Price:US$12.95

HITMAN opens promisingly with the assassination of an evil Japanese businessman by a mysterious hitman dubbed the King of Killers. The businessman had set up a revenge fund of $100 million dollars to be paid to whoever kills his murderer. Hong Kong draws in hitmen from all over the globe, including the businessman's equally evil grandson. Jet Li plays a down on his luck mainlander who is kicked out of his gang because he's too soft-hearted to be a criminal. Determined to prove himself, he joins in the hunt for the King of Killers. Eric Tsang plays an inept con man who sponsors Jet Li for mysterious reasons. While his performance is all right, his character dominates far too much of the movie and the comic relief he supplies really drags down the middle of the movie. Gigi Leung plays his daughter and her boring, lifeless performance adds nothing to a role that is already little more than window dressing. She has no chemistry with any of the main players and her romance with Jet Li falls flat. Jet Li gives a standard performance; what he lacks in acting ability he makes up for with charm and charisma. Simon Yam plays an enigmatic cop. His role is also little more than window dressing but he brings to it his usual savoir faire. The action, which is really the main star of this movie, is good at the beginning, badly lagging in the middle, and then terrific at the end. The final third portion of the movie really showcases Jet Li's considerable action talents.