The Replacement Killers

If so this is the film for you! I mean for what it is it is not to bad, just not the fantastic wonderful or spectacular movie that people seem to think it is. Jet Li = great tough guy actor Mira Sorvino = nice job as a tough girl (I have seen better, but still nice) Did I enjoy it enough to watch it again? I guess I could get that bored but I doubt it very much. Do I regret watching it today? No. If you decide to watch this show I hope you enjoy it.

A fairly ho-hum actioner, not bad or anything just short on innovation and novelty. Chow Yun-Fat is of course pretty fair as the family man blackmailed into a life of hired killing, Mira Sorvino's OK too as his sexy forger assistant, but the story is a little limp and the action clunks along somewhat. OK for a mindless few hours if you like the genre though.

I'm amazed how negative people are being about this movie. It has to be judged as what it is: an action movie. It does not attempt to have a complex plot, mystery, moral exploration etc. Considered on this basis, it is certainly one of the best examples of the genre: it is supremely stylish, well filmed and entertaining. Chow Yun-Fat is as great as ever: like the rest of the movie, his performance is stylish and he acts well throughout. I know many fans of Chow Yun-Fat may be put off by the 'over simplicity' of the movie, but as a fan myself I consider his performance in this just as riveting as in his Hong Kong movies. Don't analyse the film, just sit back and enjoy the ride.

"The Replacement Killers" is a typical action film. It is loud, disruptive, and completely empty. Hong Kong action star Chow Yun-Fat stars as a hit-man who refuses to do a job. Now his "associates" are after him instead and they hire a group of replacement killers to take care of him. Yun-Fat wants to leave the country, but needs to have some fraudulent documents made. Enter Mira Sorvino as a hot document forger who gets sucked into the middle of Yun-Fat's predicament. The film is not short on action, but it is on everything else. Yun-Fat and Sorvino both do great jobs with the weak screenplay, but Antoine Fuqua's outlandish direction ruins any chance that the film has to be successful. 2.5 out 5 stars.

Those who focus on the violence and "character development" aspects of this movie miss what I consider to be the central strength and intent of "Replacement Killers" - its style and artistic ex- pression. I usually pass on what I consider to be violent action flicks, but this one made me stop and look past the violence to the contextual richness of the way in which this one was filmed. I'd like to see more from this director.

Yun-Fat Chow ( John Lee) and Mira Sorvino(Meg Coburn)(Paul Sorvino's daughter and former star of "The Guiding Light TV Series '52) burned up and exploded the entire film without even taking off their clothes. The photography was fantastic, showing scenes of Chinese culture in San Francisco's Chinatown along with a boat ride down San Franciso's Bay near the Golden Gate Bridge and the container shipyards. Meg Coburn had her phony passport business blown away and her skirt seemed to get shorter and shorter in each scene. There was a great scene in a Car Wash with all the brushes spinning and plenty of bullets flying all over the place. This is a NO STOP ACTION FILM, which is just what you are going to see, there really is no room to be critical about this film, just sit back and try to keep up with all the action if you can!

This movie reminds me of the classic action movie the Killer. It has great actions and a great plot. The music was super awesome as were the acting. I recommend this movie to all action fans. You would be glad that you seen it.

If you're looking for a basic action movie this may be for you. I think its a very underrated movie. It is stylish, fast paced, well acted, and has a reasonable plot. Most importantly for me its not pretentious. There is actually a pretty good character development too. The characters are actually quite believable and one can feel for the characters played by Chow Yun Fat and Mira Sorvino. It is not a martial arts movie (see "Return of the Dragon" for that) and its not high drama (see "Leaving Las Vegas"). However for anyone who wants an action movie that is reasonably intelligent this is a good choice.

A hit-man who develops a conscience when he can't kill a cop because he's with his family when he attempts to, teams up with a female counterfeiter to stop the replacement hit men that were sent when the word got back that he couldn't finish the job. Why does Hollywood import foreign actors, just to put them in lousy movies? Chow Yun Fat, Jet Li, etc. Actually as strictly a popcorn flick this would work. But putting Mira Sorvino in the film was a misstep.She is NOT, nor ever will be an action star. My Grade: C DVD Extras: Commentary by Antoine Fuqua; Making-of featurette; Chow Yun Fat goes Hollywood featurette;4 extended scenes; 1 deleted scene; Alternate ending; Filmographies; Theatrical Trailer; Trailers for "the One" (so bad), and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (good)