The Art of War (2000)
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16% of critics liked it
(80 reviews) -
44% of users liked it
(26,283 ratings)
A spy who has convinced much of the world he doesn't exist now must prove that he does in order to save thousands of lives in this thriller. After the assassination of Wu (James Hong), China's ambassador to the United Nations, in the midst of negotiations on a trade pact, FBI agent Neil Shaw… More A spy who has convinced much of the world he doesn't exist now must prove that he does in order to save thousands of lives in this thriller. After the assassination of Wu (James Hong), China's ambassador to the United Nations, in the midst of negotiations on a trade pact, FBI agent Neil Shaw (Wesley Snipes) is assigned to ferret out the killer by his superior, Eleanor Hooks (Anne Archer). But Shaw soon discovers that he's now considered a key suspect in the murder, and is the subject of a manhunt. Shaw's ability to cover his tracks, and his network of similarly "invisible" agents, makes him a hard man to track down. But when Shaw learns that the real killers not only plan to strike again but intend to take out most of the U.N. in the process, he swings into action to prevent the attack and clear his name; Shaw is thrown into a partnership with Julia (Marie Matiko), a U.N. interpreter who witnessed Wu's murder and may be able to trace a recording of the crime. The Art of War co-stars Michael Biehn as Bly, one of Shaw's associates, and Donald Sutherland as the Secretary General of the United Nations. The film was originally written as a vehicle of Hong Kong action star Jet Li before Snipes stepped in as both star and executive producer. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Christian Duguay
- Written By
- Wayne Beach, Kevin Bernhardt, Simon Davis Barry
- Genres
- Mystery & Suspense, Action & Adventure
- In Theaters
- Aug 25, 2000 Wide
- Studio
- Warner Bros. Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Emanuel Levy, Variety
In this pretentiously titled international thriller, which is sloppily directed, Wesley Snipes plays an American agent who gets involved in the emerging relations between China and the Western world, with a shaky U.N. placed right in the middle.
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Loren King, Boston Globe
Quickly falls into B-picture visual cliche, accompanied by leaden dialogue, as it simplifies its ambitious story for the sake of too many shootouts and overblown chases.
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Paul Tatara, CNN.com
A disgustingly violent morass of high-tech beatings and killings.
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John Petrakis, Chicago Tribune
The film is a too-loud, poorly directed and seriously overedited addition to the tired genre of double-crossing international conspiracy movies.
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David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...[features] several unexpectedly enthralling action sequences...
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast
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Wesley Snipes
as Neil Shaw
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Anne Archer
as Eleanor Hooks
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Maury Chaykin
as Cappella
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Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
as David Chan
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Donald Sutherland
as Douglas Thomas
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Michael Biehn
as Bly
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Marie Matiko
as Julia
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Liliana Komorowska
as Novak
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James Hong
as Ambassador Wu
- Tony Calabretta
- Paul Hopkins
