Review of War (2007) by Halfwelshman — 09 Oct 2011

War is lacklustre in many regards, with the storytelling, characterisation and acting leaving a lot to be desired. You could forgive this little B-movie for these shortcomings if it managed to entertain in other ways, but generally War just isn't enough fun.

The action is all competent, and both the Li/Statham car chase and their close-quarters fight at the finale is well-handled, but the set pieces are over too briefly, and are surprisingly infrequent for a film of this type.

It's also disappointing that a film that pitches Jet Li and Jason Statham, two of the most talented martial artists currently working on film, against each other and doesn't give them many opportunities to demonstrate their considerable combined talent - in most scenes they are reduced to taking pot-shots at each other rather than getting up close and personal.

Aside from a couple of stand-out set-pieces, and Statham giving off his usual gravelly charm, War is a largely dull affair, with a flimsy plot, terrible acting and staggering cultural insensitivity. For a film like this to work, it needs something extra - whether it's more memorable and stylish action, a bit of humour thrown in or a better script, and it certainly cannot take itself as seriously as War does.