This is a criminal and nail-biting drama of merciless killers with full of intrigue , unstopped action, tense , suspeseful , and lots of violence . John Lee (Chow Yun Fat) is the best hired hitman but a relentless vendetta emerges when he refuses to commit a murder because of a morally complicated target . However, the drug lord (Kenneth Tsang) has hired replacements (Til Schweiger, Danny Trejo) to finish the job , and kill the hitman . John then teams up with Meg Coburn to help him getaway these "Replacement Killers¨. Along the way , they're partenered to defend themselves and save a cop (Michael Rooker) and his seven year-old son . Both of whom will fight at whatever cost and they'll stop at nothing to get it , facing off Chinese bands and Triads chasing them , along with The Replacement Killers. Later on, things get awry more and more . Both , John Lee and Meg Coburn are drawn into a cobweb of violence , treason and deception. Kill or be replaced. When people need to disappear, they come to see Meg. When they're about to go, they never see John coming. Conscience has no place in the heart of an assassin. No law. No rules. No justice.

Slick and passable crime thriller in which two divergent characters , a Chinese hitman and a young Caucasian take on a war against hoodlums , rival bands and other underworld factions .Attractive action movie with thrills , action-packed , violence , betrayal and bloodletting shoot'em up . The movie has a John Woo style , there are amount of shoot-outs , frenetic action and running men while they are shooting . Chow Yun-Fat finally receives a Hollywood stardom that already had before internationally in Asia . Nevertheless , the action segments suffer in comparison to his work in John Woo films . While Mira Sorvino is fine as the tough forger and she showcases the talents that previously showed in other movies as Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite , Academy Award included. The thrilling script and interpretation are top-drawer , and there's crossfire enough to satisfy the average appetite for destruction. A good starring duo , Chow Yun-Fat as a troubled hitman who seeks aid from a forger to get papers and Mira Sorvino as the resourceful forger , both of them giving acceptable performances , being well accompanied by an appropriate support cast , such as Michael Rooker , Kenneth Tsang , Clifton Collins Jr , Carlos Gómez, Frank Medrano, Patrick Kilpatrick , Randall Duk Kim and Danny Trejo , Til Schweiger as the ring of hitmen and special appearance by the veteran German actor Jürgen Prochnow.

It contains an adequate and colorful cinematography by Peter Collister . As well as moving and thrilling score by Harry Gregson-Williams , composed by means of synthesizer and lots of oriental sounds . The motion picture was professionally directed by Antoine Fuqua , providing from his standout cast some decent interpretations . Fuqua originally did not want to do John Woo's trademark "Mexican Standoff" in this film , but producers begged him to include these kinds of rip-roaring scenes . This fine craftsman, director Antoine Fuqua , frequently deals with familiar conflicts set in N. Y , keeps the film slick and stokes up the race some , but this only accelerates the flick's deafening rush toward the top and ever over. Fuqua handles the explosive and the psychological undercurrents with equal assurance . Antoine Fuqua has made a lot of succesful movies , such as : The Magnificent Seven , Olympus Has Fallen, The Equalizer , Equalizer 2 , Southpaw , King Arthur , Training Day , Shooter , Tears of the Sun , Bait , among others. Rating : 6/10 . The yarn will appeal to Chow Yun Fat and Mira Sorvino fans.

When the son of Triad leader Terence Wei is killed by Detective Stan Zedkov he is determined to get revenge so sends his best hit-man, John Lee, to kill Zedkov's young son. John has the boy in his sights but can't pull the trigger. He is now in trouble; having failed Wei he wants to get back to China so he can protect his family from Wei's inevitable revenge. To do that he needs fake documents so goes to see forger Meg Coburn. Wei's men aren't far behind and the two of them end up on the run together. As they run Wei brings in even more killers.

This might not be as thrilling as some of the films Chow Yun-Fat made in Hong Kong with director John Woo but it is still pretty good. Chow Yun-Fat is the epitome of cool managing to make his character sympathetic even though it is clear he is a hired killer; the fact that English isn't his first language isn't a problem. Mira Sorvino does a fine job as Meg Coburn; she might not look like an action star but she pulls it off impressively. The action is exciting with lots of shootouts; it is filmed stylishly without appearing too over-the-top… at least within the context of an action move. The story is pretty simple; which to my mind was a good thing; who wants to waste time on a complicated plot that needs lots of exposition when the film is all about the next shootout! Director Antoine Fuqua does a fine job creating what feels like a Hong Kong action film in Hollywood. Overall I wouldn't say this is a must see but if you want action it is worth checking out… and if you enjoy this check out some of Chow Yun-Fat's other films such as 'The Killer' or 'Hard Boiled'.

Fairly typical action movie stuff in the style of executive producer John Woo, marked only by being the English-speaking debut of Chinese star Chow Yun-Fat. The plot is as light and fluffy as you might expect, barely stringing together a sequence of high-testosterone action sequences which invariably impress on a technical level. Personally I prefer action movies which throw in props and a variation of hand-to-hand combat and shootings, whereas here it's shooting all the way and with a variety of weapons. Once again the skilled photography brings out the gracefulness in Chow Yun-Fat and he plays another likable and powerful, yet openly human, character. It's only in films like these that the sight of someone jumping through a window becomes an art form.

What this film has mainly in its favour - and where it succeeds over a lot of others (trust me, there are a LOT of films being made like this today) is the excellent and interesting supporting cast for a change. As well as the inimitable coolness of Yun-Fat, Mira Sorvino makes her feisty yet beautiful female sidekick a force to be reckoned with, shooting with the best of them when the time calls for it. Straight-to-video star Michael Rooker is the "good" cop, complete with his weirdly high-pitched voice; screen veteran Kenneth Tsang plays the slimy villain. Also appearing is Jurgen Prochnow (once a promising German star, now appearing in the likes of DNA) as a menacing heavy and the double pairing of veteran villain Patrick Kilpatrick and one of my favourite of recent villains, Danny Trejo, as a pair of super-cool hit men.

While the script, story and emoting may seem a little predictable at times, this film's power lies in the non-stop action which doesn't disappoint. Unfortunately I was distracted whilst watching this film but I think I would have enjoyed it even more with my full attention. Highlights include a shoot-out at a car factory and in a cinema, and the all-action finale in which Yun-Fat and Sorvino storm the enemy stronghold and kick backside. Predictable but a good time-waster to be sure.