As I cant spare the time I'd like, I'm taking an extended leave of absence from CIAO. Hope to return...
As I cant spare the time I'd like, I'm taking an extended leave of absence from CIAO. Hope to return some day. All the best.
Member since:26.09.2000
Reviews:49
Members who trust:33
After being evoked as either a fairy-tale dreamland as in “Amelie” or as a sepia tinted memory as in “Moulin Rouge”, Paris gets done the dirties on by “Kiss of the Dragon”, which is, in a metaphorical sense, a turd floating down the Seine.
This Paris is full of corrupt cops wandering the streets firing Uzi’s, the same streets team with prostitutes under the control of the cops and everybody dies horribly.
The movie stars martial arts sensation Jet Li, here playing a Chinese cop, Liu Jian who arrives in Paris at the request of the French police to assist with the surveillance of a Chinese mafia king.
Under the supervision of Inspector Richard, a cop that we and Liu know to be a very bad man, the case goes horribly wrong, the mafia boss ends up dead and Richard
pins the blame for the whole thing on Liu. Luckily for Liu he has been able to recover a videotape of the whole incident which shows the real killer and which he can use to clear his name, if only he can stay alive long enough to deliver the evidence.
Pursued by those who wish to kill him, Liu finds circumstances going against him until he enlists the help of an ex-junkie prostitute, Jessica (Bridget Fonda), who just happens to have access to the real killer of the mafia boss. However she only offers her help if Liu will help her with a problem of her own…
Ah but who cares about the plot, certainly not the script-writers (co-written by Luc Besson, strangely enough). The story is very confused, I couldn’t quite figure of out was happening and why at first, and by the end of the movie I was still none the wiser. I am convinced the whole thing was written in 5 minutes. The issues surrounding Bridget Fonda’s character where a clumsy and unnecessary attempt to inject a bit of sentimentality into the movie.
No, the reason for going to see this movie is the action and, boy, there is tons of it and it is fantastic.
This is the first time I have seen Jet Li in a movie and he blew me away, the guys skills at martial arts are stunning. There is no “Matrix” style wirework, watch you see is what you get (altho there may be some clever editing involved). There are three prolonged and expertly maintained free roaming major set pieces, which are just about the best fight scenes I’ve seen in any movie. They are very dynamic, loads of thrills and although brutally violent and bloody, they also manage a little bit of wit and humour.
And whilst we are on the subject of violence, a word of warning ( or recommendation, whatever cooks your goose), this movie is unremittingly violent and the violence is bloody in the extreme. People are kung-fu’d to death in a variety of manners, bones are snapped, bodies are riddled with bullets, hand grenades are used to separate torsos from lower limbs, and you do not want to know what Jet Li can do with a pair of chopsticks.
As I’ve mentioned already the rest of the movie was just padding and added nothing to it, so if you don’t like violent actions movies avoid.
Avoid would have been a good bit of advice for Bridget Fonda as she is completely wasted here. Her part is criminally under written and she looks completely lost for the most part. I guess she needed the cash, or else felt she was due a favour to Luc Besson after her part in the abysmal re-make of his “Nikita”.
For the action 5 stars, for the attempt at a plot 1 star, making 3 stars overall as I really enjoyed it.
Oh and you do get to find out what “The Kiss of the Dragon” is and I can assure you it is not very pleasant at all.
The movie has an “18” certificate. Loads and loads of bloody ultra-violence, strong language, scenes of a sexual nature, drug references.
This is another op that has been delayed by my dead PC, so I'm not sure if it is still on general release. I could only find one cinema showing it in Scotland although it still seems to be showing in a fair number of screens in London.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: K.C. Bascombe - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jesse James, Rachel Skarsten, Charles Powell, Linda Purl, Kevin Zegars
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
"abysmal remake of Nikita" ? I didn't think The Assassin was bad at all - although having Gabriel Byrne in it does make up for a number of deficiencies....
belinda9 01.12.2001 19:01
Not my kind of thing, but still a good op.
djohan 01.12.2001 15:10
This multi-ethnic film supported by some famous film-stars, I find it is a great film. Good 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)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
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]")
Dec 1st, 2001
very helpful by (100%):
