Hip-Hop Kung Fu
Jet Li broke through with American audiences in the late 90s with his villainous turn in Lethal Weapon 4. When it came time for him to return to his heroic roots, Warner Bros. and Joel Silver would work with him again in the bold, cultural-fusion action film Romeo Must Die. Not only would it be Li’s first starring role in an American-produced film, but it would also mark the acting debut of R&B star Aaliyah. The two are thrown into a modern interpretation of Romeo and Juliet, with emphasis on both the Hong Kong-inspired wirework action and the booming urban soundtrack.
Toy Robot’s 4K
According to The Disc-Connected account on Facebook, Arrow Video’s Toy Robot label is bringing Romeo Must Die to a new remastered 4K Blu-ray in January 4, 2027. The description reads, “Jet Li, in his first English language lead role, plays the rough-and-ready, ex-cop Han Sing who heads to America to find the truth behind his brother’s mysterious murder. He soon falls for Trish O’Day (the screen debut of singer Aaliyah), even though their families are rivals in a fierce Oakland turf battle. As the pair investigate the real cause of the blood feud, they quickly expose themselves to danger from both sides.
A modern-day action-packed Romeo and Juliet told with gravity-warping martial arts action, cool visual effects and an all-star music soundtrack, ROMEO MUST DIE also stars Isaiah Washington (EXIT WOUNDS), Russell Wong (NEW JACK CITY), DMX (CRADLE 2 THE GRAVE) and Delroy Lindo (SINNERS).”
The Special Features include:
- NEW 4K scan from the original camera negative
- NEW The Director’s Cinematographer, interview with cinematographer Glen MacPherson
- NEW The DMX Legacy: Romeo Must Die, interview with DMX’s estate administrators Sasha Simmons and Desiree Lindstrom
- Thirteen Behind-the-Scenes featurettes
- Two Music Videos
- The Making of Aaliyah’s Try Again
- Theatrical Trailers
- TV Spots
Technical Specs:
- Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1 - Audio
TBA - Subtitles
TBA - Discs
4K Ultra HD
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD-50) - Packaging
Slipcover in original pressing - Playback
4K Blu-ray: Region free
2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)
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