Uber-producer Joel Silver first debuted martial-arts star Jet Li in the United States as a scene-stealing villain in "Lethal Weapon 4," then as the star of "Romeo Must Die," both successful films.

Give any hack screenwriter 10 minutes, a martini and a bar napkin and he can probably write a serviceable outline for a movie like "Cradle 2 the Grave." A grab-bag of kung-fu cliches, cardboard ...