Title: The Art of WarBadass: Wesley Snipes
What in the heck?: Neil Shaw, a super-secret agent for the United Nations, is forced to go on the run after being framed for the murder of a Chinese ambassador. Shaw hooks up with Julia Fang, a hip Asian interpreter, to find the true assassin and bring him (or her???) to justice. Yep. That's really pretty much it.
What's to like: a kung-fu throwdown at a Chinese New Year party in Hong Kong; a captivatingly odd performance from Maury Chaykin as an FBI agent hot on Shaw's trail; a final gunfight that is simultaneously awesome and ridiculous.
What's to not like: Do we really need an officer of the law to dramatically rip his shirt open after surviving a gunshot to the chest? We know he's wearing a bulletproof jacket. He's alive isn't he? Gah!; a predictable plot twist that almost derails a surprisingly competent actioner.
The truth: I'll be honest: I expected to hate this film. I almost turned off the television before the opening credits even ended. There wasn't anything wrong with the opening credits, I just wasn't convinced I could sit through a movie I'd never heard of and rented on a whim. I cursed myself for not renting something from Snipes' Blade oeuvre. "At least that shit has vampires in it," I thought. But I plugged along, gave The Art of War a chance, and darn it if I wasn't pleasantly surprised. It's a pretty good little film. Sure, its predictable, last minute twist is all kinds of super lame, but up until that point, it remains action packed and highly watchable. Don't be surprised if this one turns out to be a major contender when we crown the winner of this badass battle royale sometime next week.
Next time: our surprise last minute addition. Prepare to have your mind blown, America! And then...we pick our top three favorites! But remember, there can be only one, true winner of our EPIC BADASS SMACKDOWN! Who will reign supreme? Who will look upon his fellow masters of badassery and claim ultimate victory? There's only one way to find out...BE THERE...or here...yeah, be here...at this Web site. Um. OK. I'm done.
Next time: our surprise last minute addition. Prepare to have your mind blown, America! And then...we pick our top three favorites! But remember, there can be only one, true winner of our EPIC BADASS SMACKDOWN! Who will reign supreme? Who will look upon his fellow masters of badassery and claim ultimate victory? There's only one way to find out...BE THERE...or here...yeah, be here...at this Web site. Um. OK. I'm done.