets with Trish and they share an embrace before walking away together.

Cast

Production

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.[2] 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 one without instead because it would be "somewhat strange and awkward" for Han to have witness his father's suicide and then to come out and kiss someone.[3]

Reception

The critical reception was mixed.[4][5][6][7] The film currently has a 33% ("Rotten") rating from 91 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

Box office

Romeo Must Die debuted at No.2 at the U.S. box office.[8][9][10] 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.[11]

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 28, 2000. The soundtrack eventually sold over 1.5 million copies in the United States. 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, Joe, Timbaland and Magoo and more. 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.

The soundtrack, strangely enough, has all its profanities edited on all versions, despite the film being rated R.

Track listing

  1. "Try Again" – 4:44 (Aaliyah)
  2. "Come Back in One Piece" – 4:18 (Aaliyah featuring DMX)
  3. "Rose in a Concrete World (J Dub Remix) – 4:50 (Joe)
  4. "Rollin' Raw" – 3:59 (B.G. from Ca$h Money)
  5. "We At It Again" – 4:45 (Timbaland & Magoo)
  6. "Are You Feelin' Me?" – 3:10 (Aaliyah)
  7. "Perfect Man" – 3:47 (Destiny's Child)
  8. "Simply Irresistible" – 4:00 (Ginuwine)
  9. "It Really Don't Matter" – 4:12 (Confidential)
  10. "Thugz" – 4:12 (Mack 10 featuring The Comrades)
  11. "I Don't Wanna" – 4:16 (Aaliyah)
  12. "Somebody's Gonna Die Tonight" – 4:36 (Dave Bing featuring Lil' Mo)
  13. "Woozy" – 4:10 (Playa)
  14. "Pump the Brakes" – 4:27 (Dave Hollister)
  15. "This Is a Test" – 3:20 (Chante Moore)
  16. "Revival" – 4:57 (Non-A-Miss)
  17. "Come On" – 3:50 (Blade)
  18. "Swung On" – 3:15 (Stanley Clarke featuring Politix)

References

  1. ^ Noxon, Christopher (2001-07-04). "Taking a Fast-Track Career in Stride". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
  2. ^ Jose Antonio Vargas (2007-05-25). "'Slanted Screen' Rues The Absence Of Asians". The Washington Post.
  3. ^ Li, Jet. "Jet's Message 7". Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  4. ^ Mitchell, Elvis (2000-03-22). "FILM REVIEW; Hip-Hop Joins Martial Arts but Lets Plot Muscle In". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-09-15.
  5. ^ Graham, Bob (2010-09-11). "Romeo Must Die' Flies On the Strength of Jet Li". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
  6. ^ Rene Rodriguez (2000-03-23). "Convoluted Subplots Kill Off `Romeo Must Die'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
  7. ^ "Romeo Must Die". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
  8. ^ "Martial arts moves get a hip-hop flair". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2010-12-15.
  9. ^ Welkos, Robert W. (2000-03-28). "Weekend Box Office; 'Erin Brockovich' Holds Off 'Romeo'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-12-15.
  10. ^ Natale, Richard (2000-04-03). "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. Retrieved 2010-12-15.
  11. ^ "Romeo Must Die at Box Office Mojo". Retrieved 2010-09-29.
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