I will watch any movie that has Chow Yun-fat on screen. Shit, I sat through the crappy second Pirates of the Caribbean movie just because he was playing some typecast role of a Chinese naval pirate. Also his ship looked like a dragon, which was bad ass in my opinion. But for me Chow Yun will always be the premier action star. Sure that is a tall opinion that I am putting out there, but if you are an action fan, you will remember that this man, along with John Woo, pretty much defined the bullet ballets of late 80s and early 90s. From acrobatic gun battles and making the act of weilding duel guns a staple of action cinema, Chow Yun is the man and you won’t find any actions films that are better than what we did for Hong Kong cinema. While his roles in Hong Kong cinema are well documented, he did take his first turn in an American film directed by a new, young director Antoine Fuqua, one that is underappreciated in my opinon. That film is The Replacement Killers.
John Lee (Chow Yun-fat) is a hitman hired by a Chinese Triad boss named Wei (Kenneth Tsang) to kill the 7-year old son of an L.A. cop, Stan Zedkov (Michael Rooker), who killed Wei’s son during a shootout. He finds his conscience will not allow him to do it, and the Triad boss Wei responds by threatening Lee’s family back in China as well as hiring other hitmen to finish the job of killing the child. Desperate to return and protect his family, Lee turns to forger Meg Coburn (Mira Sorvino) to provide him with a new passport, but Wei’s men track them down and shoot up her office before she can complete the papers. Now Coburn and Lee must outrun both the new hitmen and the police while finding a way to save Lee’s family as well as the officer’s. (source)
The Replacement Killers is a pretty strong entry into the action genre, but I think when it came out, it was just lumped together with a lot of other films that came out at the same time and got lost amongst the gunfire of all the action films. It is a bit sad really since Chow Yun is well known amongst the die hard action fans and they will appreciate the efforts of this film. The movie brings together a rather diverse cast of actors into the mix Danny Trejo (Machete) and Til Schweiger (Inglourious Basterds) as backup hitmen, Clifton Collins, Jr. (Traffic) as Loco, the local gangbanger leader. Mira Sorvino turns in a convincing action heroine role with the sort of believable kick ass quality that is lacking from the current crop of rail thin action women who supposedly can kick ass. Hell, even Michael Rooker plays a hardass undercover cop and does it well. It’s the sort of action film that is familiar in terms of story and structure, but has even enough action and style to make it standout.
Chow Yun is the man in this movie. Moving through shootouts with a fluid, ballet like style that adds a bit more stylish finishing to shooting bad guys. Duel wielding pistols, quick reflexes, and a stoic demeanor that makes his killing a bit more meanigful in a way, John Lee is the perfect 90s action star. Sure he is a hitman and kills people for the Triads, but I mean he didn’t kill that little kid and fought back against the Triads. That has to count for something. The characterizations are a bit thin, but the action is amazing. From the carwash shootout to the arcade showdown between the rival hitmen groups, the film builds to a climax of the traditional alley way gun battle. Over the top in the action department, but it seems that John Lee never breaks a sweat when dispatching countless thugs, the sort of thing that makes him the perfect action star.
Overall the film is filled with a lot of stunning gun fights, but also filled with a certain style that makes it standout from the rest of the 90s action films. A sweet soundtrack scored by The Crystal Method and seeing a young Antoine Fuqua getting his first directing gig with an iconic action star like Chow Yun has all the hallmarks of a great film. For me, it is one of my favorite action films, with just the right amount of action and a great cast. Rooker, Chow Yun, Collins Jr, Sorvino and Trejo all did a great job in a first time film for Fuqua. All in all, a sadly overlooked action film and the first offical American film from Chow Yun-fat.
