Romeo Must Die is a 2000 American action film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak in his feature film directorial debut, and featuring fight choreography by Corey Yuen. The film stars Jet Li and Aaliyah in her feature film debut, and follows a Chinese former police officer travelling to the United States in order to avenge his brother's death. He falls in love with a rival mobster's daughter as they struggle against both the Chinese and the American mobs. The plot is loosely related to William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet transplanted to contemporary Oakland, California, with Black-American and Chinese-American gangs representing the feuding families. Frustrated by the lack of originality in Hollywood action films, producer Joel Silver built the film around Hong Kong action films. He cast established Hong Kong actor Jet Li following his role in Lethal Weapon 4. R&B singer Aaliyah was cast, and sung the soundtrack's lead single "Try Again" which topped the US Billboard Hot 100. Romeo Must Die was released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on March 24, 2000. Despite mixed critical reviews, it was a box office success, grossing $91 million against a production budget of $25 million. The film was considered Li's American film breakthrough and Aaliyah's acting breakthrough. Retrospectively, the film has received attention for the pairing of an Asian-American and Black-American in the lead roles. Plot Po Sing, the youngest son of Chinese Triad boss Ch'u Sing, is accosted by African-Americans in a nightclub in Oakland, California. He is rescued and then admonished by Kai, Ch'u's chief lieutenant. Po leaves the club, but he is found murdered the next day by a bicycle kid. Han Sing, a skilled martial artist and former police officer who has been imprisoned in Hong Kong, learns of his brother's death and escapes. He travels to Oakland to investigate, where Ch'u is engaged in a joint business venture with Isaak O'Day, a black real estate developer and gang leader. The two have been acquiring deeds to properties along the waterfront to sell to Vincent Roth, a business magnate who plans to buy a new NFL franchise and build a stadium. Despite Ch'u's assurances that their partnership remains intact, Isaak fears retribution following Po's death and has his chief lieutenant, Mac, place security details on his son Colin and his daughter Trish, the latter of whom refuses to be involved in her father's illegal enterprises. In