Bullets do all the talking in 'Replacement Killers'

By Rayya Makarim

JAKARTA (JP): If a continuous rush of bullets across the screen is your idea of entertainment, The Replacement Killers will provide 88 minutes of what you want.

Shot by first-time feature director Antoine Fuqua -- better known for his work on Coolio's rap video Gangsta's Paradise -- it is no surprise that the film has almost no dialog and an ear- deafeningly hip bass-booming soundtrack. With the high and low angle shots, the sweeping camera moves, the dramatic slow-motion sequences and fast editing style, one could easily mistake the action-packed film for an elaborate and extremely long music video.

The Replacement Killers, which pairs Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino with Hong Kong's action hero Chow Yun-Fat, is executively produced by John Woo, who recently delivered two American successes, Broken Arrow and Face/Off. However, unlike Woo's Hollywood achievements, Fuqua's film lacks any clear climactic points and smart dialog.

It centers on Chinese immigrant John Lee (Chow), a professional killer. Lee is hired by Chinese underworld big shot Mr. Wei (Kenneth Tsang) to exact revenge on a cop, Stan Zedkov (Michael Rooker), who killed his son. Lee, however, falters on the deal that involves killing Zedkov's seven-year-old son, (yes, another killer with a conscience).

Lee later explains his predicament to a wise Buddhist monk with the ever-impressive phrase, "There will be consequences". And there certainly are. Lee must escape Wei's wrath and return to China to protect his family. This is when he meets Meg Coburn (Mira Sorvino), a document forger who helps him get a passport for his journey.

Coburn wants no involvement in Lee's troubles, but soon enough she is bracing herself for a bullet-filled ride in an attempt to flee from Wei's squadron of killers.

So who exactly are the replacement killers? The title characters are played by Til Schweiger and Danny Trejo who are dressed to kill, literally and otherwise. These two, who neither say much nor do much except for routine killing sprees, are brought to L.A. to finish the job that Lee abandoned.

The replacement killers strut their stuff in smooth black leather costumes, adding to the somber mood of the film.

The characters in The Replacement Killers are as flat as the razor blade pendant Sorvino wears throughout the film. Chow, a newcomer to Hollywood, looks way too tense to like. He takes great care in delivering his lines, although it's not clear whether this is to enhance the audience's anticipation or to contrast Sorvino's rapid one-liners.

Miscast

In a scene where Coburn is about to take a passport picture of Lee, the dialog delivers one of many supposedly catchy phrases. "Smile, and say 'flight from prosecution'" quips Coburn, but even that attempt at humor fails to get a reaction from Lee, or from the audience, for that matter.

The action in Fuqua's piece is extremely smooth, unfortunately to a fault. Chow is too fast in his reactions and too slick to be credible. He knows exactly where Wei's men are lurking, and when they will strike. The director's choice in casting is also somewhat misplaced. Sorvino faces an arduous task in convincing the audience that she is a "bad girl". Even with her henna-dyed hands, Sorvino is too sugarcoated to pass for the L.A. homegirl type.

Between the heavily decorated shoot-outs, however, there are moments where writer Ken Sanzel makes an attempt at giving the film a dash of lead-free content, i.e. morality.

In these scenes, Lee reflects on the past, talking about his life and the family he left behind. The director's attempt to imbue the film with any sort of moral meaning, however, appears to be more of an afterthought and an apology for the excessive body count.

For example, the sequences of piety in a Buddhist temple end up only being a superficial exotic backdrop. While Lee is praying in the temple, we are all praying in our seats that he will return to the familiar ground of bullets and bloodshed, leaving morality untouched and alone.

The texture of The Replacement Killers is as smooth, dark and slick as the ubiquitous guns and designer suits. While Fuqua is disappointing in some, or most of his choices, with the help of cinematographer, Peter Lyons Collister, he succeeds in creating a visually rich film.

The location of some of his scenes includes a car wash and a darkroom adorned with hanging negatives. The fantastical death of Wei, shot in slow motion and ending with a cathartic downpour of rain, is a personal favorite.

The director has made a bold attempt in his feature debut. Although it may not be to the liking of those averse to heavy violence, this good-looking film probably deserves another chance, or another script.

The writer is the film curator at Teater Utan Kayu, Jakarta.