Romeo Must Die is a 2000 American action film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak in his directorial debut, and features fight choreography by Corey Yuen. The film stars Jet Li, Aaliyah (in her film debut), Isaiah Washington, Russell Wong, DMX, and Delroy Lindo. The plot is loosely related to William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, transplanted to contemporary Oakland with African 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.