I’ve always thought Wesley Snipes was so much better than a lot of the movies he’s starred in; he made a niche for himself in many B action movies and I have no problem with that as they were usually pretty entertaining. I just think he should be in bigger budget fare that people actually go to see in the theatre as he is a fantastic actor capable of so much more. The Art of War is one of said B movies which also got 2 sequels, so today I figured I take a look back at all three.
The Art of War (2000)
Plot: He is both agent and weapon – a critical line of defense for the Secretary General of the United Nations. He does not even officially exist. Neil Shaw, an American agent who must uncover an international plot to bring down the United Nations on the eve of an historic summit with China. A mysterious chain of events leads to the murder of the Chinese U.N. Ambassador. When Shaw is accused of the crime, he must go underground — in effect, vanish from his own life.
The original Art of War isn’t anything spectacular but is elevated by its winning cast which includes Wesley Snipes, Donald Sutherland, Michael Biehn, Anne Archer and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. They all do the best with what they are given, but the story was rather predictable with certain twists you could see coming in the first 15 minutes. The script is also pretty forgettable but there are a few moments from Snipes where he gets to display his fun sense of humour which he has in real life. This gives Neil Shaw a bit more personality than you’d maybe expect in an action thriller like this and I got the feeling that some of those scenes were improvised by Snipes himself.
As awesome as it was to see Donald Sutherland in the movie he didn’t really have much to do and was nothing more than a spineless politician.
The Art of War has some well-done action scenes and impressive stuntwork; the final fight between Snipes and (the not very surprising) villain was the action highlight and satisfyingly violent.
The plot is still pretty relevant today as it tries to juggle the complex world of US/Chinese relations. It doesn’t go too long between fights keeping the pacing going because let’s face it, when watching a straight to video film with Wesley Snipes we want to watch him beat people up and for the most part this delivers. It almost feels like a sequel to U.S. Marshalls as this once again has him on the lam and using his special set of skills to survive.
Overall, despite being quite predictable The Art of War has a first rate cast and an interesting story that should keep your interest in between Wesley Snipes kicking ass and taking names. Now on to part two…
The Art of War II: Betrayal (2008)
Plot: Agent Neil Shaw is called out of retirement and finds himself in the midst of a plot to assassinate several leading Senators with himself set-up to take the rap for a recent killing.
*Spoilers ensue*
This sequel from 2008 has Wesley Snipes return but has few other recognizable faces aside from Lochlyn Munro who seems to be the same character in every movie. He is always the friend who turns out to be the real villain and that’s exactly the case with Art of War II. It’s all very predictable and you kind of question how smart Neil Shaw really is the fact that he didn’t see it all coming.
This sequel falls short of the original in nearly every way but is redeemed by Wesley Snipes’ sheer screen presence. He doesn’t have much to work with in terms of memorable dialogue, but he gets a few decent one-liners and there are several fight scenes with the highlight being on a boat when the assailant disappears back into the water like Aquaman.
Some of the editing and camera work is a little annoying and strangely dated and there is a weird orange look to the film which makes it look cheap.
The villains are suitably mean especially when Phillips injects a senator to give her a brain aneurysm which is just plain evil.
It’s the kind of film that is relatively entertaining while watching but by the next day you’ll have totally forgotten it exists.
Overall, Art of War II: Betrayal isn’t as good as the first film, but it still has some entertaining action and fights. There isn’t anything all that memorable about it and it is predictable, but it’s still a fun watch and Snipes makes any film watchable.
The Art of War: Redemption (2009)
Plot: Agent Neil Shaw is tasked with preventing a terrorist group from obtaining a nuclear bomb. However, he gets entwined in a murder investigation that complicates his mission.
The third and final film in the Art of War Trilogy has Treach replacing Wesley Snipes in the lead role with mixed results. He does fine with what he’s given but he’s no Snipes in terms of performance and martial arts skills.
Without him Art of War III: Retribution is average at best; it still has a few decent action scenes including impressive explosions, fights and even some awesome squibs which we don’t see much of anymore.
It’s well paced and around 90 minutes long, so it knows to not overstay its welcome. It still feels early 2000’s-esque in terms of stylistic touches and music, but at least it doesn’t have that ugly orange tint to everything like the second movie did.
The highlight here is the always cool Leo Lee who plays the villain… but may be more than he seems; it’s nice to see him in a more sizeable role as I’ve always found him very charismatic on screen.
Overall, The Art of War III: Redemption is an unnecessary addition to the series and without Wesley Snipes it just isn’t as interesting; it still has a few entertaining action scenes and the addition of Leo Lee to the cast is always a plus, but your life won’t be terrible if you skip this one.