Jet Li has starred in a large number of American Action Films, including Romeo Must Die and The One.
Jet Li is an international martial arts superstar but he didn’t start out that way at first. For many years, Jet Li made a name for himself in the East Asian action movie market before finally making his way to Hollywood. Yes, although he has largely returned to his roots, he still remains one of the most recognizable action stars to ever star in a movie.
Not all of his films were popular, but they were enough to pave the way for other East Asian martial arts actors.
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The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor (2008): 5.2
The film with one of the biggest box office ended up being so low in the ratings, and it’s true. Jet Li switched places with original mummy villain Arnold Vosloo to play the evil Emperor Han, a powerful Chinese ruler who is revived by an enterprising general. Mummy slayers Rick and Evelyn must destroy Emperor Khan before he and his undead army can conquer Earth. While the premise is familiar, the change in setting and culture wasn’t enough to keep this film off the critics’ list.
Cradle 2 The Grave (2003): 5.8
Jet Li clashed with DMX in this movie, who also appeared with Jet Li in Romeo Must Die. Lee plays a Taiwanese intelligence agent who teams up with a master thief so he can find a cache of rocks that is much bigger than it looks. The action sequences are excellent and insane, but time-bound right back to the start of the 21st century, for better or worse. Bartkowiak tried to capitalize on the craze but ended up hurting this film.
The One (2001): 5.9
The One is quite a unique and inventive Jet Li film where he does a lot more than just play a martial arts hero. Here he plays Gabriel Yulow, a secret operative who monitors travel between dimensions that make up the multiverse. Yulaw has a theory that if he kills each of his 124 extra-dimensional counterparts, he will become the “Chosen One”. He pursues his final target, Gabe Low, in hopes of killing him and achieving his goal, but Gabe has also undergone the same increase in strength, speed, and stamina. And the two battle it out across multiple universes to see which one emerges victorious.
Romeo Must Die (2000): 6.1
With Lethal Weapon 4, director Andrzej Bartkowiak decided to capitalize on his amazing martial arts prowess by starring him in Romeo Must Die. The film is good and interesting where it pursues martial arts fights. The late Aaliyah co-starred with Jet in this film, and they were a sweet enough couple for the audience to notice. The movie has some great action scenes. Very interesting to watch.RELATED:
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War (2007): 6.2
Jet Li and action star Jason Statham have teamed up for the second time since starring in The One. Here, Jet plays Rogue, a former CIA assassin who decides to work for the yakuza. Statham plays FBI agent John Crawford, a man with a personal vendetta against Rogue for the murder of his partner and family. At least it seems so. As the movie unfolds. It’s inventive, if not a little trite, but Jet and Statham play each other superbly and manage to tell an interesting story in the process.
The Expendables (2010): 6.5
Jet Li was chosen by mega action star Sylvester Stallone for the first The Expendables movie, and he fit in perfectly with the rest of the awkward, aging cast. It was interesting and fun to watch Jet Li take on the likes of Dolph Lundgren, including one particularly great fight against Gary Daniels. Jet would feature less prominently in other Expendables films over time, with this first outing going to be his most notable, but adding him to the list was genius.
Kiss Of The Dragon (2001): 6.6
Jet Li co-starred with Bridget Fonda in this action movie that made for an odd but cute couple. Jet played Chinese intelligence operative Liu Siu-jian, a man who is sent to Paris to apprehend a heroin smuggler and is eventually framed for murder. The film is remembered for the final scene where Jet’s character uses an acupuncture needle to induce a rush of blood to the brain, causing a painful aneurysm known as “Dragon’s Kiss”.RELATED:
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The Expendables 2 (2012): 6.6
Jet Li took a bit of a backseat in the second Expendables movie, especially in light of the introduction of Jean-Claude Van Damme as the main villain. However, he managed to hold his own in the story scenes where he fights a group of thugs and beats them alive with his fists. Unfortunately, he drops out after the first 15 minutes, which is unfortunate considering what happens over the next 90 minutes, including a great cameo by the one and only Chuck Norris.
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998): 6.7
Lethal Weapon fans were thrilled to see Murtaugh and Riggs back on screen. Jet played Wah Sing Koo, an evil member of the Triad gang who proved to be more than a match for both. The film is remembered for that final scene when Murtaugh and Riggs team up to form the Wah Sing Koo team. In the end, brute force wins over form and Wah Sing Koo is killed, but it turns out to be the most brutal battle of Murtaugh and Riggs’ careers.