Trish and Han first meet when, while trying to shake Maurice (Anthony Anderson), the bodyguard Isaak has assigned to her, Trish gets into a cab that Han has "borrowed." "Maurice is tagging along, watching her, and she decides to take a tight dip and leave," says Aaliyah. "So. she hops into the cab with Han and says, lust drive.' And they like each other right off the bat."
"Aaliyah is so charming," says Li. "She makes it very easy to work with her."
"Aaliyah and Jet have great, immediate chemistry," says Cracchiolo. "You can see how they feel about each other in their eyes. This movie is full of three-dimensional characters because of the actors involved."
Surrounding the two principals are two sets of parallel characters. each occupying a side of the gang conflict. Delroy Lindo and Henry O (known in Asia as Xi Reng Jiang) portray the respective heads of the African American and Asian syndicates, and the motivations of each are constantly in question.
Russell Wong portrays Kai, the Sing family enforcer, who shares a mutually antagonistic relationship with Han. "Kai just does his job without really questioning the moral consequences of his acts," says Russell Wong. "He never loses his cool, even when he's killing someone It's not tough or mean; it's just what he does. lie's comfortable with it. I also feel that Kai has been much more Americanized than Han. And when Han shows up and wants to suddenly play a role in what's going on, he feels his turf is being threatened."
Isaiah Washington portrays Mac, who lusts after the power his boss Isaak O'Day commands. "There is a certain tragedy to this character," says Washington. "He is the kind of guy who has been very ambitious and very jealous of the power structure—be it his father, his direct boss, anyone he has to be subservient to."
To direct the film, Silver and Cracchiolo brought in Andrzej Bartkowiak. who created the visuals on "Lethal Weapon 4." "I really had a great time with Andrzej on 'Lethal Weapon 4,"' Silver recalls. "I was very impressed with his visual style and his understanding of the action medium. tie really contributed a great deal to that movie and I felt that there was a director in him yearning to get out. After 'Lethal Weapon 4,' he segued right into this and I'm happy to help launch that part of his career.
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