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US Weekly; New York; Sep 18, 2000
Thelma Adams
Issue: 292
Start Page: 43
Abstract:
"The Art of War," starring Wesley Snipes and Anne Archer, and directed
by Christian Duguay, is reviewed.
Full Text:
Copyright US Magazine Company Sep 18, 2000
STARRING Wesley Snipes and Anne Archer
DIRECTED BY Christian Duguay
WESLEY SNIPES WOULD MAKE a great Bond. In Christian Duguay's kinetic, convoluted thriller - inspired by Sun Tzu's popular Chinese war manual (Know your enemy, know yourself') - Snipes gets to show off his pantherlike physical magnetism and sly ability to undersell humor. He plays Neil Shaw, a kickboxing secret agent reporting to a U.N. bigwig (Anne Archer); having taken a few bullets during his career, this spy is considering coming in from the cold His boss assigns him one last highstakes gambit - to monitor delicate Chinese-American trade talks - but when a sniper assassinates the Chinese ambassador, he is fined for the murder. Manipulated and betrayed, Shaw must exonerate himself and save the treaty while distinguishing his enemies from his allies. Boasting stunts to rival M:I-2 but hampered by a cumbersome script (that paranoid conspiracy vibe all but melted with the cold war), Art is just shy of a killer thriller. THELMA ADAMS
* * 1/2 Snipes drives this decent action vehicle
