Neil Shaw is an operative for the United Nations. For about an hour, I could overlook some of the stupidity but it becomes too much to bare. If the script could be straighten out and shorten, this could be a reasonable B-action movie. Director Christian Duguay is only able to give passable action scenes. It's the least sexy way to add international intrigue. I appreciate the Wesley Snipes kung fu fighting but it just adds to the stupidity and the ridiculous nature of the plot.

The secret UN squad idea is really stupid. Then Thomas and Hooks are blackmailed to cancel the Chinese trade deal. As Capella transports Shaw, they are attacked and Shaw is taken but he escapes. Julia Fang is a witness who proclaims his innocence to Capella. As Shaw chases the killers, he is captured by NYPD cops thinking he's the killer. Businessman David Chan (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) is injured and Chinese Ambassador Wu (James Hong) is killed. Some time later, FBI agent Frank Capella (Maury Chaykin) finds a shipping container full of dead Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong presumably under the control of the UN. They are able to blackmail the Chinese into a political deal. Neil Shaw (Wesley Snipes) leads an United Nations covert team under the control of the Secretary-General Douglas Thomas (Donald Sutherland) and Eleanor Hooks (Anne Archer).

While this isn't as good as another Snipes political thriller dealing with a similar East-meets-West theme (RISING SUN), it's a lot better than much recent dreck with the likes of Steven Seagal.

Solid support comes from veteran Asian actors Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and James Hong while Michael Biehn, Anne Archer and Donald Sutherland represent Hollywood and unknown actress Marie Matiko is strong as the female lead. Wesley Snipes's attitude is what sets him apart from other action stars and he's on good form playing a tough, no-nonsense agent. There are enough twists and turns for a couple of films here, and although the action scenes are slightly irritating due to the aforementioned direction issues, there are a couple of decent chase scenes thrown in en route. Saying that, it's still pretty good, with an intriguing race-relations backstory that keeps you guessing as to the nature of the villains. Give this film the same kind of style as the BOURNE films and it would actually be very good indeed. Full of '90s-era editing, the style is so in-your-face that it takes away from the tricksy-turny plotting. This complex Wesley Snipes thriller is spoilt by the presence of director Christian Duguay (SCREAMERS), who shoots his movie so poorly and in so dated a fashion that it looks a good decade older than it actually is.

Art of war 2