DVD In exchange for his family's safety in Beijing, a professional killer takes on a job from Mr. Wei, a ruthless underworld figure, to settle a deadly vendetta against a police officer who shot and killed his son. However, he can't go through with the job and goes on the run to return home to his family.
Details
Professional assassin John Lee has always carried out his assignments without question. However, after witnessing the young son of a police officer become the target of a revenge killing ordered by ruthless crime boss Terence Wei, he refuses to complete the hit. Knowing that betrayal carries a heavy price, Lee immediately becomes the hunted rather than the hunter.
With Wei threatening the safety of his family back in China, Lee desperately searches for forged documents that will allow him to escape the country. His only hope lies with skilled document forger Meg Coburn, who reluctantly agrees to help him after becoming caught up in the escalating violence.
As Wei unleashes a succession of increasingly ruthless replacement killers, Lee and Meg find themselves fighting for survival. Outnumbered and constantly on the move, they eventually realise that the only way to end the bloodshed is to confront Wei and his organisation head-on.
Picture & Sound
The anamorphic widescreen transfer is very good, with a sharp, colourful image that captures both the neon-lit city streets and the frenetic action sequences well.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is equally impressive, making excellent use of the surround channels during the many gun battles whilst the pounding techno soundtrack adds plenty of energy. This is very much a film designed to be played with the volume turned up.
Menu & Extras
As one of Columbia's earlier DVD releases, the extras are understandably sparse. Aside from the theatrical trailer and a selection of filmographies there's very little to explore, which is a shame given the behind-the-scenes talent involved. Nevertheless, the excellent presentation of the feature itself goes some way towards compensating for the lack of bonus material.
Overall
With the huge popularity of Hong Kong action cinema throughout the 1990s, it was inevitable that Hollywood would come calling for Chow Yun-fat. Whilst The Replacement Killers may not quite reach the heights of his collaborations with John Woo, it successfully captures much of the same stylish, balletic gunplay that made films such as Hard Boiled so memorable. Indeed, with John Woo serving as executive producer, his influence can be felt throughout.
Chow Yun-fat brings his trademark cool charisma to John Lee, making him an instantly likeable action hero, whilst Mira Sorvino provides more than enough substance to avoid becoming a stereotypical sidekick. Michael Rooker also relishes his role as the relentless Stan Zedkov, adding another memorable villain to his résumé.
The film never pretends to be anything more than a fast-paced action thriller, but that's precisely its strength. Slickly directed, packed with inventive shoot-outs and propelled by a relentless pace, it's an enormously entertaining 84 minutes. It may not have received the attention of some of its contemporaries, but it's a hugely enjoyable slice of late-90s action cinema that's well worth rediscovering.
Special features
- Theatrical Trailer
- Filmographies
