Reviews
DVD
Romeo Must Die
Directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, starring Jet Li, Aaliyah
As tenuous as the link is, this is supposedly based on the tragic play that inspired Leonardo DiCaprio to climb up a stone wall in pursuit of Clare Danes. It's a Jet Li martial arts spectacle in which the Capulets and Montagues have been replaced by Chinese and African American families. But literary buffs excited about the prospect of seeing how Shakespeare's tale of star-crossed lovers benefits from flurries of roundhouse kicks are going to be sorely disappointed. Romeo Must Die is actually much ado about nothing.
Li plays Han Sing, a Hong Kong cop who is serving time after taking a rap so his brother and father can go free. However when he learns that his brother has been killed in the US, he wipes the floor with scores of prison guards during a spectacular prison escape. Upon reaching America, he meets the enchanting Trish O'Day (Aaliyah), who helps him investigate his brother's death. Only problem is, Trish is the daughter of a mob boss (Delroy Lindo) who is muscling businesses off the San Francisco waterfront so he can expand his portfolio.
Of course, the gangsters do not approve of Han's cavorting with Trish and even worse, the pair's snooping leads them further into a clash between rival criminal elements. Romeo Must Die is more computer game than movie replete with Matrix-style action sequences and a hip-hop soundtrack. The digital contrivance of the fight scenes means that we don't get to see Jet Li show off his whiz-bang talents while his character's dialogue would make The Bard weep. And as far as the chemistry between the two leads goes, you'll find more sparks rubbing your shoes on the carpet.
Ben Davey
National Lampoon's Vacation
Directed by Harold Ramis, starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo
The perfect comedy set-up - the doomed family holiday - works very well due to the familiarity that much of the audience will have with the material. Think despicable relatives, being lost without a map, a driver too distracted or stubborn to obey road signs, flea bag motels, camp sites riddled with critters and a final destination that fails to live up to expectations.
Chase's Clark Griswold is the most interesting character. He is a goof without being annoying, he's polite without lacking backbone and he is a square who also exhibits all too human flaws. The only time he comes across as a jerk is when he pursues a highway temptress (Christie Brinkley) and even then, his rapport with his wife Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) saves him from appearing downright mean.
The ever-bickering kids (Dana Barron and Anthony Michael Hall) add extra punch to the gags as their growing pains are felt equally by their flustered parents.
The deeper that the Griswolds get into strife during their odyssey to reach an amusement park called Walley World, the more is revealed about each family member. Not many comedies can facilitate character development in fear that such exploration will hamper the humor. It is rare then to find such a seemingly simple satiric fantasy that allows reality to creep in without killing the buoyant mood. This is one of the few great American comedies of the 1980s.
BD
(China Daily 06/13/2007 page20)
