Before The Expendables, Jason Statham and Jet Li appeared in The War. Statham plays a dedicated cop whose Chinese heritage partner has been killed and he has been highly strung since then.

Statham is looking for The Rogue (Li) the assassin hired by gangsters to kill his partner. Meanwhile Rogue is back in LA working for rival gangs and playing one off against the other.

The film has actually more than a run of the mill action setting. The presence of Li adds bite to the film as well as some good martial arts sequences. Statham is the determined cop after Li but there seems to be more to them than a shared enmity.

The film tries to develop layers to its plotting to add some depth and motive, it even adds a kick to the gut to add some unpredictability to the formula.

In San Francisco, after the execution of his partner Tom Wynne and his family, the FBI agent Jack Crawford (Jason Statham) becomes obsessed to catch the hit man Rogue (Jet Li). Three years later, Rogue reappears with an unknown face in the middle of a war between Japanese mafias Triad and Yakuza. Crawford chases the killer while the mobsters kill each other.

Revenge and Yakuza are usually great themes for action movies. In spite of having excellent cast and budget, "Rogue Assassin" unfortunately does not work due to the weak screenplay that uses a predictable collection of clichés with an absolutely unbelievable twist. When Rogue discloses his identity to Crawford, I was irritated and disappointed with the lack of coherence of the character of the FBI agent. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Rogue O Assassino" ("Rogue The Assassin")

FBI agents Jack Crawford (Jason Statham) and Tom Lone (Terry Chen) take on the Yakuza. Tom thinks he shot infamous assassin Rogue (Jet Li) but Rogue returns to massacre him and his family. Three years later, Rogue resurfaces working for Triad boss Li Chang (John Lone) against his former employers, the Yakuza. Jack is now the head of the FBI Asian Crime Task Force and divorced from his wife Jenny (Andrea Roth). Yakuza head sends his daughter Kira (Devon Aoki) to handle an important deal in San Francisco.

Philip G. Atwell is more of a music video director. He needs to do a few more of these films before he can get a handle on this. It's a lot of flash and a lot of pose acting in the place of real tension and intensity. The action is good at times but not great. It's not wild enough to be crazy. Jason Statham is trying his best and Jet Li keeps up even with his limited English. Atwell just doesn't have the skills yet. It's a good first effort.