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Romeo Must Die, 2000, 115 minutes, Rated R
By JLM
I wanted to like this movie. As I sat in the theater waiting for the movie to
begin, I remembered the days of my youth watching Kung Fu theater and acting out, in
earnest, the smooth moves of Bruce Lee. From the title and its cast, Romeo Must Die had
not only the promise of a martial arts action movie, but an interracial romance
between---dare we say it? --- an African-American woman and an Asian man.
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Warner Bros.
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But, alas, this was not the story of a
love that triumphs over all. Romeo, Han Sing (Jet Li) and Juliet, Trish O'Day (Aalyiah)
are from warring families-- the Sings and the O'Days. The families are rounded out with a
strong supporting cast including Del Roy Lindo, Isiah Washington, and Russell Wong.
Unfortunately, the movie is peppered with racial stereotypes of the two families and does
not adequately reflect reality.
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The movie opens with the families striking a tentative
alliance in order to claim "their America." An African-American-Asian
partnership is formed to help Roth, a white business owner, gain control of waterfront
property. Asians and African-Americans working together, instead of against one another -
it's the promise of an alliance and a strengthened unity. Yet, like many of the promises
of this movie, it is a promise that is unfulfilled.
Against the backdrop of the Bay area
waterfront, our two would-be lovers meet. The audience is quickly taken by the budding
affections of Trish and Han. Their romance, however, is marked by the unraveling of the
uneasy alliance and the violence that erupts. With the renewed hostility, the audience is
dazzled by both the camera angles and special effects that surround the martial arts and
action sequences.
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Warner Bros.
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But, despite the high-energy scenes, Romeo Must Die never fulfills the promise in its
title of a romance that conquers all. Maybe I wanted too much - not only a great action
movie, but also a great love story. The movie delivers a hint of both.
M
May 2000
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