The Art of War

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The Art of War

R

2000

1h 57m

Mystery & Thriller

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

16%

Tomatometer

80 Reviews

35%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

He is both agent and weapon - a critical line of defense for the Secretary General of the United Nations. He does not even officially exist. Neil Shaw, an American agent who must uncover an international plot to bring down the United Nations on the eve of an historic summit with China. A mysterious chain of events leads to the murder of the Chinese U.N. Ambassador. When Shaw is accused of the crime, he must go underground -- in effect, vanish from his own life.

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Critics Consensus

Excessively noisy and overly reliant on genre clichés, The Art of War wastes its star's charisma on a ridiculous, convoluted plot and poorly edited action sequences.

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Emanuel Levy

Variety

In this pretentiously titled international thriller, which is sloppily directed, Wesley Snipes plays an American agent who gets involved in the emerging relations between China and the Western world, with a shaky U.N. placed right in the middle.

Rated: C-

Feb 12, 2007

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Bob Thomas

Associated Press

Gun battles, explosions, car chases, running races ad infinitum. Also lots of breaking glass. All this punctuated by thunderous music and sometimes thunder itself.

Jan 1, 2000

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John Anderson

Newsday

The Art of War seems to be processed through some demented kaleidoscope, suggesting a film that might exist while the one that does is giving you a headache.

Jan 1, 2000

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Even the mystery of the double and triple-crosses doesn't really matter; it devolves into a bullet-dodging, body-battering, scenery-demolishing collection of brawls.

Rated: 3/10

Sep 25, 2020

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Gerry Gallo

Hollywood.com

Rated: 2/5

Nov 20, 2008

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...[features] several unexpectedly enthralling action sequences...

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 11, 2008

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Allan C

Great cast, okay action, terrible script The Art of War (2000) **1/2 A dumb script hampers a good cast (Wesley Snipes, Michael Biehn, Donald Sutherland, Anne Archer, Maury Chaykin, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and James Hong) and some slickly executed action sequences. Snipes plays a covert operative chasing down the assassin of a UN Ambassador, while also protecting a witness. Characters are underdeveloped, the plot twists are predictable, and it overall feels more like a script for a JCVC or Steven Seagal direct-to-video action flick. Still, the strong cast makes the film far more entertaining than it deserves, especially Archer in an uncharacteristically menacing role and the always colorful character actor Chaykin. Snipes is good too and has plenty of opportunities to show off his martial arts skills, which is fun if that's your sort of thing. AI CAPSUL REVIEW: A stacked cast and some stylish fight scenes can’t save *The Art of War* from its clunky, predictable script. Wesley Snipes brings his usual charisma and martial arts chops, but the underdeveloped characters and made-for-video plotting keep this firmly in forgettable action-thriller territory rather than top-tier fare.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/21/25

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Jelisije J

A mind numbing action movie with a predictable plot with mediocre action and acting.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/28/24

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Steve D

Ok action film but not a lot too it.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

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Audience Member

The worst 01 hour: and 57 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

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Audience Member

This movie is confusing and lacks the action it said it give. It sucks big time!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I find it to be the biggest insult to action films when an action film with a punchy title of "The Art of War" and featuring Wesley Snipes, can be so utterly boring and forgettable.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

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Christian Duguay

Director

Wesley Snipes

Shaw

Anne Archer

Eleanor Hooks

Maury Chaykin

Cappella

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

Chan

Donald Sutherland

Douglas Thomas

Executive Decision

62%

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Synopsis

He is both agent and weapon - a critical line of defense for the Secretary General of the United Nations. He does not even officially exist. Neil Shaw, an American agent who must uncover an international plot to bring down the United Nations on the eve of an historic summit with China. A mysterious chain of events leads to the murder of the Chinese U.N. Ambassador. When Shaw is accused of the crime, he must go underground -- in effect, vanish from his own life.

Director: Christian Duguay
Producer: Nicolas Clermont, Oliver Stone
Screenwriter: Wayne Beach, Wayne Beach, Simon Barry
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Morgan Creek Productions, Filmline International, Warner Bros., Franchise Pictures, Quebec Film and Television Tax Credit, Amen Ra Films, Imperial Entertainment
Rating: R (Language|Brief Drug Content|Some Sexuality|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 25, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 2, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $30.2M
Runtime: 1h 57m
Sound Mix: SDDS, DTS, Surround, Dolby EX, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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