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War (a.k.a. Rogue Assassin) is a standard-issue action movie, featuring guns, violence, explosions, car chases and other cool stuff that makes or breaks an actioner based on style and execution. Alas, the execution and style of War is below-par and unremarkable, hence the end result is a forgettable shoot-'em-up not worthy of repeat viewings. There's one prime reason the film is as disappointing as it is: it's a wasted opportunity. War is billed as a battle royale between Jet Li and Jason Statham which could have been awesome, but the filmmakers opted for endless build-up that does not pay off. Rather than allowing the two stars to constantly punch each other in the head, Gregory Bradley's screenplay is too concerned with a generic police procedural plotline, while director Philip G. Atwell was clearly more concerned with filming predominantly indecipherable action set-pieces.
The plot, such as it is, involves FBI agent Jack Crawford (Statham) who is determined to exact revenge on elusive assassin Rogue (Li). Years prior, Rogue killed Jack's partner as well as the family of said partner, and Jack is therefore looking to avenge these deaths. Fortunately for Jack, Rogue resurfaces on the local radar with his own score to settle - he's acting as an assassin for the two rival crime syndicates, and aims to set off a bloody war between them. And that's just about it, folks.
Essentially, War is just another action film with a plot that was likely scribbled on a napkin, and a bunch of characters that are as cardboard as a shoebox. For several lengthy stretches, the film adopts a type of cop-show procedural tone as it endeavours to show the ins and outs of shady betrayals while the hero closes in on the vast network of villains. This is the type of thing Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral) excels at, but nobody of Mann's calibre participated in the making of this movie. While an interesting surprise revelation arrives towards the film's end, the rest of War is as formulaic as they come, with plot contrivances borrowed from other, better films and recycled action scenes we've seen done better countless times before. Speaking of the twist, the final third of the movie becomes utterly perplexing. This is not the sort of confusion for which you just can't figure it out - it's the type that causes you to question motives and sit there thinking "WTF?!". Frankly, it doesn't all add up.
As far as the meat of the movie is concerned, some action sequences work better than others. The set-pieces involving hand-to-hand combat and sword fighting are expertly choreographed and technically sound, and may elevate one's heart rate. On the other hand, a lot of the other action sequences are marred by director Atwell's proclivity for flash cuts that will induce epilepsy and bewilderment. It's a common complaint these days, but it's almost impossible to tell who shot who and which idiot just fell down an elevator shaft. Plus - and this is a biggie - there are times when it's impossible to figure out the ins and outs of a location (the prime offender being the opening shootout). Without an establishing shot and with only close-ups choppily editing together, the result is catastrophic. The routine car chases are pretty humdrum as well. Clearly, no-one involved in War possessed any drive or energy. It feels like a paycheck effort.
Speaking of this being a paycheck effort, the actors clearly phoned this one in too. Jason Statham's charisma is utterly wasted in this one-note role, which called for him to growl and engage in action scenes but not much else. On the other hand, Jet Li's performance is pretty good, but only because he was required to kill without emotion or compunction. It's worth noting this is Li's second film with Jason Statham, as Statham also featured in Li's The One back in 2001 (it's also not their last film together - both feature in 2010's The Expendables). Unfortunately, once Li and Statham's characters eventually engage in a fight towards the end of War, the fight is over before it gets started. The filmmakers forced you to sit through the increasingly humdrum plot to get to the fight, and you'd hope for a satisfying pay-off, but it's far too insignificant. It's basically 30 seconds of half-hearted punches. There's nothing here but a wasted opportunity.
War's purpose was to give action fans a fix, and, to the credit of the filmmakers, the style is the right one - an old-fashioned action movie with a hard edge and plenty of blood. It embraces being a guy movie, yet it still sucks on these terms. Had the filmmakers amped up the pace, jettisoned the generic plot, and just delivered a bunch of mindless high-octane lunacy... War would have been perfectly satisfying. As it is, the film is 90 excruciating minutes of tension-free dullness, with only enough action to fill a half-decent trailer. War could only suffice as entertainment in low-expectation venues - on cable television on a boring, lazy, rainy afternoon, or as the second half of a drive-in bill.
4.3/10
