The Replacement Killers(Extended Cut)

Artwork-case/disc: A+ Great cast and with a great storyline. I highly recommend this upgrade blu ray edition.

Usually, the title of a work is the subject--but not always. "The Replacement Killers" is not a film about replacement killers, but about moral ambiguity, gray area. John Lee (Chow Yun-Fat) is drawn into a moral morass by a Chinese Mafia hold over his family. He must become an assassin to prevent his mother and sister from being killed.John Lee is brought to the West Coast to kill people, enemies of Mr. Wei, a very powerful drug lord based in the United States with tendrils wrapping in China as well. John's father was an honorable military man before the Cultural Revolution and friend of Mr. Wei. Connections.When John backs down from his third kill for moral reasons, he has committed "treason" against Mr. Wei and must return to China to protect his family. That's where Meg Coburn (Mira Sorvino) comes in. She is one of the best forgers around. He needs a new passport. When they meet, Wei's hired thugs are right behind. Violence breaks out. That's the back story.Meanwhile, two real hit men are hired as John's replacement killers. Another reviewer so amusingly describes these men as hit men who actually look like hit men: black leather jackets, black pants, big and muscular bodies and fierce faces, and weapons cases.Perhaps this will seem strange, but "The Replacement Killers" is an elegant and glamorous film noir. Most of the cinematography is filmed in dark or semi-dark places: her office/apartment area, the car wash, the movie theater, the Buddhist temple, Mr. Wei's business office, alleys and staircases. John's impeccable dress (a suit and tie) and Meg's hip attire speak glamor. Her youthful face, his mid-30's look, hers Caucasian with deep red lipstick and his handsome Asian face make a striking balance for elegance. The background music throughout the film is romantic, laced with Asian mysticism.Every scene with Wei and the head of his henchmen, Jurgen Prochnow, adds to the striking miasma of corrupted moral values. Just ugliness and sordidness.Michael Rooker represents a police department that is actually straight and committed to their actual pledges to pursue evil and protect society. As the third party of participants, the police do not back down from the use of arms. Not at any time do all three parties come together for a significant shoot-out. The police always arrive just as the shooting is over. The last big shoot-out between John and Meg and the Chinese Mafia is a battle which stirs the gray area into moral certitude. It's a great scene.Mira Sorvino is absolutely an essential part of how well this film works. She is no timid woman to be protected. Her part in each scene of violence is crucial. Then gears are whirred and her parting scene with John is dignified yet tender. Amazing.Most other reviewers love this film. I find the film sophisticated, glamorous, and elegant, not because it is violent, but despite the violence, which is not made glamorous or elegant, just present and sometimes necessary. Moral ambivalence.

Lots of action

Great movie. So happy to have it on Blu-Ray!

There’s only 8+ minutes of extra footage to this movie, but that time is well used. Those few minutes flush out some of the best character development for the story.

I became a fan of Antoine Fuqua after watching Training Day (Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke) and began looking for other movies helmmed by Director Fuqua. Which introduced me to Chow Yun-Fat and the movie THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS.It did not take long for me to realize I liked the 'look' of REPLACEMENT KILLERS (cinematographer Peter Lyons Collister) and, certainly the action -- where all these kinds of action movies seem to be marred by bad guy gangs-that-can't shoot straight! Would anyone really have survived the carwash shootout?! Anyways,I recommend THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS for good stunts, good shootouts with Yun-Fat spinning in slow motion in his perfectly fitting and flowing black, duster-trenchcoat, whether appropriate or not. Chow gives some of the shootouts his own "balletic" skill that only a tough guy, international star could get away with.Mira Sorvino, by the way, deserved more credit for her tough as nails portrayal without, ever, losing an ounce of that sex appeal while getting to spew out some good lines too: "What is it the perfume...? You're the second guy today to insist I need help...I don't need your help..." And, "We're gonna' have this talk again ... When I"M holding the gun...!"Good sh**, rarely cheezy, so just enjoy the ride as Chow Yun-Fat plays the 'hitman' who, of course, is doing the right thing. Can't kill a kid. Not even a cop's kid.And, damn, that final scene led by Mira Sorvino is priceless. It (she) is just so "Sweet".Talk about wanting to give a girl a, uh, big long hold-it, hold-it hug. .The xtra feature is a rather short talk with Chow Yun-Fat and Mira Sorvino over scenes from the movie.I was surprised to see the start of this movie explained to me "modified to fit your screen." Which means not Widescreen.Picture was still sharp but it did kind of feel like my 90 minutes of REPLACEMENT KILLERS was missing some visual scope.Full Screen can do that.

is a 1998 American action film directed by Antoine Fuqua in his feature film directorial debut, and starring Chow Yun-fat, Mira Sorvino, Michael Rooker and Kenneth Tsang. The film was released in the United States on February 6, 1998. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Ken Sanzel. Veteran action director John Woo co-produced and choreographed the action sequences. The film is set in modern-day Los Angeles and follows an emotionally disillusioned assassin who is forced to settle a violent vendetta for a ruthless crime boss. The film marks the American acting debut for Chow, as his previous film credits included Hong Kong action cinema only.A excellent action film well worth watching and is the pinnacle of East meets West.

MAIN FEATURE:VIDEO: 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.40:1REGION: A, B, CAUDIO:PCM Uncompressed: English 5.1, Italian 5.1Dolby Digital: English 5.1, French 5.1, Italian 5.1, Hungarian 5.1SUBTITLES: English, English SDH, Arabic, French, Korean, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Norwegian, Polish, Turkish, Hungarian, Swedish, Italian, Icelandic, Bulgarian, Slovene, Croatian, Romanian, Thai, Spanish, Portuguese, ChineseSPECIAL FEATURES:VIDEO: 480i/p Standard DefinitionAUDIO: English Dolby Digital 2.0SUBTITLES: English, Italian, Dutch, French, Korean- The making of the Replacement Killers: "Where the action is"- Exclusive featurette: "Chow Yun-Fat goes Hollywood"EAN: 043396212268ASIN: B000S1KUM4

I used to have this movie when it first & I saw the price so I thought I'd get it again. Its not a bad movie with plenty of action & gun fights too. I am happy to see Mira Sorvinho again

A classic no by design but by accident. I do not know what Maia was doing in this movie or who she meant to be. A computer hacker she was not. Nor a good gangster or a love interest. It was really hard to see where she fitted in. It was a female been cast in the role of female to be a female. A side form that the movie was great with some nice touches and a lot of bullets and blood just the way we like Hong Kong action films.

DvD was both in excellent condition and quality wise.