“War” is the kind of movie wherein you wonder how much a film can be messed up in all departments from one scene to another and how fast it deteriorates so rapidly. In the process the thought goes on to the credit card swiped to get the ticket. If only there is a time travel machine.
The movie is advertised for its two heavy weight star cast for action written all over it. They are Jet Li as we know for his agility and mobility for rapid fast martial arts and Jason Statham for his raw knuckle power and for some reason, his English accent. And I admired the way it was advertised, all action and no talk. Honesty in all forms needs to be appreciated. And then there are nonsensical dialogues, plot and Alas! Uninteresting action sequences. This is one movie for which I went in for sheer entertainment (not I generally expect) and got shot all over my face. I had to search for my eyes and ears under the seats of theatres. Horrendous display of motion picture is the least I can say about it.
Anyways, coming to the so called plot, we see Federal Agents, Tom Lone (Terry Chen) and Jack Crawford (Jason Statham) hunt into a typical zone of extreme violence, gang war. Jack notices the titanium bullet cartridge which is the killer trademark of the mysterious assassin whom Jack calls “Rogue”. Tom manages to shoot the assassin and save his partner Jack. Of course no one finds the body of the assassin (duh!). Immediately after that, Tom, his wife and kid daughter are killed by the masked assassin. Jack comes to the crime scene and of course he finds the titanium bullet (duh! Again). Three years goes by and what can you predict of Jack? Divorced, lonely and of course still for the hunt of the assassin, “Rogue”(I am tired of so many duhs). Then we get some crash course of “Yakuza” clan and the Chinese triad. Then enters “Rogue” (Jet Li) and starts shooting everybody. He double crosses with both the gangs. It is a direct lift of “Yojimbo” but let me not desecrate the holy film making of Kurosawa with this.
There are no solid action sequences. A chase worth not mentioning both in car and in person. Dialogues are the least you expect out of these movies but punching one liner here and there like Will Smith does in “I Robot” helps to keep us smirking. One plain word for all the “so called” “attempted” “missed” “stupid” one liners in this movie. Sucks!
Jet Li’s martial arts have been wasted thoroughly because he is busy loading his guns. And the final show down does not redeem the damages already been done. And if Jason Statham is going to continue what he disappointed in”Crank”, he needs to start thinking about the good old days of “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch”.
I am up for mindless action movies. While I gave extreme negative reviews for “Live Free or Die Hard” and “Transformers”, there were bits and pieces of stand alone scenes to be appreciated in them. In “War”, there is nothing and nothing at all.
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