ROMEO MUST DIE Decoded: Competent and Efficient Action Flick

That is why, when I saw an interview with Jet Li some time ago on the occasion of the release of Mulan, where one of the questions concerned Romeo Must Die, I immediately decided to rewatch the film, even though I had never been particularly fond of it. The film, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, was directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, who was then an excellent cinematographer, known primarily for his work with Sidney Lumet in the 1980s and early 1990s, such as in Prince of the City and The Verdict. However, it was his dynamic cinematography in Speed that made him a hot name in Hollywood – the second half of the 1990s saw many large, spectacular productions in his filmography (Species, Dante’s Peak, The Devil’s Advocate, Lethal Weapon 4). I suspect that during the shooting of the latter, producer Joel Silver recognized in Bartkowiak the man to entrust the direction of Romeo Must Die.

The title suggests a connection to Shakespeare’s art, but aside from two families warring with each other (let’s say) and the children of their leaders who are united by love (sort of), there is little else in this Romeo that relates to the original. Instead, we have black gangsters and the Chinese mafia – the former are as loud and exaggerated as if they had stepped out of rap music videos, while the latter prefer expensive suits and a more cultured approach to shady dealings. For a long time, both families live in relative harmony, until the son of the Chinese leader is killed. Soon, his brother arrives in the U.S. to avenge the death.

Jet Li, who had just fought Riggs and Murtaugh in the aforementioned Lethal Weapon 4, now plays the main, positive role (his first in America), but if anyone expects the Chinese side of the conflict to get as much screen time as the black side, they will be disappointed. Let’s be blunt – Bartkowiak’s film is a kind of millennial blaxploitation, supplemented with Eastern influences. The cast is mostly black, the soundtrack consists entirely of rap and R&B tracks, and the director, fully at ease in these settings, leaves no doubt as to who we are supposed to root for. This is a surprisingly one-sided film, and I say “surprisingly” because the screenplay by Eric Bernt and John Jarrell, based on an idea by Mitchell Kapner, at least tries to evenly handle all the characters.

The plot in Romeo Must Die is, on the one hand, as simple as a pencil, and on the other, for an action film, it is rather unexciting. Ultimately, it revolves around an attempt to sell land around the waterfront by the heads of both families, so that they can make a nice chunk of money. It’s not thrilling, especially since their goals align and do not conflict with each other in any way. So, if it’s not about the goal, it must be about the means, because the first doesn’t always sanctify the second. And indeed, it is. The children pay for the sins of their fathers, because they are gangsters and settle their issues gangster-style. Even if one of them has good intentions, his people will not necessarily share the boss’s point of view. Hence, the themes of honor, loyalty, and blood ties, which may not be as strong as ties of interest (or feelings), play a crucial role in the story, and they are not far from the topics raised by Shakespeare.

At the center of it all are the Chinese Romeo and his black Juliet, namely Jet and Aaliyah, or rather Han and Trish. He – a former cop who escapes from prison to find his brother’s killers. She – a likable music store owner who keeps away from her father’s business. They meet before they even know each other’s true identities, but immediately, something sparks between them. I don’t know if this casting can be considered successful because, although there is chemistry between the debuting R&B star and the action film star making his American debut, and both find themselves well in their roles, the supposed romance doesn’t hang in the air at all. The film (aside from the title) gives no reason to believe in such a relationship. There is flirting and some partnership, but there is no talk of love. The kiss that was supposed to appear in the last scene was cut because it was considered out of place for the bitter conclusion. In my opinion, it simply didn’t fit these characters.

However, there were also voices suggesting the test audience’s dislike for the interracial romance. I am surprised by this reception, as the film is hard to call racist toward anyone. Stereotypical – absolutely! – but not racist. The fact – the practically only white representative on screen is a young, slick, and unpleasant businessman buying up land to later build a stadium. Does he, however, fare worse than the two main nations in the film? Not necessarily. Both turn out to be cruel, greedy, too self-absorbed, but also obsessed with their rivals. They shed their cultural heritage, killing their own people to ultimately turn into the very ones they fight against. The blacks want to be more elegant, less vulgar, gain class (regardless of whether it’s Trish’s father, trying to break free from a criminal life, or his treacherous “lieutenant”), while the Chinese abandon tradition and sacrifice their children for money, posing, and the “American Dream.” Ultimately, the former come out slightly better in the film – even the irritating, crude, loud, and essentially negative character played by Anthony Anderson is nothing more than a comedic figure whose evil nature is meant to be comedic. Black audiences could be satisfied. The latter had an unwavering and noble Jet Li.

Bartkowiak, who worked with the Chinese actor on Lethal Weapon 4, makes use of his limbs and extraordinary physical abilities, but unnecessarily enhances the action scenes with wires, making the heroes literally fly, and with computer graphics. The former are used in nearly every fight (and even a rugby match!), which makes them not only unrealistic and funny but also prevents Li from fully showcasing his potential. CGI is used to flaunt X-ray shots of bone fractures during fights – unnecessary and distracting. Thus, Romeo Must Die was one of the first victims of the Matrix, which had premiered a year earlier, after which action cinema became more effects-driven, relying too much on computers and, consequently, became artificial. It aged quickly and lost its visual value.

How did the Pole fare in his first directorial assignment? It doesn’t feel like a debut film at all, but at the same time, it seems like the work of a craftsman who shoots quickly, efficiently, and without reflection. Everything here is competent in terms of execution, though not particularly outstanding; it’s supposedly flashy, but without emotion; with a production date of 2000, while its shelf life expired a good decade earlier. Even the fight, during which Han fights the Chinese assassin, throwing punches and kicks through Trish, is surprisingly dull, although on paper, it must have looked at least intriguing. Low-octane entertainment for the undemanding. The screening is saved by the always reliable Jet Li, the natural Aaliyah, and her song that promoted the film, Try Again. A great track, but every time I hear it, nostalgia mixes with sadness – the 22-year-old girl died in a plane crash a year after the film’s release. She had managed to shoot Queen of the Damned based on Anne Rice’s novel, leaving behind a legacy as a musical legend and the promise of an acting career.

I suspect that the popularity of Romeo is partly due to the presence of the singer on screen in her first and second-to-last role, but on the other hand, the film was a box office hit, earning almost 100 million dollars on a budget four times smaller. No wonder that the Polish cinematographer/director made two more action-packed films for Silver, largely aimed at black audiences, with practically the same cast.

In Exit Wounds from 2001, for me the best of Bartkowiak’s works, Steven Seagal teams up with rapper DMX (who only appears in two scenes in Romeo Must Die) to defeat a group of corrupt cops. The story turns out to be predictable and full of simplifications, but the film is told much better than its predecessor, more happens in it, and Seagal, probably for the last time in his career, actually seems motivated. Things took a turn for the worse in the two years later Cradle 2 the Grave, where Jet Li and DMX try to stop Mark Dacascos from selling black diamonds, which actually contain… synthetic plutonium. Such things only happen in Fast & Furious 17.

Watching the film today, it truly feels as if the script was written for Vin Diesel and the gang (there’s even a tank in the action!), but somehow it turned back in time and landed in Bartkowiak’s hands. Much happens here, though the stupidity of the dialogue quickly becomes tiresome. Even the final showdown between Li and Dacascos doesn’t generate any emotions. For consolation, there’s the catchy DMX song – X Gon’ Give It to Ya – which was later remembered in Deadpool.