Haven't been here for years... all new and shiny these days.
Haven't been here for years... all new and shiny these days.
Member since:31.10.2000
Reviews:148
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Jet Li is undoubtedly one of the finest martial artists to hit the big screen, following in the hallowed footsteps of the breathtaking Bruce Lee and the great stuntman Jackie Chan, Li is definitely not outclassed by his illustrious predecessors. Whilst he doesn’t possess the formidable physique and phenomenal power of Lee and does not achieve the same stunning set piece stunts that have propelled Chan to well-deserved fame in Hollywood, his balletic fluidity and speed of movement are simply a joy to watch. Added to this his steely resolve make him one of a select number of action figures who can actually dominate the screen merely with their unblinking presence.
Unfortunately his acting is limited; admittedly this is in part due to what appears to be a basic grasp of English but can also be largely attributed to the terrible scripts that he has been given. Now I’ll be the first to admit that the martial arts genre does not necessarily require a Shakespearian masterpiece with intrigue and intricacies, as, at the end of the day, the audience really just wants visually stunning action scenes. However, as I’ve mentioned in previous opinions, The Matrix has reset the benchmark combining, as it did, some of the highest calibre fight scenes with a well worked plot, for a more recent example the sublime Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon has some of the most imaginative fight scenes in a film that probably doesn’t qualify as an addition to the action genre for it is a rich,
well developed love story. I, for one, am only ever going to be disappointed if all that is on offer is a rehashed Jean Claude Van Damme or Steven Seagal type affair when the genre has quite clearly moved on.
Personally I enjoyed Kiss of the Dragon more than Jet Li’s previous film, Romeo Must Die, perhaps some of this can be attributed to seeing it in the cinema rather than on the video, but in terms of originality and using Li’s potential it is still disappointing. The story is straight out of the cliché cabinet with Li playing a Chinese cop sent over to scenic Paris to oversee a joint operation, obviously it all goes wrong and Li ends up being set up by his French counterpart and spends the remainder of the film trying to evade capture and kill his enemy after working his way through not inconsiderable protection. To add the necessary emotive element Bridget Fonda appears as a hooker who is trying to clean up and reclaim her child who has been taken by the villain of the film.
So onto the villain, the role of Inspector Richard is abysmally overplayed by Tcheky Karyo, who was superb in the French film Nikita and produced an equally impressive performance in Nostradamus. The character is probably the least believable ‘baddie’ I’ve ever had the misfortune of watching with the tone well and truly set at his introduction to the film where after pummelling some poor unfortunate almost to death in a hotel kitchen he stands and smiles as he witnesses the execution of said unfortunate. The supposed air of menace the newcomer director, Chris Nahon, is trying to impart through Karyo is quite massively misplaced.
Instead the character comes across more caricature than criminal and as the film progresses his unhinged and simply unbelievable behaviour increasingly mars the already disappointing plot. Standing between the inevitable showdown between the Inspector and Li are a horde of similarly unlikely characters that are presumably fellow police officers including twin peroxide headed giants whose martial art skills are such that they are utilised in the finale. Martial arts they can manage, acting is a stretch and convincing the audience that they may be police officers is well out of their range. They are just one example of the script making suspension of disbelief well beyond any semi-intelligent audience.
On the final member of the cast who certainly deserves a mention Fonda plays her character with the correct frailty yet maternal instinctive resolve that I’d imagine such a person might display. Unfortunately even she can do little with a script that generally allows her little scope outside bemoaning her misfortune and inability to trust anyone and her depiction of a junkie hooker thus she actually begins to irritate rather than evoke any real sympathy for her plight. One of these days someone will give Fonda a role that she deserves as, for me, she has been undeservedly overlooked for too long now.
So before I actually give some positive aspects to the film, I must say a word about the direction, Luc Beeson, the masterful French director responsible for the awesome Leon, visually sumptuous Big Blue and stunning Nikita (amongst others) was a co-writer for this film. This raises the question as to why he didn’t direct it and would it have been better if he had? Well the man at the helm Chris Nahon seems out of his league here, guaranteed no one has yet produced a film that has successfully showcases the talents of Li but his handling of the fight scenes is poor and it seems overly complex when simplicity would have been far more effective. His handling of the plot and pacing of the film is hardly inspirational and he has mismanaged Karyo’s character, it is impossible to quantify how much more menacing Gary Oldman was as the corrupt cop in Leon. Whether or not it is fair to lay all this blame on the director I’m not sure but in answer to the second half of my question I can’t believe Beeson would have allowed things to get so out of hand.
So I mentioned that I actually enjoyed watching Kiss of the Dragon and so far have been (perhaps overly) critical of the film. The truth is it has an advantage over Romeo Must Die in one important respect, Li is given much more time doing what he is employed to do and that is dispatch a wide range of enemies using his majestic talents, he also is allowed to perform a series of Jackie Chan-esque stunts albeit with a less comic and harder edge than Chan. In addition the backdrop of Paris gives the film a seductive but menacing edge that aids the atmosphere if not the plot. This for me make the film an improvement over his last outing, yes I would prefer a more substantial plot but in this case they’ve realised that the plot is poor and simplistic and as such thankfully not allowed it to take up to much screen time. In many films I would criticise this as a major disappointment but it actually helps Kiss become more enjoyable particularly for fans of the genre as more time is devoted to what you actually came for.
This is a poor film, the plot is weak, the acting is at best below par and the Karyo is possibly the worst on-screen ‘bad-guy’ I’ve ever seen. The director is unable to successfully display all of Li’s talents and has achieved nothing new with his camera work during the fight scenes. However for fans of martial art films this is an unmissable opportunity to see the new Grand Master of the genre, for those who have no great affection for chop-socky… give this a wide berth.
Tomatometer: 45% (From www.rottentomatoes.com see opinion)
Certificate: 18
Running Time: 98 minutes
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Sounds like a film I may not like...but a really good and interesting op that is well written and easy to follow.
mbmb11 20.11.2001 18:01
Great op - HOWEVER!!! before you say that Li is outclassed by Chan, have you watched Li's earlier films before he became famous in the mainstream?
Watch as many as you can - (and not just the few titles that have recently been re-released on the back of his success) i think you'll be pleasantly surprised!
Mel x
djohan 18.11.2001 12:37
I've seen the movie, and I see Jet Lee's best performance is found in this film. Great review of yours, -dj.
InKiss of the Dragon, Chinese undercover agent Jet Li chops his way through Paris after ... more
he's framed in some sketchily defined drug sting operation. The fight sequences are tough and quite brutal, and the over-the-top finale is arguably worth the price ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
InKiss of the Dragon, Chinese undercover agent Jet Li chops his way through Paris after ... more
he's framed in some sketchily defined drug sting operation. The fight sequences are tough and quite brutal, and the over-the-top finale is arguably worth the price ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Jet Li (Romeo Must Die) plays Liu Jiuan. China's top government agent, who arrives in ... more
Paris from Shanghai to assist Richard (Tcheky Karyo. The Patriot), a corrupt French police inspector, with a top secret mission to uncover an international drug consp...
Martial arts genius Jet Li explodes onto the screen with an intensity not seen since Bruce ... more
Lee. 'Kiss of the Dragon' is not merely a thriller but a shocker (San Francisco Chronicle). China's top secret agent visits Paris on a pleasure trip only to en...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
xx-baby-davies-xx 23.05.2007 (23.05.2007)
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Review of Kiss Of The Dragon (DVD)
![Kiss of the Dragon [DVD] [2001]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78531070.jpg "Kiss of the Dragon [DVD] [2001]")
Nov 15th, 2001
(Nov 21st, 2001)
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