While Sylvester Stallone (“Rambo: First Blood”) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (“Terminator 2: Judgment Day”) struggled to keep their own careers going in the 1990s, another star was able to do just that in this one decade that really got going: Wesley Snippen. Snipes would become an action icon thanks to his performance as Daywalker in the recently cult FSK 18 thriller “Blade”.
In addition to “Demolition Man”, “Drop Zone”, “Passenger 57” and “Murder in the White House”, “The Art Of War” is also repeatedly considered one of the action highlights of Wesley Snipes’ work. Haven’t you seen the movie yet? Then you can stream it on Amazon Prime Video for a small additional fee. It’s worth it, if only because the film here – unlike most TV broadcasts – is available in the unabridged FSK 18 version.
That’s what ‘The Art Of War’ is about
Chinese Ambassador Wu is assassinated during a UN meeting. The incomprehensible act could become a stumbling block for a major trade deal with China, especially as several other acts of violence have caused discontent. FBI agent Neil Shaw (Wesley Snipes) is wrongly suspected of being the ambassador’s killer.
He then frees himself from custody to single-handedly search for the real people behind it. During his investigation, he stumbles upon a conspiracy whose dimensions become increasingly confusing. The interpreter Julia Fang (Marie Matiko) supports him in his efforts to ward off threats to world security. But their opponents want to do everything they can to prevent the treasonous plan to destroy the UN from being exposed. Shaw and Fang are in grave danger…
Particularly valuable?!
Although ‘The Art Of War’ received a lot of attention from the trade press – which is not exactly unusual for action films – the film can be celebrated as a real highlight among Wesley Snipes fans. This is not only due to the presence of the protagonist, who was introduced here shortly after ‘Blade’. “The Art Of War” also certainly deserves the FSK 18 rating – because it is often not exactly prudish here.
What is almost a bit funny is the fact that “The Art Of War” received approval from the German Film and Media Review FBW in Wiesbaden. This was given to the film by the director Christian Duguay nor the rating “particularly valuable”. This puts the Snipes thriller on par with films like Michael Haneke’s ‘The White Ribbon’ or Taika Waitit’s ‘Jojo Rabbit’. There’s no doubt that “The Art Of War” is really worth seeing, right?