Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
Neil Shaw is both agent and weapon - a critical line of defense for the Secretary General of the United Nations. He does not even officially exist. As an international security expert, he must uncover an international plot in which ruthless terrorists threatened 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, and the terrorists frame Neil Shaw, the one man they believe can stop them. Accused of the crime, Shaw goes underground — in effect, vanishing from his own life — as he tries to stop what could become World War III.
The Art of War is a fairly generic late-90s/early-2000s action thriller that squanders an interesting UN/geopolitical backdrop with a convoluted, implausible plot full of clichés. Wesley Snipes brings physicality but the script gives him little to work with, and the supporting cast is underutilized. The cinematography has some slick, competent action staging typical of the era but nothing memorable. The framed-man-goes-underground premise is well-worn, and the film adds little new to the genre. The ending ties things up messily without satisfying payoff.