Starring Chow Yun-Fat, Mira Sorvino and Michael Rooker Directed by Antoine Fuqua Rated R, with relentless violence Running time 88 minutes Jack gives this film a rating of 8 out of 10

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(Feb. 6, 1998) -- Chow Yun-Fat, a superstar of Hong Kong cinema, grabs a major foothold in Hollywood with his charismatic English-language debut in The Replacement Killers.

To be honest, Chow doesn't have to say very much: His character is the strong, silent type who does most of his talking with twin pistols a-blazing.

Chow plays Chinese immigrant John Lee, forced to be an assassin for a powerful Los Angeles mobster. The gangster has threatened to harm Lee's family back home if he doesn't comply.

Lee is willing to do two "jobs" for the gangster, because the victims are criminals. He balks, though, when ordered to kill a police officer, especially when he discovers the cop is a family man.

So the gangster is forced to bring in "replacement killers" -- and he adds Lee to his list of targets.

Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino co-stars as a passport forger, who inadvertantly becomes Lee's accomplice when they are both fleeing the hoodlums and the cops.

The script, by Brighton native Ken Sanzel, is an effective, lean device; and first-time director Antoine Fuqua uses it to build his high-energy action sequences, including a wild shootout in a car wash.

Fuqua, an award-winning music video director, is clearly influenced by the violently operatic, highly stylized Hong Kong action films that made Chow a star abroad.

Fuqua didn't have to go far for advice; among his film's producers is John Woo, the greatest of the Hong Kong filmmakers. Woo directed Chow in A Better Tomorrow, The Killer and Hard-Boiled.

Chow is a tall, handsome man, whose laconic style and fluid movement is reminiscent of a young Clint Eastwood. His economy of motion and language inspires the confidence that he can handle any situation.

Sorvino, meanwhile, offers an effective counterpoint, showing plenty of emotion and a typically American irreverent sense of humor. She also handles herself well in the film's frequent action scenes, looking athletic as she leaps through the air, avoids blasts or shoots off rounds.

It remains to be seen if Chow can adapt his screen persona to talkier, more typical American films. Hollywood met the Hong Kong star half way. The result is an explosive, energetic romp.