Cradle 2 The Grave review

Cradle 2 The Grave, or Romeo Must Still Die as this martial arts thriller should perhaps be entitled considering its similarity to director Andrzej Bartkowiak's debut feature, is a high octane, low concept caper enlivened briefly by a couple of well choreographed fight sequences.

Unfortunately, even the graceful martial arts expertise of Jet Li won't be enough to save the film from a deservedly swift exit to video.

Master thief Fait (DMX) and his team - including sexy Daria (Gabrielle Union), safecracker Miles (Drag-On) and wise-cracking getaway driver Tommy (Anthony Anderson) - break into a high security bank vault and steal a small fortune in extremely rare black diamonds.

Their daring escape is interrupted by resourceful Taiwanese Intelligence officer Su (Li), who alerts the Los Angeles police to the thieves' presence and unsuccessfully tries to reclaim the gems, which are the property of his country.

Soon after, dastardly international criminal Ling (Mark Dacascos) and his high-kicking henchwoman Sona (Kelly Hu) fly into the city with the express intention of acquiring the jewels. To that end, they kidnap Fait's treasured nine-year-old daughter Vanessa (Paige Hurd) and hold her ransom for the diamonds. Fait is only too glad to trade his ill-gotten wares for his little girl.

Unfortunately, he loses possession of the booty to a crime lord (Chi McBride) who rules his empire from behind bars. In turn, Ling seizes them from him. With no bargaining power to save his daughter, Fait joins forces with Su to launch a daring rescue mission.

In the process, the two men uncover the kidnappers' real plan to unleash a deadly new weapon of mass destruction on the world, powered by the mysterious black diamonds.

The stunt sequences in Cradle 2 The Grave are slickly photographed and edited in that breathless, slam bang MTV style which has become Bartkowiak's trademark. Most showcase Li's athletic prowess, such as the daredevil sequence in which Su penetrates the security of an apartment block by hanging from the top floor balcony then dropping, one floor at a time, catching hold of each successive balcony with his fingertips to halt his fall.

For reasons that are never explained, Li spends most of the film fighting his opponents with one hand in his pocket. When he uses both hands to vanquish his foe, you know he means business. DMX engages in his own brand of fistcuffs, and Union and Hu get in on the act for a brief yet brutal catfight.

For the most part, however, we've seen all these moves before - many times before - and with far less directorial brio papering over the cracks in John O'Brien and Channing Gibson's illogical screenplay.

Rapper DMX shouldn't give up the day job - his delivery of his lines is appalling - and the concern for his kidnapped daughter rings hollow. Li is vastly underused and Dacascos is called on to snarl and sneer on cue. The script's attitude towards the female and gay characters borders on the offensive. Union's love interest is reduced to a mere sex object, whether it be having DMX stare longing down her top as she tries to keep flat on top of a subway train during a daring getaway, or performing a gratuitous lap dance on a thug as a diversion. Admittedly, her character is redeemed by becoming kung fu action babe in the closing moments, but it's too little too late.