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The Art of War

Play trailer Poster for The Art of War R 2000 1h 57m Mystery & Thriller Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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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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The Art of War

The Art of War

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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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Critics Reviews

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Emanuel Levy Variety Feb 12, 2007
C-
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. Go to Full Review Bob Thomas Associated Press Jan 1, 2000
Gun battles, explosions, car chases, running races ad infinitum. Also lots of breaking glass. All this punctuated by thunderous music and sometimes thunder itself. Go to Full Review John Anderson Newsday Jan 1, 2000
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. Go to Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Sep 25, 2020
3/10
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. Go to Full Review Gerry Gallo Hollywood.com Nov 20, 2008
2/5
David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Aug 11, 2008
2.5/4
...[features] several unexpectedly enthralling action sequences... Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Allan C @RT15713161 Sep 21, 2025 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. See more Jelisije J @jjosifovic Dec 28, 2024 A mind numbing action movie with a predictable plot with mediocre action and acting. See more Steve D @RT35616104 Feb 6, 2023 Ok action film but not a lot too it. See more Jul 29, 2022 The worst 01 hour: and 57 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Jun 22, 2021 This movie is confusing and lacks the action it said it give. It sucks big time! See more Feb 2, 2021 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. See more Read all reviews
The Art of War

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Cast & Crew

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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

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The Art of War

The Art of War (2000) View more photos

Movie Info

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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