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Review: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son
Reviews
War
The dumber the better
By
TOM MEEK
| August 29, 2007
WAR: Jason Statham and Jet Li adapt to a ridiculous plot.
Jason Statham (
The Transporter
) and Jet Li (
The One
,
Hero
) can adapt to any number of ridiculous plots, the dumber the better. Here they find themselves at home in the middle of a blood feud between the yakuza and a Chinese triad that’s set not somewhere in Asia but in San Francisco, and under the jurisdiction of the FBI. Li’s Rogue, an amoral assassin and inside man, works both sides of the street; Statham’s Agent Crawford doggedly pursues him to avenge the murder of his partner. The body count mounts over a matter of two gold horses, the significance of which is never explained (nor need it be). Despite the stilted dialogue, the porn-star-quality acting, and the incoherent stitching together of action sequences (more an editing-room disaster than director Philip G. Atwell’s fault), War does stir some interest — only to betray it with a groaner of an ending.
Related
:
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,
The Bank Job
,
Earning his wings
,
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In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
In this chintzy exercise in mediæval conquest, taciturn martial-arts impresario Jason Statham takes on a maniacal Ray Liotta.
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He's both smart enough to sense he’s being played by people far more powerful than he is and dumb enough not to walk away. Kind of like us moviegoers.
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Crossword: 'On the same page'
This is the puzzle to turn to
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Forget whatever you know about Guy Ritchie films.
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The new Transporter spills out in a jumble of frenetic action vignettes.
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Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro, stars of Zhang Yimou’s superlative House of Flying Daggers , reunite, joined by Jet Li (from Zhang’s Hero ), in Peter Chan’s handsomely mounted historical epic.
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[
02/16
]
Third Annual Providence Children's Film Festival
@ Cable Car Cinema
[
02/16
]
"Dana Levin: A Classical Realist In the 21st Century," an exhibit of paintings
@ Bert Gallery
[
02/16
]
Mary Poppins
@ Providence Performing Arts Center
ARTICLES BY TOM MEEK
REVIEW: UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING
| January 24, 2012
The Underworld series got long in the tooth early, but here, in the fourth installment (directed by Swede Måns Mårlind), it grows new fangs.
REVIEW: JOYFUL NOISE
| January 10, 2012
There's not much joy but there's plenty of noise of the rafter-rocking gospel singing variety in Tony Graff's musical dramedy.
REVIEW: IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY
| January 05, 2012
Jolie has loosely reworked the story of Romeo and Juliet in an infamous setting familiar from CNN but here seen from the inside.
REVIEW: ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED
| December 13, 2011
For 50 years, Alvin and the Chipmunks have been driving parents nuts with their helium-infused banter and shrill bastardizations of pop music.
REVIEW: TRESPASS
| October 13, 2011
If Rod Lurie's errant remake of Straw Dogs didn't tickle your morbid fear of home invasion, then perhaps the latest from Joel Schumacher ( Falling Down ) might do the job.
See all articles by:
TOM MEEK
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