The Replacement Killers / Jet Li Contract Killer

Usually, the title of a work is the subject--but not always. "The Replacement Killers" is not a film about replacement killers, but about moral ambiguity, gray area. John Lee (Chow Yun-Fat) is drawn into a moral morass by a Chinese Mafia hold over his family. He must become an assassin to prevent his mother and sister from being killed.John Lee is brought to the West Coast to kill people, enemies of Mr. Wei, a very powerful drug lord based in the United States with tendrils wrapping in China as well. John's father was an honorable military man before the Cultural Revolution and friend of Mr. Wei. Connections.When John backs down from his third kill for moral reasons, he has committed "treason" against Mr. Wei and must return to China to protect his family. That's where Meg Coburn (Mira Sorvino) comes in. She is one of the best forgers around. He needs a new passport. When they meet, Wei's hired thugs are right behind. Violence breaks out. That's the back story.Meanwhile, two real hit men are hired as John's replacement killers. Another reviewer so amusingly describes these men as hit men who actually look like hit men: black leather jackets, black pants, big and muscular bodies and fierce faces, and weapons cases.Perhaps this will seem strange, but "The Replacement Killers" is an elegant and glamorous film noir. Most of the cinematography is filmed in dark or semi-dark places: her office/apartment area, the car wash, the movie theater, the Buddhist temple, Mr. Wei's business office, alleys and staircases. John's impeccable dress (a suit and tie) and Meg's hip attire speak glamor. Her youthful face, his mid-30's look, hers Caucasian with deep red lipstick and his handsome Asian face make a striking balance for elegance. The background music throughout the film is romantic, laced with Asian mysticism.Every scene with Wei and the head of his henchmen, Jurgen Prochnow, adds to the striking miasma of corrupted moral values. Just ugliness and sordidness.Michael Rooker represents a police department that is actually straight and committed to their actual pledges to pursue evil and protect society. As the third party of participants, the police do not back down from the use of arms. Not at any time do all three parties come together for a significant shoot-out. The police always arrive just as the shooting is over. The last big shoot-out between John and Meg and the Chinese Mafia is a battle which stirs the gray area into moral certitude. It's a great scene.Mira Sorvino is absolutely an essential part of how well this film works. She is no timid woman to be protected. Her part in each scene of violence is crucial. Then gears are whirred and her parting scene with John is dignified yet tender. Amazing.Most other reviewers love this film. I find the film sophisticated, glamorous, and elegant, not because it is violent, but despite the violence, which is not made glamorous or elegant, just present and sometimes necessary. Moral ambivalence.

This movie has a great story and is full of action. The actors are great and the ending is also great! This is a action packed movie and will keep you entertained.

A great action revenge movie

Antoine Fuqua channels his inner John Woo while also adding his own style & flare to the movie. It's not as slickly done HK master himself but the action is tight, acting is pretty good from the cast all around & a simple yet effective plot. Replacement Killers is definitely a late 90s action thriller that fell under the radar and deserves more of a following.

All I got to say is she is hot and oh yeah , great movie 🎬 🎞 🎥 👍👍

A friend of mine fist told me about Chow Yun Fat a couple years before making this movie. I was talking about Jackie Chan and he told me about Chow and Jet Li and how they were coming to America to make a better class of action movie. To see this, Chow's first American movie i was impressed to the bones, He looked cool he looked awesome. there wasn't an adjective you could use that didn't personify Chow Yun FatI was so hooked that i went out and found his Chinese work, and it was awesome too. I don't remember the name of the movie in it's original Chinese, but look for "A Better Tomorrow" if you are interested in seeing a good Chow Yun Fat movie from ChinaThe director's cut of The Replacement Killers only adds in a little more background to the charactors that wasn't there (and really missed) in the theatrical release. If you haven't bought this movie yet, tis is the one to get. you won't be dissapointed.

Lots of action

I am going through a process of upgrading my DVD collection to Blu-Ray but ONLY for those movies I would/will watch again.Replacement killers is one of them, I am a fan of Chow Yun Fat, and there is just no actor who is cooler than him, the opening scene of this movie rates as a classic, as Chow Yun Fat enters the night club, Antoine Fuqua's Music video background is obvious here.That said, the Blu-ray is excellent, the "extended cut" scenes are subtle extensions and add further depth to the scenes, only a big fan would probably even notice the additions from the original.so for me its a definite improvement over the standard DVD, if you already own the standard "DVD extended cut", the improvement is tiny if any a DTS soundtrack option would have been a welcome addition

Couldn't find it anywhere so I looked on Amazon

Wow, this movie just blew me away !!! I am a fan of the John Woo type of action movies and I must say that even he was just one of the executive producers, his mark is all over this movie!!!The result is very good : Nicely paced action sequences, more story and emotions than in your average Hong Kong action movie (But not as much story development as in an American production, but in this genre this just isn't needed that much, it would just slow down the pace), well acted , you kinda start feeling sympathetic for the leads and you'll certainly hate these villains. This is a thrill ride from beginning till the end. And this is where I have my only point of criticism : The movie is way to short !!! 80 minutes and the credits start to roll!!! You'll almost start to beg for more... I'll best describe this movie as a cross between "Face-Off" and "The professional" from director Luc Besson. A must-see for every action movie lover.

is a 1998 American action film directed by Antoine Fuqua in his feature film directorial debut, and starring Chow Yun-fat, Mira Sorvino, Michael Rooker and Kenneth Tsang. The film was released in the United States on February 6, 1998. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Ken Sanzel. Veteran action director John Woo co-produced and choreographed the action sequences. The film is set in modern-day Los Angeles and follows an emotionally disillusioned assassin who is forced to settle a violent vendetta for a ruthless crime boss. The film marks the American acting debut for Chow, as his previous film credits included Hong Kong action cinema only.A excellent action film well worth watching and is the pinnacle of East meets West.

Star, Chow Yun-Fat's first American film and Director, Anton Fuqua's first feature length film and they are both going at with all barrells-blazing. It inspires from John Woo's two-fisted gun battles and has it's own groove and style. It's a fun, thrilling and adrenaline-injected action-packed thriller. Loads of great gun fights and terrific performances from it's cast. Yun-Fat is undeniably one of the true kings of action films.

Mich hat es nach dem Auspacken und erstem Anschauen fast umgehauen: das was diesen Film von Brutalo-Streifen unterscheidet, nämlich das zwingende und logische Hinführen auf ein bestimmtes Ereignis ist der Schere zum Opfer gefallen. Die Realität leidet unheimlich darunter. Jetzt ist (die geschnittene Fassung) wirklich nur noch ein simpler Tötungsfilm, alle leisen Sequenzen (z.B. beim Töten des "Bösewichtes") wurde herausgeschnitten. Wahrscheinlich ist es zu brutal, jemandem beim Töten in die Augen zu sehen. Aber was diese Augen in diesem Moment sagen - ist das nicht gerade das Wichtigste? Und hier sagen sie nichts über eine Mordlüsternheit.