Warner Bros. original film Romeo Must Die was released March 24, 2000.
#RomeoMustDie made $91M at the international box office.
rottentomatoes: 32%
metacritic: 52
imdb: 6.1
Trish O’Day
A son and a daughter of warring crime families Sing and O’Day fall in love in San Francisco, California.
“Make those lemon tarts for the kids, okay? Yes? Okay… here you go. You’re welcome, dear. Yes? One minute. Amy! Help her out for me? She’ll help you. So what are y’all over here doing? No, you didn’t! Girl, tell him to turn up the music, okay? Show ’em how we used to do it. Whoo! Yeah, what, what? Whoo! Hey, watch the store for me, okay? Earth, Wind and Fire. Do I know you? What? Right, right. What’s your name again, something starts with an ‘M?’ Moron. Maurice. Well, Maurice, dear, as much as I’d love to reminisce with you, I’m really busy right now, so let’s do this later, okay? Excuse me? Let me tell you something, okay? Whatever my father and Mac are into has nothing to do with me, okay? So stop wasting my time. That’s ridiculous. Waiting for the magic word. Oh, you think you’re funny, don’t you? Say, can I get my leg in the car? Damn.” — Trish O’Day
“Hey, what’s up, Alonso? Oh, just chilling. Getting some albums. Yeah. Yeah. Thanks. Thank you. Oh, thank goodness. Just drive. You know what then? Jesus! 2 words for you, buddy. On duty. 50 bucks. Look, please just do me a favor and get me out of here, all right? Nobody. God! Where the hell did you learn to drive, ‘Ahk–‘ Ahkbar? You gonna start the meter? You steal a lot of cabs in Hong Kong? No, no. Just turn here. So, Ahkbar, tell me. Is it true what they say about Hong Kong? You know, all you guys do Kung Fu. Can you break one of those boards with your head? That I’d have to see. You must be a very dangerous man. No. Don’t take this personal, but I’ve been around a lot more dangerous guys than you. Right here is fine. No, you can keep it. I won’t call the cops. You know, you seem like a nice guy. Really? Well, you should find a new profession. You think I want you calling me? Yeah, well, dead giveaway. Besides… you drive like shit.” — Trish O’Day
“Hey, hey, hey, now. Sorry I’m late. Oh, really? Funny. Well, I got some hot stuff. I asked you not to do business here. I mean it, Colin. Come on. This is my place, okay? And I got little kids hangin’ here all the time. So if this is what you’re gonna be about– fine. Colin! Colin, wait. Wait. Look, I’m sorry. I just worry about you, okay? That’s all.” — Trish O’Day
“Try the parking lot. Was that one of your jobs, too? I’m sorry, Mac. Poor baby. Have I got you all wrong? I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me? Facade. Well, you got some serious facade going on, Mac. Oh, is that what you think I’m doin’? You’re an errand boy for my father. You’re nothing. How could I have missed it? I think I’m hopelessly in love with you. You know, fill yourself all you want. I just lost my appetite.” — Trish O’Day
“Ahkbar. What the hell are you doing here? No, I’m not talking to you! You get the hell out of my apartment before I call the cops. No. You know, you’re the only guy I know working his way down the criminal ladder. What’s up with you? It is. But I don’t think I know who your brother is, and why would he want to talk to me? Yeah, but not to talk to me. I got a girl that works the register, it could have been her. Um, once in a while my brother comes– Colin. Sometimes he makes calls from the shop. Mostly when I’m not around. That’s Maurice and the gang. Look, Ahkbar, I think it’s– well, Han, look, if these guys find you up here, you’re gonna have some serious problems. So I suggest you go out the window. All right. Your funeral. He’s the delivery boy, moron. You’re right, I’m sorry. I keep forgettin’, boo. You hungry, baby?” — Trish O’Day
“Thank you so much. Oh, jeez. Do you think you could find something better to do than creep up on me? And besides, aren’t you in the wrong part of town? Hold on one minute. Come on, kids. All right, all right. Who wants what? Hey. Aw, come on. Give him the yellow one. He’s the baby. Stop. You want one? Well, you don’t get the yellow one. You get a green one. What made you think I’d talk to my brother? See that guy coming over here? He works for my dad. He’s got a really bad attitude. We met in line. You know, I didn’t even catch your name. What’s your name? Ahkbar. Well, Ahkbar, this is Mac. Mac, Ahkbar. Oh, yeah.” — Trish O’Day
Han Sing
“I’m going to the track. I have a tip on the 3rd race. I have to go.”
“Thank you. Excuse me. Can you take me here? 2 words: off duty. Who’s that? Hong Kong. Do you want me to pull over? What’s that? Of course. State law. Sure. Are you scared? No charge. I don’t want your money. I am. What’s your name? I don’t have a phone.”
“Yes we will, hold on to me. Toward the lights of Hong Kong.”
“Follow her. I need to ask you something. Please. This is the last number my brother called before he was murdered. It’s the number of your shop. He called your store. Brother? Could you talk to him? By the way, my name is Han. No. I like this way. Dim sum good! You call again! Dim sum all the time. Thanks! Great country. Free cars.”
“Father. How did Po die? Tell me who killed Po. I went to prison, and you fled to America… where was the great honor? What kind of father is that? You still don’t understand. I promised my mother I would take care of my younger brother. That’s why I’m here today. I entrusted Po to you once before. You told me then not to worry.”
“And you? Tell me. What happened that night? Why there? Why fight with blacks? People don’t get soft in prison.”
“You must be hungry. I went to your store. They tell me you were here. Sure. I want the yellow one. Did you talk to your brother? My friends call me Ahkbar. Me? No. I don’t know this game. Oh, yeah. Right on. That’s all?”
Isaak O’Day
“Tiger, you killing me, man, you killing me. I hate this game. Let me take it in the house. I need a break any damn way. Ha ha! Come on. You know why I’m stressing, man. Because, all future business deals will take place not in the damn pool hall but in somebody’s country club. You know that. Long as I’m breathing, you ain’t never got to worry about no classifieds. Come on, boy. You know it’s me and you. Hello. Hey, now. What you got for me? You sure about that? All right. Somebody canceled Chu’s boy. You set up a meeting with Chu A.S.A.P. And then you find out who killed his boy.”
“Thank you. Mr. Sing, you have my deepest, deepest condolences. What happened to your son was tragic, Mr. Sing. Very unnecessary. I want you to know I’ll be looking into this myself, personally. Mr. Sing, with all due respect, there is no way in the world that anybody in my camp would be foolish enough to touch your family, anymore than anybody in your camp would be stupid enough to touch mine. It just wouldn’t happen. I’m pleased to hear that. Thank you. Mac, make sure we got round-the-clock security for my son and my daughter.”
“Ah, progressing real nice, man. Yeah, I just have 3 more deeds to get signed over, that’s all. I know what the deadline is. You gotta remember something, Mr. Roth. A lot of these people have owned them stores for 30 years or more. So what they need a couple more days to mull over their decision? I can understand that. These are real tense times right now. You know what I mean? Shit. Hmm. You know what? This shaft, I don’t like it. It ain’t workin’ for me. If I say I’ll deliver, I’ll deliver.”
“You mean Chu’s boy? Jesus Christ. What’d he want, Colin? Colin, you be in my office in one hour. You got that? Hey! All the way down the end, there. Collin, finish telling me about this call you got. For what? A little somethin’-somethin’, huh? You know, as soon as you got that call, you should have told me. You know that, right? Huh? Hey. Who the hell you talkin’ to? I will knock the black off you, boy. You lookin’ out for me? I don’t need you to look out for me, Colin. Have a seat, Colin. Go on, sit down. Come on. I’ve been working on a big deal. A real big deal. And when it goes through, we are out of this gangster nonsense for good. I mean, everything we do will be strictly legit from here on out. I mean I got something else lined up for my boy. And you will get to run with this ball. I guarantee that. But, Colin, you got to use your head. And you got to listen. You understand what I’m saying to you? Finish your drink.”
“Hey. Calvin’s place? He was the sweetest guy in the world, Mac. Mm-hmm. Just give me a minute.”
Kai
“Let it go, Po. This is a hassle we don’t need. Po, get them out of here. Now. Let’s go. Guess I could use a little exercise. Ladies, excuse us, please. Get them out of here. You, too. You, too, please. What the hell were you doing in there? We’re in the middle of a damn war. These black guys will bury you the first chance they get. I work for your father. Get your head out of your ass, Po. As long as there’s a war going on, you are my responsibility.”
“Mr. O’Day… Mr. Sing’s at gate B-12. Keeps everybody honest, my man.”
“The old man didn’t think you’d make it. I knew you would. It’s been a long time, Han. It’s good to see you. He got in a fight in a black club. I tried to bail him out. Threats had already been made. They got Po the same evening before I could find him again. He wouldn’t tell me. You know, Han, your brother could be a loose cannon at times, but he didn’t deserve this. Well, the waterfront’s only 4 square miles. Half of the businesses belong to us, the other half to them. It was just a matter of time. I was afraid prison would make you soft. Pretty good.”
Mac
“I don’t even know why you stressing it, man. Isaak, you serious about going straight, just wanna know if you got a plan for old Mac. Or should I start, uh, looking at the classifieds? All right. What’s wrong? So what’s wrong, man? What? Don’t even sweat it. Okay? I got it.”
“Nice touch on the metal detectors, my man. It’s all been arranged, chief. Is she here? So, what’s good here? Ooh. Look, I’m trying to do my job, Trish. Just like Mo. Yeah, he told me the shit you pulled this morning. Plain stupid is what it was. Things are gonna get real tense now that that Chinese dude got popped. You know what I mean? No, you know that shoddy work, you know that’s not my style. You don’t have a clue what I’m about, do you? Well, for starters, you gotta just get past the facade. Oh, well, so do you. So does everybody, and this miss ‘I don’t need nobody’ isn’t you. Not the real you. You savin’ yourself for Kobe Bryant or some TV dream-dude or somethin’? Well, I think that you need to consider the possibility that you’ve already met him. Fair enough. But there comes a time when a man has to strike out on his own. Stake his own claim. You fun all you like, but sooner or later, this man’s gonna be way too much for you. Those big old brown eyes gonna get all misty just wishin’ there were 2 of me. Sit down. You don’t have to respect me, but you will respect your father and let us protect you. Do you understand? Do you understand?! If I want Eddie Murphy, I’ll go to the goddamn movies. You got that? Let’s get out of here. Give him some fat-free water or something.”
“Collard green. Somethin’ wrong? Hey, chief. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you need to see this. Mm-hmm. I think I’d better, uh, wrap up these acquisitions pretty quickly for you, Isaak. Things are getting pretty crazy around here. You gonna be okay? Okay, boss. Hey, time out. Who’s your friend? Ah. Yeah, well, Salaam Malekum, Ahkbar. Well, check this out. We can’t get this game started because we’re a man short. Like to help us out? Yeah. Man, it’s as easy as breathing. Besides, Trish loves football players. Don’t you, Trish? Yeah. Fellas, got myself a fresh recruit. He’s a rookie, so take it easy on him. And the brothers and I always give rookies warm welcomes. All right? So you don’t have to worry about a thing. I just need you to stand behind me. I’m gonna give you the ball, and you run to the far end of the field. Got it? That’s all. Set! Mo, let’s see your special on this one, all right? Mo’s special! Hut! Hut!”
Vincent Roth
“How are those acquisitions coming along? Let me be clear with you. You don’t play around with the NFL. It’s their America, and their deadline is progressing in less than a week. Isaak, you’re murdering yourself. Golf is a game of finesse, not power. In that way, it’s much like the rest of life. The key is letting the body work together. You want to get a good shoulder turn, so the wrist breaks naturally. Make sure you keep your eyes on the ball. Save the excuses. With all due respect to your sentimental shop owners, without the deeds, there’s no land deal. Without the land deal, there’s no presentation. Without the presentation, there’s no– hey, Dave, what’s the popular term these days? That’s right. No cheddar. Do I make myself clear?”
Colin O’Day
“You know that Chinese guys that got whacked? Yeah, yeah. Ain’t that some shit? Same night he got killed, pop. I don’t know. It’s– oh, hey, look, man. Let me holler back at you later, all right? Okay. Hi, sis. Nice to see you, too. Look, don’t even start the ‘if this is what you’re gonna be about’ speech, all right? For once, let’s not go there. I was on the phone talking to pop. Now, he’s– hey, look, come on. He’s a businessman. I work for this businessman. Stop trippin’ over this shit. Yeah, I know… and I love you, too, Trish, but you ain’t gotta worry about me. I’m fine.”
“Guy calls me up, says he wants to meet me. I don’t know, pop. Shit, we didn’t talk that long. Just said he had a little somethin’-somethin’ he thought might put a stop to this way, so, you know… a little somethin’-somethin’. Anyway, I didn’t trust his ass, so I tell him meet me at Silk’s. And maybe next time I cross the street, you should hold my damn hand. I don’t mean no disrespect, pop. But I’m just tryin’ to be a man here, and you ain’t makin’ that real easy. I’m lookin’ out for you. What do you mean? Yeah, pop.”
“Black Mac. You tell me.”
Chu Sing
“Thank you. You will forgive me if I’m not easily moved. Our business venture will continue.”
“We are not the blacks, Victor. Our loyalty to each other is unquestioned. We will only do that when it serves us best.”
“Son. How did you get out? So you escaped from prison? Still the policeman. You helped your brother and me escape arrest. There was great honor there. I had no choice. If I hadn’t left Hong Kong I would have faced the death sentence. Remember, it was you who chose to reject me. Han… let Kai worry about this. Han. Han, Han. I don’t want to lose another son.”
Po Sing
“Excuse me? That’s real nice. We haven’t finished our drinks yet. What–what you doing, Kai? No, no. Stay. Stay. I’m a big boy now, in case you haven’t noticed. You work for me, Kai. I can take care of myself.”
“Han, we’re not going to make it. Which way are we going?”
Silk
“Guns don’t kill people. People kill people. For example, these two guys with the machine guns, if they start blasting off, ain’t none of y’all going home! Now, you guys are disturbing my business, so if your ass ain’t black, you better get up out of here before it really get hot. Let’s go.”
Maurice
“Oh, shit! He-hey! What a name for a store. ‘Serpentine Fire.’ That’s tight. That’s real tight. Kool and the Gang jam from back in the day, right? Right, right, right! That serious shit. How you gonna play me like that? Now, you know I work for your pops. There. That’s it, that’s it– funny. It’s Maurice, all right? No, no, no. It don’t work like that. Look, your father could be catching some serious static, and Mac wants me to watch your back. You can hate on them all you want, all right? That’s your business. But if they tell me not to let you out of my sight, I don’t care if you’re going to confession. It’s gonna be you, me, and the priest. Hey, look. My ride’s right over there. Back seat or the trunk. You know what I’m saying? Make it easy on yourself. Your choice, baby girl. Please? Stuck-up. I got some Jell-o and coloring books in the back. Well, you know, I’m baby-sitting. Shit, I got to bring something for the kids. Damn.”
“Hey, how you doing? How you doing? Hey, this shit tight, huh? This shit’s tight in here. Hey, girl, what’s your name? I said what’s your name? Oh, what, what, you don’t like a big man? You not knowing. You not knowing. Ha ha ha ha! There’s a lot of playground here, girl… you might wanna come play with it. Girl, you ever had a man with a gap in his mouth? Ha ha ha! This my shit! Ha ha! Shit! This my shit right here! Oh, yeah, I got something for you right now– I know. It’s my bad. Shit… Trish! Trish! I’m gonna find your Aaliyah-looking ass! I know where you work at!”
“Right there, man. Hey, Mac, you so smooth with the ladies, baby. Yeah, dog. Where my drink, man?! What the fuck you lookin’ at? Hey, hey. Whoa, brother, what you doin’ here botherin’ Miss O’Day? You stay her. Look, I done told you about that. My name is Maurice, all right? Hey, dog. Do you smell somethin’? Then where the hell’s the takeout food? Cover the front. Hey, Dim Sum! You’s a real funny man! Now, you know Mr. O’Day don’t let things slide lightly. He also don’t like the wrong element around his daughter. So it’s up to me not to let it happen. Kick his ass. Now, you know you ain’t the only one that knows some shit. Whaa! Get him! Get him! Shit! He’s headed around the front!”
“Hell you talkin’ about? Ain’t nobody ever kicked my ass. W-what the hell you all talkin’ about?”
Hong Kong
“Hey! Where are you going? You have a tip? Tell me about it. I had a tip once, but I didn’t place the bet. There goes my day. Hey! Wait a minute. Place a bet for me too.”
O’Day Camp
“Amazing Grace. My grandmother used to sing that song to me. I especially like the part that goes ‘I once was lost, but now I’m found.’ Take you, for instance. You got to be a fool to roll up in here, man. But I figure you might be lost. So I tell you what: see this here? This for your bill. And, uh, since you look like such a jovial individual, that’s for the tip. So why don’t you find our ass out of here, man? You finished now? And don’t come back, zipperhead. Get off! In case you wanna gamble with your life, Casino’s as good a place as any.”
“Isaak? You have a phone call.”
“All the way down! Keep moving! Move it out!”
“No, I don’t smell nothin’. Who that motherfucker?”
“Come on, come on. Don’t be coy. What you callin’ the time out for? Yo, ain’t that the guy? Hell, yeah. Same chump took Mo’s ride after he beat us down. That’s him. That’s the dude. Gimme that. We’re comin’, boys.”
Sing Camp
“The honorable Sun-Tzu was lost to us by assassination less than a month ago. A grocery store was firebombed and his wife killed. With all respect, Ch’u, any of us could be killed at any time, overlord or not. Yes. Yes. At least let us strike harder, show our true strength.”
San Francisco, California
“Oh, my God.”
“Trish! I need to get a signature from you. All right. Thanks. Excuse me. Do you have this in a small? Come on, Trish, let’s see if you got a little something-something. Whoo! Turn up the music. Come on. Break it on down. Okay, I got you.”
“Well, the NFL announced Friday that Oakland will become home to its newest expansion team. The question of who the new owners will be is still unresolved. For more, we go to Jody Vance with Sport Scene. That’s absolutely right, Perry. Several groups of investors will be presenting proposals to the NFL this week…”
“I thought we were done with this football crap when the Raiders left town a second time. Yeah. Well, jobs. What? Jobs, Calvin. See, if they have to build another stadium, some of us that have been less fortunate can obtain jobs, so… Harold, your unfortunate ass been sitting in that same chair for the last 15 years. You couldn’t obtain a job if one bit you 2 times in the butt. You think you’re funny, don’t you? Ha ha ha! Got a package for you, Calvin. That’s why I’m laughing, ’cause you think you’re funny. Thanks. You want a job, Harold? Open this damn box. Well-looky-looky. Who sent you a present? I don’t know. Probably your wife. There you go again! Ha ha ha!”
“Off duty. What’s the story, can’t you understand English? 2 words: off duty.”
“Hey! Hey, Trish. What’s up? This it today? Yeah. You want this on your tab? You want this on your tab? Okay. Ooh!”
“Cheddar. Hey, girl. Knowing the way you like to shop, I’d say you’re early. Ooh, good. Work it out. Your brother’s in the back. Good afternoon. Serpentine Fire. Hello?”
“That’s it right over there.”
“Here you go. I wanted the yellow one.”
O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.
— Juliet
