DVD Review: War

After his partner is brutally murdered by the infamous assassin Rogue (Jet Li) FBI agent Jack Crawford (Jason Statham) vows to find the elusive killer and personally avenge his partner’s death. But Crawford’s thirst for vengeance jeopardizes his professional judgment and as the violence escalates he finds himself in the middle of a conflict between two rival Asian gangs. Now nothing is quite what it seems and he must be prepared for WAR!

Review:
At first I expected the usual Bruce Lee type special effect lathered punch and slap, leap and bound type of Kung-Fu film, however, War (2007) was a pleasant surprise. This is a real thriller with a plot that becomes a bit hard to follow, and digest the believability factor, yet the story line holds in the fast pace exciting action. A few scenes I felt were overly aggressive causing confusion of who was after whom, especially with the introduction of different cultural clashes and feuds between the Tong, but the fight scenes were well choreographed and the car chase was one of the best I have seen since Steve McQueen’s Bullet.

Jet Li (Cradle 2 the Grave, The Forbidden Kingdom) plays the rogue assassin under hot pursuit by Jason Statham (Transporter, Lock, Stock and two Smoking Barrels) as the FBI agent intent on revenging his partner’s death. Both provide solid acting to their respective roles. Director Philip G. Atwell has woven this story into an action packed film with a matching sound track enhancing the drama steep with violence, adult language and nudity. Rated R, this 103 minute film is well worth waiting for the several unexpected twist.

Review by Henry P. Gravelle

Grade: B
Official site: http://www.lionsgate.com/war/
Buy on Amazon: War