As a child, I was excited to see Aaliyah and Jet Li in a movie together. Who knew what the hell the plot was all about as long as I got to see shots being fired and bodies flying all over the place. The two looked good next to each other and obviously it is a twist on the Shakespearan story Romeo and Juliet.
Who knew that the whole issue is behind the violence was about business deeds that could be supplied for possible NFL franchise and build a stadium where all these Black and Asian companies are standing. The two men that are working together despite running conflicting gangs, are Isaak O’Day and Ch’u Sing. Both have two set of children, both lose a son due to the race for deeds, and both sell out their own just for this particular deal. Aren't they lucky that Sing's son falls for O'Day's daughter?
Not one of them want anything to do with their daddys' work but are cought up in it when their siblings are killed off. To think, all of this is for the sake of money and the NFL. Now, don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with being ambitious. I like ambition. But there is something seedy about forcing honest working business owners to giving up their deeds just to get to the top. Just to get a few million or own a team in a franchise. Whatever happened to caring for the community?
Of course, there is some betrayal within the movie. O'Day's right hand man, Mac, made a deal with Sing to do whatever it takes to get the deeds without the O'Day knowing how he acquired them. Sing put the hit on his own son just because he didn't listen and wasn't good for business. At the end, they didn't make it.
I'll give it up to the actors. They did an impeccable job of getting me invested in the characters and action without realizing what in the world the whole issue is about. I want to say it was one of the first Jet Li's movies that I had ever seen and I liked his character very much. Aaliyah looked stunning in her first film. The rest of the cast kept the bass up and the action going hard.
If you don't believe me about the whole conflict, watch the movie with closed captions. Don't pay attention to the guns and flying bodies but actually listen during the little meetings that are held. Topic is around deeds and the NFL. Apparently, mixing business and family will get you killed. Becoming an NFL partner is dangerous work. At least, Romeo gets his girl and they don't die in this one.
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