I actually enjoyed the film as a whole. Some of what Silver was shooting for worked and some things didn't. I thought the talented supporting cast did an excellent job in this film. Aaliyah in her first acting role was cute and funny. Isaiah "Drum Line" Washington turned in a convincing portrayal as Delroy Lindo's right hand man. Anthony Anderson was the comic relief, and Russell Wong was an excellent gang lieutenant for the Asian gang headed by Jet's father. I even liked DMX's line about guns don't kill, people do. What did not work was the limited use of Jet Li's fighting ability in the film. The x-ray sequences of breaking bones were annoying, but I guess if it worked in Sonny Chiba's "Street Fighter", why not here? I also thought the growing relationship between Jet and Aaliyah could have developed more. They could have at least let the man kiss her! Jet did his best in his second English-speaking role but he did seem limited by the script and his command of the English language at the time of this film.

With all this said, the total package for the script was entertaining in this mix of hip-hop stars and martial arts. Recommended for hip-hop fans, Joel Silver action fans, and Jet Li completists only.