Opening Day: 13 September 2007

Synopsis:

A full-throttle, martial arts thriller, ROGUE ASSASSIN stars Jet Li (FEARLESS, UNLEASHED, THE ONE) and Jason Statham (CRANK, THE ITALIAN JOB) as two adversaries set on a violent collision course in the Asian mob underground. Produced by Steven Chasman, Jim Thompson and Christopher Petzel, ROGUE ASSASSIN is directed by Philip G. Atwell from a script by Lee Anthony Smith and Gregory J. Bradley.

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 Rogue proves untraceable until three years later when he resurfaces to ignite a bloody turf war between Chinese mob leader Chang (John Lone) and Japanese Yakuza boss Shiro (Ryo Ishibashi). Eager to capture Rogue once and for all, Crawford leads his team of crime specialists headlong into the conflict and he finally comes face to face with his enemy to discover that nothing about Rogue or his plan is quite what it seems.

Movie Review:

In “Rogue Assassin”, Jet Li finally manages to be the epicentre of his own star vehicle. In past collaborations with the West, Li found himself overshadowed by his co-stars, while fastidiously enacting his world-renowned martial art talent for a genre that epitomises the most masculine of guilty pleasures. He delivers a performance here that projects calm competence and strength in every scene as the colder than ice mercenary, Rogue.

Making his rediscovered presence more remarkable is that he’s paired with his co-star from 2001’s “The One”, Jason Statham who shows once again how irrepressibly charismatic he can be. Once again, Statham does not bother with the pretense of an American accent and you just have to admire an action star that knows his limits.

Like a hyperactive plot developed between two teenagers out of a basement on a lazy Sunday afternoon, “Rogue Assassin” pits together the lifestyles and knifestyles of lawmen and lawless men, in particular Li’s mysterious Rogue and the vengeful G-man, Jack Crawford (Statham). Putting its already macho machinations into overdrive, this personal confrontation between the two men also happens to be waged between burgeoning turf wars between Triads and the Yakuza, which are slowly being orchestrated by Rogue himself. Bland ethnic stereotypes, conflations of cultures and hyped exotica of women finds itself making its way into a film that both routinely romanticises the people as well as offends them.

Then there’s the misplaced sense of precedence undertaken in this film that doesn’t belong in this single-mindedly violent genre. The muscular showdowns and pure rush of stylistic brutality are noticeably toned down and do not provide the flourishes that the genre fans expect. The elegant swordplay is nicely choreographed but ends sooner than it should have. The plot is given undue priority over packing in more action, and the slack energy is often felt when the story is more concerned about untwisting its knots than providing the visceral pleasure that it promises.

Neither refreshing nor stale, “Rogue Assassin” does not redefine urban action films but instead reinforces its implicit complacency. Lacking flair and an instinctive flow of fight sequences, it even reduces itself to looking dated compared to its contemporaries. But there’s enough raw machismo left over between Li and Statham to carry over to future endeavours.

Movie Rating:

(Li and Statham are the film’s only selling point, and it never lets us forget it)

Review by Justin Deimen