Romeo Must Die (UMD Video) (Limited Edition) (Japan Version) UMD, DVD Region 2, PSP

Jet Li's trans-pacific leap into Hollywood, both feet flailing, is given a hip hop soundtrack, an R&B co-star (Aaliyah), and set in an Oakland, CA gangsta milieu. African-American/Asian tensions are literalized in a bruising battle to control the Oakland waterfront between the Sings and the O'Days. No "Ebony and Ivory" sentiment here: these guys want to punch each others' tickets. Unite to fight the man? When you've got muscle like Russell Wong, you can fight each other, and the man can wait until you're done.

When Mr. Sing's son is found hanging around a residential neighborhood by his neck, Sing is grief-stricken and Isaak O'Day (Delroy Lindo) turns a whiter shade of pale as he sees his efforts to go straight get washed down the drain by gallons of gang war blood. Hasty negotiations are scheduled but, back in a Hong Kong prison, Han Sing (Jet Li) hears his brother's dead and casually strolls out of jail to go to the funeral, leaving broken riot cops in his wake. In Oakland, he and Aaliyah (playing Trish O'Day) split the Al Pacino role from The Godfather (the good kid who wants no part of the family business) down the middle and fall for one another in a chaste, flirty romance that involves less passionate lip-locks and more coy eye contact.

Most stars knock politely on Hollywood's door, hat in hand, asking for admittance. Jet comes in the window on a devil-may-care martial arts bender. His natural arrogance blazes bright as he demonstrates how little he cares for Hollywood or its conventions, puckishly mocking black and Asian stereotypes and defying gravity. He's radiates charm, and when he goes to hang in DMX's club, mimicking gangbanger manners, you just want to hug him. Don't. He'll shatter your blood. Overchoreographed by Corey Yuen, this movie features a fistful of dustups that show Li off to his cockiest advantage. Set to a hip hop soundtrack with sound effects so thick every blow sounds like a sonic boom, the action bypasses your brain ("Hey! He can't do that!") and rubs your nerve endings up and down ("Ah. That feels good!").

by Grady Hendrix