Jet Li's 22-Year-Old Hidden Gem Action Movie Was A Critical Flop, But I Think It's Pretty Great

Not only is the Jet Li action vehicle Cradle 2 the Grave underrated, but it’s also got a wildly stacked cast. Producer Joel Silver made his name on hits like the Lethal Weapon or Die Hard movies, but even he grew jaded of American action movies during the late 1990s. This inspired him to give his films a more distinct Hong Kong flair, with the original Matrix being a prime example. Silver also gave martial arts legend Jet Li his American debut in Lethal Weapon 4, where he made a serious impression as the main villain.

Li’s next film was Romeo Must Die, which offered an intriguing combo of Romeo & Juliet with martial arts action. Jet Li’s martial arts movies had a healthy run in Hollywood following Romeo Must Die’s success, with Li fronting more hits like Kiss of the Dragon. One of his last big movies from this era was 2003’s Cradle 2 the Grave, which reunited him with Romeo Must Die director Andrzej Bartkowiak. The story sees Li’s Taiwanese intelligence agent teaming up with a thief to find a special batch of stolen diamonds that have a sinister purpose.

Cradle 2 The Grave Has A Stacked Cast Of Stars

The entire movie is a Romeo Must Die reunion

Cradle 2 the Grave received poor reviews (earning a measly 27% on Rotten Tomatoes), but it was a respectable hit, grossing over $56 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo). The film is the dictionary definition of a guilty pleasure; the story and dialogue are dumb, but it moves fast and the soundtrack is littered with bangers, including DMX’s “X Gon’ Give It to Ya.” Cradle 2 the Grave also features a shockingly great cast, with the film also acting as a Romero Must Die reunion.

DMX is the movie’s co-lead, having previously cameoed in Romeo Must Die alongside co-star Anthony Anderson. DMX and Anderson also starred in the Joel Silver-produced thriller Exit Wounds alongside Tom Arnold, who joins in on the fun in Cradle 2 the Grave. Gabrielle Union (Bad Boys II) plays Daria, a thief and love interest of DMX’s Fait. On the villainous side is Mark Dacascos (John Wick: Chapter 3), who has an epic martial arts fight with Jet Li that closes the movie.

Kelly Hu is the henchwoman to Dacascos’ Ling, who gets her own brutal fight sequence with Union’s character. Filling out the rest of the cast are character actors like Chi McBride and Daniel Dae Kim. The scene where Li is forced into a cage fight is loaded with MMA fighter cameos too, with the likes of Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz and Li’s future Expendables co-star Randy Couture making appearances.

Cradle 2 The Grave Is A Pretty Great Jet Li Action Movie

Cradle 2 the Grave is the end of an unofficial trilogy

Bartkowiak directed Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds and Cradle 2 the Grave in quick succession, all of which were Joel Silver-produced action movies. While they don’t share any characters, all three feature many of the same actors and focus on marital acts action. Cradle 2 the Grave isn’t the best of the three, but it’s still a fun Friday night action flick. The story is barely worth paying attention to and some of the gags fall flat, but it gets by on the charisma of its cast and features a nice variety of setpieces.

What Type Of Martial Arts Does Jet Li Use? Fighting Style & Background Explained

Martial arts star Jet Li is known for his rapid paced fighting style that utilizes an exciting array of weapons – but what is this style called?

There are shootouts, fistfights and a lengthy chase involving an ATV. The editing can be too choppy at times and Exit Wounds had the better action overall, but Cradle 2 the Grave is a fun relic from a short-lived Hollywood trend. Studios don’t make movies like this anymore – for good and for bad. It’s aged poorly in many areas, including some gags that just don’t land anymore (like Anderson’s character acting flamboyantly gay to distract a security guard) and the fashion will forever belong to the early 2000s.

Both Exit Wounds and Cradle 2 the Grave end with Anthony Anderson and Tom Arnold improvising their way through the credits, with latter scene even breaking the fourth wall by having them refer to the ending of Exit Wounds.

Its faults aside, Cradle 2 the Grave is an easy watch that also looks a good deal more cinematic than even modern-day action movies. It helps that somebody like Jet Li is fronting it, who is so cool that his character often fights with one hand stuffed into his pocket.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo