Cradle 2 the Grave

REVIEW
A wretched action film, Cradle 2 the Grave has DMX and Li searching for some pricey gems (which are actually deadly weapons) before baddie Dacascos can sell them to the highest, most evil bidder. The always annoying Anderson is on hand to enhance the pain, and Union winds up with an extremely tacky, chauvinistic role. Even the action (barring a watchable four-wheeler chase scene) is dull; a can't-miss, climactic, duel-to-the-death between Li and Dacascos is botched by excessive cross-cutting to other characters' fights, and some truly corny special effects. With Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds and now Cradle, Bartkowiak is shaping up to be one of the worst action directors of all time. Even diehard Li fans can skip this clunker.