War (2007)

Image credit: Douglas Curran

DUEL NATURE Jet Li (pictured at right, with Roy Ishibashi) slogs through the first hour of War, which comes alive with a sharp twist a little too late

There are few cinematic crimes more heinous than making a boring action movie. Sadly, that's what the first hour of Triads-versus-Yakuza thriller War is. We watch, idly, as Jason Statham's dour, fuzzy FBI agent tracks the mysterious hitman (Jet Li) who killed his best friend and his family. And just as you think to yourself, ''This flick would be way better if it had Van Damme playing twins,'' along comes a plot twist so ingenious that it almost redeems the rest of the flick. In fact, you kinda feel bad for the twist itself, which deserved a better home.