Cradle 2 The Grave

Bluesky

Jet Li has mastered the technique of cool fighting to such a degree that even with one hand in his pocket he can flatten men twice his size. It is impossible not to be impressed.

There is a ritual to these Joel Silver productions. Car chases, explosions, stunts and gun battles have been honed to a level of expertise that retains the highest standard. Action pictures have become an art form, choreography dressed for danger.

Acting and plot are less important, as long as the look is right. DMX is a rap singer, who appeared with Steven Seagal in Exit Wounds, directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, who also directs this. He is a tall thin black man, with a shaved head and a look of anger in his eye. He plays Tony Fait, a single parent thief whose diplomatic skills take the form of naked and, at times, plain stupid aggression.

Li is Su, a mystery man from Taiwan. His skills are exquisite and very fast. He speaks little and conducts himself with Zen-like control. He is the opposite of Tony. His emotions stay shackled in the basement of his consciousness.

Tony and his gang of three steal diamonds from a bank vault, using surprisingly sophisticated tools that look like weapons of mass destruction. Amongst the haul are black rocks that create nuclear strength energy when put through a laser device. On the open market, they are worth millions. Tony doesn't know this, but Su does and he wants them back, because they came from Taiwan.

A couple of bands of baddies are out to get them, too. One kidnaps Tony's daughter as a bargaining chip, if required, and, of course, Tony goes nuts. After some serious kung fuage, in which superfluous musclemen experience the extremities of pain, the final kick-out takes place in the rain, circled by fires from a crashed helicopter.

Aficionados of Jet Li's oeuvre will not be disappointed. Their boy is in bone cracking form.