WAR

 

 

War is an action film starring Jason Statham and Jet Li. This flick was released a few years before their pairing in the Sylvester Stallone vehicle The Expendables. In this film, Jason plays a CIA agent on the trail of a hitman who goes by the name of Rogue whom he believes is responsible for the brutal death of his partner and his wife and young daughter. He finally catches up to Rogue when he's working for the boss of the Chinese Triad who's feuding with the Japanese Yakuza (which is the Japanese version of the American mafia). The film is reminiscent of the Clint Eastwood "spaghetti western" classic A Fistful Of Dollars as Rouge begins playing the two gangs against each other as he starts slaying members from each gang. Jason's character is investigating the slayings and believes it's the work of the assassin Rogue. Of course, Rogue eventually reveals his true intentions when he has a sword fight with the leader of the Japanese Yakuza who was the one who ordered the hit on the other CIA agent and his family. There's also a sort of plot twist towards the end of the film when it's revealed that neither Rogue nor Statham's CIA agent is who they were initially portrayed out to be. (I, of course, won't reveal said "twist" so as not to ruin it for anyone.) Of course, Jason & Jet have a climatic fight towards the last of the film when their true identities are brought out in the open. War is not what you'd call your typical cookie-cutter action flick, and Jet Li is actually pretty good at playing the bad guy (although, as I implied earlier, he's not what you'd call a total villain). There are certainly enough fight scenes and gun battles to satisfy the most ardent lover of action flicks, and the plot will keep you guessing until the end when everything is revealed. If you're looking for an action flick that doesn't follow the standard action flick formula (although moviegoers have seen the seeking-revenge-for-a-fallen-comrade plotline PLENTY of times before), then War could very well be that flick.