Replacement Killers MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +2 Content: -2 1/2

John Lee (Chow Yun Fat) is an assassin with an etched bullet. He's asked by Mr. Wei to kill a man who killed Mr. Wei's drug dealer son. When Lee discovers the target is a police detective (Michael Booker) with a seven year old son, he refuses to "make the hit", so Mr. Wei determines to kill Lee's sister and mother. Lee decides to return to China to try and save his family, but he needs a passport, so he goes to a forger, Meg (Mira Sorvino). While at Meg's office, he's attacked by Wei's men--guns blast the office to bits and the chase is on. Like a movie of a popular video game, characters pop out of dark corners and must be killed or they will kill. Wei hires killer after killer, replacing each one he loses, but no one can best Lee. Lee frequently goes to the Buddhist temple to pray and seek the counsel of his friend the priest. He says, "I would do anything to protect my family...anything."

Shot in the U.S.A., this is patterned after the Hong Kong pictures that have a strong cult following among 14 to 34 year old males. It will do quite well at the box office. Lee is a gentle man who springs to violence only when forced, but Meg is a "tough" chic, with a razor blade on a chain around her neck. She often dresses in a black bra and skin-tight pants. Meg and Lee don't develop a romantic relationship, but they do fight--in an arcade, a car wash, a dock, a kitchen, a theatre, and an alley. Gunfire occurs every few minutes, as thousands of rounds of ammunition are fired and many people killed. There's blood and gore galore. Bodies jerk around as people are struck by cars, thrown off fire escapes, and hit with hundreds of bullets. Our heroes are shot and punched, but bounce right back to fight again. The dialogue contains several "f" and "s" words and three profanities, but the star Chow Yun- Fat prefers to exclude cursing from his dialogue. But other characters do swear. Although these films are entertaining, the constant barrage of senseless violence devalues life and desensitizes viewers. The violence and foul language suggests REPLACEMENT KILLERS should be replaced with more suitable entertainment.

Preview Reviewer: Theresa Zumwalt
Distributor: Columbia Pictures, 10202 W. Washington Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232