Sat sat yan, tiu tiu mo

In an attempt to mix martial arts gunkata and some slight Buddhist philosophy, Donnie bites off far more than he can chew. "Ballistic Kiss" tries hard to be hard hitting and gritty, but comes off as just another John Woo's "The Killer" ripoff without any of the deep characters or sacrifice that film gives us. This just becomes an exercise in how not to write a script, and how not to make a plot.

The main story concerns an ex-cop turned killer who seeks revenge against the one who wronged him and sent him to prison. Along the way, he falls in love with a Hong Kong cop who has a relationship with the man who wronged him. While a certain amount of suspension is necessary, the story has so many jarring problems with logic that it's hard to keep a straight face.

The story is so plot driven that the characters are left in the dust. You never get a sense of who's who and what their personalities are like. Not only that, but Donnie Yen's character, Cat, is even more invincible than Jean Reno in "The Professional", which this movie even discusses. In one scene, Yen is about to snipe the villain from afar, but when he sees the love interest walking arm in arm with him, he charges in with a pistol. He then pries her away without being injured and the two escape. They also have a love scene after he used her for a shield five minutes earlier! This film isn't terrible, but when people say this is better than most of what Hollywood puts out, that is just Hollywood hate going around. "The Bourne Identity" is a Hollywood picture that manages to do everything this film tries to do, with a coherent story and character driven plot. Probably the biggest problem is the fact that the fights aren't even that good. They are hard to see, and it's like watching an episode of the A-team, lots of shooting, but their aim is awful.

It's too bad this film didn't work. I really enjoy Donnie Yen's more contemporary settings (Tiger Cage 1 and 2, Flashpoint, and SPL especially), but this one just tries so hard to be a John Woo style gun ballet that it just has no weight on it's own. Which is really too bad, because the idea has so much promise it's a shame it doesn't work.

Before I saw this film I read an interview with Donnie Yen where he said that he puts his blood and passion into everyshot. I think he was indeed very passionate about this film. While I don't think it is perfect it is a great stylished modern gun-fu action film. Hardcore action fans maybe bummed about the pace. I think it is just right.

The improvement from Donnie's first two films is right on the screen. I do think his other films are good, don't get me wrong. Having recently seen princess blade on the big screen I think what I like about Donnie yen's fight scenes is they are very much a part of the film. The fights come from a balenced sense of cinema and Kung Fu.

Miramax needs to give Donnie the budget and put him behind the camera on a high brow Iron monkey 2. Watching blasstic kiss should give them faith.

Chances are, I probably would have been disappointed if I thought this was going to be an action packed slam bang ride like HARD-BOILED. I knew ahead of time that BALLISTIC KISS was refered to as an "arty" action film. Donnie Yen is one of the best movie martial artists out there. I had no idea that he had such a cinematic eye though. After seeing SHANGHAI AFFAIRS and LEGEND OF

THE WOLF, I noticed his real passion for film making, so I could only imagine what BALLISTIC KISS was gonna be like. From the beginning of the movie, it was obvious that this wasn't a typical HK production. The intro to the movie was like an american noir film with the way the lighting and camera shots were used when Donnie Yen is talking to the radio show host. The cinematography was of particular note. Donnie used a lot of blues and reds. Everything was shown as being gloomy. Wong Kai-Fai was a great collaborator with Yen. Many things about this film are unconventional. The action for instance is shot with neo noirism , and the editing works. Some people may find the editing to be too choppy/fast, but it worked for what Yen was trying ot present. Even the undercranking (Which I normally disapprove of) was appropriate. I didn't even mind that guns in the film shot more bullets than they really do. The editing and sense of action made the movie look sureal. BALLISTIC KISS is kind of like a combination between what John Woo and Wong Kar-Wai would do. The story is also something. This isn't about a killer trying to go straight. In this movie, Donnie's character of Cat Lee has no sense of redemption. He just wants revenge against his partner who betrayed him, and if he dies while doing it, so be it. The only thing that would probably save him from that fate is his attraction for a cop played by Annie Wu. While Cat thinks about her and how wonderful things would be if they were together, he doesn't have an optimistic view of the future. One of his sayings is "No one is innocent." He thinks the world won't get better, and his sense of peace only exists in his mind. But the gloomyness of the film is not what the theme is. It doesn't mean that the rest of us have nothing to look forward too. In fact, it tells us the opposite. The lives these people lead are not the lives we have to leave. Even though it also expresses a common theme of "even trusted friends are capable of betrayal," there's no reason to be sad from seeing this movie. Bey Logan (Who I've had the honor to meet.) wrote a great script. Many people hate this film. But the strange thing is that the reasons for why people hate it are the reasons why I like it. It's self-indulgent, the editing is sureal, like I said: it's unconventional. This movie is definitely not for everyone, but if you're an "arty" type person with an open mind, you may like it. It's not fully arty though. There's a good combination of mainstream film making to go along with it. This is Donnie Yen's best performance. He gives of a great sense of a tragic hero without having to go over the top. Annie Wu plays off him very nicely. The relationship that develops between them is more like mutual respect than "deep romance." But there's still romance there nontheless. While Donnie Yen's best martial art performance is in IN THE LINE OF DUTY IV, his best film overall is BALLISTIC KISS.

10 out of 10

There's something about movies that are produced by, directed by, and staring the same person. Maybe it stifles the rest of the cast and crew from giving any honest input. It would have been helpful if someone would have spoke up and mentioned the totally unrealistic gun fights were a bit much. Gunfights can be cool, but please, even the most squeamish pacifist would understand guns need to be reloaded from time to time. Shotguns don't hold 100 shells nor do 9mm hand gun clips provide that kind of firepower. Also, bullets follow a straight trajectory and don't do their best to avoid the target.

This is the type of film that leaves one wondering if the producer-director-actor thinks the audience is so mental as to take the movie seriously. I ended up giving this film a 4/10 because it had it's moments. Annie Wu did a decent job with what was available. She was even able to sprint, without favoring her bad leg, minutes after being shot in the thigh. It could have been a decent film with a bit more character development and shorter, more realistic gun fights. I could only recommend viewing to have a few chuckles.

Having done his part as an action director, or uncredited director, in many films since the start of his career, the great Donnie Yen made a point of becoming a serious director around the late 90's, launching with the fantastic Legend Of The Wolf. It was a great debut, though not without its flaws, and following that came this and Shanghai Affairs a year later!

With beautiful cinematography by Wong Ka Fai, Ballistic Kiss is an art-house, martial arts thriller. Its important to know that before watching, as fans of Yen's work (both before and after SPL) may find it somewhat disappointing. It doesn't have explosive, powerhouse fight scenes every few minutes (although they do come about), nor does it have insane stunts and cop chases like his Yuen Woo PIng directed vehicles did. Instead, the Kiss has style, with stylish Hong Kong action - almost as if Wong Kar Wai had directed The Killer...

Donnie still gets to throw some amazing moves, and we get a good dose of gun-fu, but while it is far from being as amazing as the John Woo classic, Ballistic Kiss still makes for a damn good movie, and an important piece in Donnie's career. Although Bey Logan's script could have been refined somewhat, Yen works with what he has and delivers on the action and his performance in the role of a hitman with a heart, who falls for his hostage, played by the lovely Annie Wu.

Packed with visual flair and keeping a steady pace, Ballistic Kiss is accompanied by a memorable score that reminded me of a Studio Ghibli movie, some beautifully lit shots, and a great cast. Donnie's Shanghai Affairs co-star, the great Yu Rong Kwong, appears briefly for a great shoot-out against Yen, and it was nice to see big Mike Woods pop up for a bit in what would be his last role in a Hong Kong movie.

Overall: Heroic bloodshed at its most stylish, and an underrated Yen flick, Ballistic Kiss is pretty damn good and shows Donnie in a one-time-only role that doesn't disappoint!