Rogue - L'ultime affrontement

Reasons to see WAR

WAR kicks ass, and you should see it a lot of times, for these reasons:

• Jason Statham yelling at people, and then kicking ass. In other words, being himself.

• Jet Li killing a guy by kicking him in the face....and that's not his best kill.

• Random girls getting nude for no reason.

• Ninjas. Just when you think this movie couldn't rock any harder, they put Ninjas in the movie.

• A twist ending that would make M. Night Shawhocares *beep* himself.

• A car chase every 10 minutes. There's even one with motorcycles.

• Violence. Lots of it. Guns, blades, blood, kungfu, decapitations, the bases are covered.

-Jet Li and Jason Statham fighting each other. It's as epic as you might think.

So, in conclusion, if you, 1. Like things that are awesome. 2. Have a pair of testicles. 3. Need to see a movie that rocks for a change. 4. Are a human being.

...than WAR is for you.

Nail-biting and violent thriller set in San Francisco, being well starred by the tough , two-fisted Jason Statham to track down a serial killer played by Jet Li who has been targeting Oriental mobsters by murdering them in cold blood . After his partner Tom Lone and family are killed apparently by the infamous and elusive assassin Rogue , FBI agent John Crawford (Jason Statham) becomes obsessed with revenge as his world unravels into a vortex of treason and guilt. As the FBI Agent seeks vengeance who murdered his partner , looking for a mysterious and lethal series killer . Crawford and his colleagues , Goi (Sung Kang) and Wick (Mathew St. Patrick), carry out a relentless manhunt going after the bloody murderer . Then Rogue eventually resurfaces to settle a score of his own, setting off a bloody crime war between Asian mob rivals Chang (John Lone) of the Triad's and Yakuza boss Shiro (Ryo Ishibashi) and his daughter Kira (Devon Aoki) . When Jack and Rogue eventually come face to face, it's a deadly and lethal confrontation and the ultimate truth of their pasts will be revealed. One wants justice, the other wants revenge ! . Vengeance is the ultimate weapon !.

Intriguing and decent thriller movie with noisy action, grisly killings , suspense , chills , car pursuits , crossfire , lots of violence and a surprising final twist . Jason Statham is nice in his usual style as the agent who is dispatched to take down a series murderer. Here Statham is top-notch as Agent Crawford , he plays following his ordinary manners as a tough and two-fisted guy , interpretations that have given him a considerable success, thanks to films as " Revolver" , "Crank" I and its sequel "Crank II" , "Transporter" saga, "The Expendables", "Killer Elite", "Safe" , "Homefront", "Wild Card", "The Mechanic" I and II, "Fast and Furious" 7 and 8, "Megalodon", among others . Along with martial expert Jet Li who previously played a lot of of successful action heroes in films as "Romeo must die" , "Cradle 2" , "Hero" , "The one " , "Kiss of dragon" , and "Danny the Dog" . Big Duo Stars Jason Statham and Jet Li are well accompanied by a good support cast, with full of familiar American/Japanese/Chinese faces such as : John Lone , Devon Aoki , Luis Guzmán , Saul Rubinek, Ryo Ishibashi, Sung Kang , Mathew St. Patrick , Nadine Velazquez , Andrea Roth , Mark Cheng and Kane Kosugi , Shane Kosugi's son , among others.

It contains a brilliant and colorful cinematography by cameraman Pierre Morel , completely shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and San Francisco, California, , as well as thrilling musical score by Brian Tyler . The motion picture was competent and professionally directed by an usual videoclip filmmaker called Philip G. Atwell, at his film debut , delivering action and tension enough . This filmmaker is a fine craftsman who has directed a large number of videoclips and episodes of TV series as The Shield . Rating : 6/10. The picture will appeal to action/thriller enthusiasts . Essential and fundamental seeing for Jason Statham and Jet Li fans.

Jason Statham is the new electrifying action star. Statham is an amazing athlete and accomplished martial artist. However, Jet Li is still the screen's most explosive martial arts star. Be reassured that Li has not yet retired from doing action movies. Old school Li looks lean, calm, and stylish in his black Armani suits, and proves deadly with and without guns. Li is such a dichotomy. On the surface he is clean cut and mild mannered; but can unleash violence with such power and grace at any moment. Director Philip Atwell's "War" takes a while to get its bearing, but once he does so he orchestrates an amazing action movie of blood and vengeance. He along with writers Lee Anthony Smith and Gregory J. Bradley culminates with anticipated payoff: Statham and Li facing off. They also insert a shocking twist, which makes more sense in retrospect. The martial arts as choreographed by Corey Yuen ("Transporter" movies) are exquisite, and acknowledge for its variety. The Japanese katana training between Shiro (Ryo Ishibashi) and Kane Kosugi is classic. The kung fu sequences with Jet Li are crisp and deadly. Jason Statham uses speed and power in dispatching Chinese Triad assassins. There is an amazing sword fight scene with the Wu-shu style against the classical Japanese style. Through Atwell's lens, one has to admire the mastery and physical prowess. "War" is surprising.

Jason Statham plays FBI Agent Jack Crawford, who leads a task force against both the Chinese Triad led by Chang (cool John Lone) and the Yakuza led by Shiro (bold Ryo Ishibashi). Crawford's partner Tom Lone (Terry Chen) and his family are brutally murdered by the assassin known as Rogue. Crawford's life turns a shambles—his wife Jenny (Andrea Roth) and his son leave him during a divorce. Three years later Crawford investigates a horrific hit at a Yakuza club in San Francisco. A signature discovered at the crime scene leads Crawford to believe that Rogue (Li) is back. Consequently, Crawford (Statham) becomes consumed by vengeance. Jet Li plays Victor Shaw a deadly hit man playing both the Yakuza and Triads. Shaw apparently is the mysterious Rogue. However, as played by Li, Shaw though a stone cold killer without equal operates by a code of honor. He too seems on a mission of vengeance. Shaw is in the middle of an all out war between the Yakuza and the Triads. Nothing good can come of that. There is an interesting subplot involving priceless stolen Chinese artifacts, and the command of Yakuza operations in the States by Shiro's daughter Kira (deadly Devon Aoki). The appeal of "War" remains its singular focus: everything culminates in Crawford's mission of vengeance to kill Rogue. Writers Smith and Bradley effectively build the tension toward the finale, and final plot twist.

Atwell inspires strong performances from Jason Statham and Jet Li. Statham has a gruff charisma as Crawford. Also he demonstrates unexpected range in the character's complexity. Statham has a powerful physical presence and grace. Li is very good as Rogue. He plays to his strength which is expressing his anger and angst through his eyes and concise exchanges. He maintains a placid visage that disguises his sheer will and power. As Rogue it becomes crystal clear that one does not mess with him, less forfeit one's life. Even with some awkward dialog exchanges, Li is compelling and powerful. John Lone has a measured darkness as Chang, always under control. He is good. Ryo Ishibashi is great as the larger than life Shiro, providing is a captivating and powerful rival for both Li and Statham.

"War" is a solid action movie with great performances from Jason Statham and Jet Li. Statham and Li are at the top of their games. The action is very cool. The martial arts fights are among the best out there. Atwell's storytelling is engaging and intense, and delivers on all the hype.

When his partner and partner's family are murdered in a revenge attack, FBI Agent Jack Crawford devotes his career to tracking down the near-mythical Yakuza assassin Rogue. Three years later his unit is starting to get close when Rogue because killing again in the San Francisco area. However his pursuit puts him right in the middle of a bloody gang war between the Yakuza and the Triads as the conflict between the two seems to be suddenly and violently escalating.

I ignored War at the cinema because of the negative reviews but when it came on television recently I checked it out – a process which mainly confirmed by decision not to bother with it when I would have had to pay. It is not that War is a bad film (it is not) just that it is quite lacklustre in far too many regards. The story. The plotting has been described by others here as intelligent and complex but I have to disagree. I think it had potential but it is not drawn out as sharp as it needed to be for this and when it needs to be at its strongest (the conclusion) it really fails to execute and just fizzles out. However apart from the reviewer from The Observer, few will have come to this film looking for plot but instead top of the list will have been the desire for action – specifically a faceoff between Li and Statham. Unfortunately this is also only so-so across the whole film. There is action that is noisy but there are no "killer" scenes and I was surprised by how uninvolved and unmoved I was by all of it.

Statham does help the film by having a great, tough charisma. It is a shame that he has yet to have a really strong action film but it is noticeable that he is a constant "good thing" even when other areas are lacking. Conversely Li has gone overboard on his "cool detached killer" character and at times appears to be either asleep or thinking about how long it would take him to spend all the money he has. I did not expect De Niro/Pacino type interactions here but I did think these two would be used off one another better but they were not – their shared scenes did not stick in the memory one bit. The support is OK but unmemorable but it was nice to see Guzman, Kang, Velazquez (My Name is Earl) and Patrick (Six Feet Under). The direction and packing of the film is never more than genre-standard, with pumping music, quick edits and so on.

War is not a bad film, but it is a disappointing one. I ignored the hype so it is not a case of me believing that, but it is a case of me not being happy with a "so-so" film when a good one would not have been so hard to achieve. As it is most of the film is quite lacklustre and, while distracting, there are better films by both lead actors out there to see.

War pits Jason Statham and Jet Li against each other. Both are known for their insane action and martial arts sequences, but for all that talent we never really see one good hand to hand fight between the two. It's your basic revenge story, Jet Li kills Statham's partner and Statham wants to crush his nuts. You know, your basic action movie. Don't expect War to win any awards. Unless there's some sort of awards show with all action movies in it nowadays. If you go into this movie expecting the next Shakespearean masterpiece, you're in deep deep trouble. It's a little more paced than some people make it out to be. There are huge breaks in the action that take time to tell the story and a little character development. Note that they are not small breaks but huge ones. Action comes in doses, but when it does it hits you like a train to the jaw.

There is a slight twist in the movie that helps to accentuate that it's trying to be different from other movies in this genre but it doesn't quite succeed. The "twist" ends up coming off as another of a hundred ways this is just like every other action movie ever made. In the same way most action movies treat themselves (and they should) lightly and with as little detail to realism as possible, so too does War. It knows that it's an action movie, and never expects you to think any thing more about it than that. In this same genre I would recommend Shoot 'Em Up over this, if you have already seen that this might feel a little tame in comparison. In that same way though, this movie has a different flavor and succeeds in its own way. Worth watching, but there are much better picks in this genre.