The Art of War III: Retribution

Although a slight cut above its immediate predecessor, The Art of War III: Retribution is precisely the sort of tedious and flat-out superfluous endeavor one has come to expect from the straight-to-video action scene. The film substitutes Treach for Wesley Snipes in the central role of Neil Shaw, with the storyline primarily following Shaw and his green partner (Warren Derosa’s Jason) as they attempt to prevent North Korean terrorists from obtaining a nuclear bomb. It’s worth noting that The Art of War III: Retribution benefits substantially from Gerry Lively’s relatively restrained directorial choices, as the filmmaker, in comparison to part two helmer Josef Rusnak’s overcranked sensibilities, generally avoids the temptation to bog the movie’s action sequences down with needlessly ostentatious camera tricks and gimmicks. By that same token, however, Lively’s ongoing difficulties at infusing The Art of War III: Retribution‘s fight scenes with any degree of genuine excitement results in a pervasively lackluster atmosphere that’s perpetuated by the film’s myriad of underwhelming attributes (eg Treach’s sullen, far-from-charismatic performance). The increasingly convoluted storyline ensures that most viewers will have tuned out long before the final confrontation arrives, and one is ultimately forced to label the movie yet another run-of-the-mill actioner that’s been shamelessly designed to capitalize on its progenitor’s mild notoriety.

*1/2 out of ****