The Replacement Killers

"Kill or be replaced."

1998 1h 27m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 608

ActionCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Hired assassin John Lee is asked by Chinatown crime boss Terence Wei to murder the young son of policeman Stan Zedkov. Lee has the boy in his sights, but his conscience gets the better of him, and he spares the child's life. Afraid that Wei will take revenge on his family in China, Lee seeks out expert forger Meg Coburn to obtain the passport he needs to get out of the country, but a band of replacement killers is soon on his trail.

“Kill or be replaced.”

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Cast

Chow Yun-Fat
John Lee
Mira Sorvino
Meg Coburn
Michael Rooker
Stan 'Zeedo' Zedkov
Kenneth Tsang
Terence Wei
Jürgen Prochnow
Michael Kogan
Til Schweiger
Ryker
Danny Trejo
Collins
Clifton Collins Jr.
Loco

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Writers: Ken Sanzel
Languages: Cantonese, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 64% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Cantonese, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, shot by Peter Lyons Collister. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Harry Gregson-Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jay Cassidy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Chow Yun-Fat and Mira Sorvino and Michael Rooker carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Antoine Fuqua directs. Peter Lyons Collister behind the camera. Harry Gregson-Williams scores. Jay Cassidy cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Cantonese, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Earned back only 64% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
328 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Cantonese, English.
5Directed by Antoine Fuqua, shot by Peter Lyons Collister. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Harry Gregson-Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Jay Cassidy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Chow Yun-Fat and Mira Sorvino and Michael Rooker carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Kill or be replaced.".
10IMDB entry: tt0120008 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 24 themes, including "drug dealer", "sniper", "martial arts", "china".
12Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Peter Lyons Collister
Original score: Harry Gregson-Williams
Editing: Jay Cassidy
Production design: Naomi Shohan
Costume design: Arianne Phillips
Makeup / hair: Zoltan Elek
VFX supervisor: Kelley Ray
Sound: Doug Hemphill
Stunt coordinator: Allan Graf
Runtime: 87 min · 1h 27m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $30,000,000
Box office: $19,200,000
Return: 64% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Replacement Killers (1998)

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Antoine Fuqua

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Community reviews

What people are saying

JPV8522022-02-20
★ 7/10
Not a great action-thriller (one of many of the East meets West team-up pictures of the late 90s/early aughts) but has its moments and liked the pairing of Chow Yun-fat and Bridget Fonda. Still relatively entertaining though apparently highly edited by the studio removing much of the romance between Yun-Fat and Fonda, with only little bits of dialogue left over. 3.25/5
Dr Nostromo2026-06-05
★ 7/10
66/100 For his directorial debut, Antoine Fuqua ("The Equalizer", "Training Day", "Shooter") gives us a shoot 'em up, action piece straight out of the John Woo instruction manual. A hit man refuses to fulfill his last assignment putting his own family in peril. Providing just enough of a story for us to follow, this film is really nothing more that one gunfight after another ...but that's OK. The action choreography, the colorful characters, especially the chemistry between Chow Yun-Fat & Mira Sorvino, and the overall level of excitement works extremely well. Good fun! -- DrNostromo.com