Still, amid the end-of-summer trash being swept out the studio doors, "The Art of War" (yes, another tiresome reference to the proto-management text by Sun Tzu) comes off as a delirious, high-energy action fantasy with plenty of wit and style. It chokes on its serpentine plot twists in the end, like a boa constrictor swallowing its own tail. But for action-adventure fans who feel a little underserved this summer, it should make Labor Day more tolerable.

French Canadian director Christian Duguay does not display an original idea in the entire film, but he's a slick synthesist who melds various styles effectively and sustains a mood of deepening paranoia. (His earlier films have included a nifty little thriller called "The Assignment" as well as "Screamers," an intriguing horror/sci-fi combo.) "The Art of War" is part James Bond adventure -- and Wesley Snipes looks smashing in that tuxedo -- part Hong Kong-style action blowout and part deep-cover espionage in the philosophical potboiler vein of John le Carré.

Throw in some generic post-"Blade Runner" rain-soaked cinematography, some slo-mo explosions in the "Terminator" mode (appropriately enough, Duguay is slated to direct "Terminator 3") and, hell, you've got a movie better than most I've seen in the past three months.

People around me were snickering at the convoluted plot, which involves secret United Nations intelligence agents, tattooed Triad gangsters, Chinese government officials and wacko right-wing moles in high places. But I'm a sucker for this stuff; if "Billion Dollar Brain" or "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" were on TV right now, I wouldn't be sitting here at my computer.

Since the end of the Cold War, few films have successfully captured the mood of existential loneliness found in the best thrillers of that era. (Brian De Palma's "Mission: Impossible is among the rare exceptions, while John Woo's sequel, for all its pyrotechnics, felt flaccid and plotless by comparison.) For most viewers, the appeal of "The Art of War" will lie in Snipes' potent physicality and charisma, but the script by Wayne Beach and Simon Davis Barry is cleverly constructed and loaded with enjoyable flourishes.

Now playing: Read all the recent movie reviews by Salon's critics