Even though it is chalk full of epic sword fights, well-choreographed action sequences and action mainstays Jet Li and Jason Statham, War fails to leave any lasting impression

War

Check listings for details

Transitions never pass easily. Right now we’re all clinging in vain to these last few days of summer, doing our best to ignore the fading colours and cool breezes that carry harsh premonitions of an encroaching winter. It’s an appropriate reflection of these apprehensions that the studio system, exhausted from three months of summer blockbusters, chooses this interlay to sweep out the bottom of its summer-fun barrel. The latest in the barrage of sub-par contrivances is the Jet Li action vehicle War.
            Olympic diver, model, street hustler and action star Jason Statham (The Transporter) is Crawford, a hard-boiled, toothpick-chomping FBI agent with a permanent five o’clock shadow and an axe to grind. The axe comes in the form of a notoriously elusive assassin known only as the Rogue (Jet Li). Not only does the Rogue appear to be instigating a bloody gang war by playing San Francisco’s two rival crime lords against each other, he’s also the main suspect in the callous slaying of Crawford’s partner and family three years prior, all of which has left Crawford out for justice — Seagal-style.
            War has all the trappings of an amiably forgettable summer hit. Statham and Li have already proven their abilities as action stars, and the action sequences are expertly co-ordinated by Corey Yuen (X-Men). There are adequate buddy cop and revenge plotlines that are comfortably grounded in convention. It even boasts a mildly clever third-act twist, but it still misses the mark. First-time director Phillip Atwell’s half-hearted treatment of the material sets War behind successful summer siblings like Live Free or Die Hard, while securing its abandonment amid the end-of-summer releases.
            Despite the script’s use of superfluous dialogue and redundant storytelling which offensively undermines audience intellect, the former music video director appears content to leave his cast and crew to blindly follow its contrived devices. Atwell selfishly treats the pic as a grand exercise in honing his visual flair, but even in this department he fails to deliver. Though adequate, the action sequences never overwhelm.
            While not an egregious failure (genre enthusiasts may grant it some redemption), War will, nonetheless, leave you looking forward to fall.