Le Baiser mortel du dragon

As part of an international case, Chinese police officer Liu Jian comes to France to assist his opposite number in a sting operation. However, Richard turns out to be on the wrong side of the law and frames Liu for the murder of several key people in the case. Liu goes on the run with evidence that he didn't commit the crimes, with only the word of an innocent prostitute to back him up. With even the Chinese embassy unable to bring Liu in, he is forced to try and expose the corruption and take the fight to them.

With so many of Jet Li's American movies being pretty messy disappointments, it was no surprise that I just gave this a miss when it came out at the cinema and never got round to seeing it on video. However on television the only thing I am wasting is my own time (not money) so I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised to find that, though not comparable to his best films, Kiss of the Dragon is easily one of the best films that he has made outside of Hong Kong. The plot may have been made up by Li and turned to a script by Luc Besson but it does come off as a bit obvious and overblown. At times the dialogue is a bit heavy and there are a few moments where the film is a bit talky for a bit long without any of it coming to a great deal but mostly it is pretty enjoyable. It is not a great story but there is enough to engage even if it is pretty poor in some ways – the whole coincidence around Liu meeting Jessica again was a bit shoddily done but the detail is not that important in this sort of film.

No, what is important is the quality of the action and here it is a lot better than his recent films such as Romeo or Cradle. The action scenes are scattered a bit thin around the film at times but generally they are enjoyable sequences which are pretty exciting and fluid. The film is refreshingly free of flying and wiring work, lending the fight scenes a more realistic (!?) and brutal air. Not only are the fight scenes good but the mix of the usual action movie 'guns n' running' stuff is also well handled with some pretty fast scenes.

The cast are pretty good even if the international mix of actors all in Paris is a bit strange. Li is natural and pretty good – I have always maintained he is a good actor (or at least a charismatic leading man) but most American movies have forced him to be silent and posturing to match the gangbanging story. Here he plays a good character as well as being given plenty of good fights to show how technically able he is. Fonda is OK even if she is a strange casting decision for this character; she does well enough but at times I could have accepted less of her as she is the reason for a lot of the talky stuff that could have been scaled back. Karyo just simply hams it up so much that it would have been possible to actually glaze him at some points near the end. He is effectively bad and it works but he is on auto-pilot for a lot of this. The support cast are all OK, although some of Li's sparring partners are obviously not that good at acting (the white twins are good examples) but fans of Harry Hill or the Pink Panther will find much amusement from the minor role given to Burt Kwouk!

Overall this is a good film in its own right but, compared to Li's other American films so far, this is by far the best. The plot is pretty run of the mill but still engages but some parts of the film are a bit too talky for no real reason. The fight scenes are pretty brutal and are better for not overdosing on wire-fu stuff and my only complaint about them was that there could have been a few more. Of course, this doesn't really compare to the best of Li's Hong Kong material but it is still much better than the rest of his American stuff and is worth a look for fans of martial arts action.

I just watched Kiss Of The Dragon after not watching this for decades. I have a slightly better opinion of it than I had originally. Granted for story or character development, Kiss Of The Dragon falls a bit flat. However, this gets an A+ for action and it still is a step up and a better movie than Romeo Must Die. Jet Li is in top form here and he showcases his fighting skills well to western audiences with Kiss Of The Dragon. Corey Yuen does a fantastic job at putting together these elaborate and highly entertaining fight sequences together that are mostly devoid of wirework or CGI. The movie as a whole is fairly predictable with some pretty lame villains and heavies. However, the tone of the film is very serious and Jet has great screen presence and charisma to carry this. To say this pales to measure up to most of his (until more recent work) in Chinese cinema may be true. But this is far from his worst. The fights and action are worth the price of admission and make it easy to overlook the film's flaws.

The picture is full of tumultuous sequences with frenetic action , surprises , fierce combats and groundbreaking struggles . Classic as well as impressive Chop-Socky in which wild fighting scenes provide an overwhelming view of Jet Li skills . It has lots of fights , as well staged as Jet Li's Hong Kong films . It is set in Paris where a betrayed intelligence officer (Jet Li) enlists the aid of a prostitute (Bridget Fonda) to prove his innocence from a deadly conspiracy while returning a favor to her . Li against time to clear his name and rescue a junkie whore and her daughter . When the secret mission goes wrong he is framed for murder by a nasty as well and amusing villain officer , Insp. Richard (Tchéky Karyo) ; as the Chinese agent will face off a bunch of heinous henchmen across threatening streets of Paris . Then Li has to go on the run pursued by corrupt cops , being his only ally the mistreated call-girl and an old Chinese shopkeeper (Bur Kwouk) .

This moving Chop-Socky displays drama , action-packed , thrills , and wild fighting images . It is an action-filled and violent film , being utterly filmed in Paris . Li shows awesome skills , as he hits , punches and kicks most of Paris hoodlums into tiny pieces . The battle scenes are sliced up by means of flashy quick cuts that sometimes reduce Jet Li's extraordinary athleticism to a little more than the backdrop to a video clip . An exciting art martial movie in which , once again , an oriental Chinesse super cop is sent loan to tackle crime in the West . The style of action in this movie was heavily influenced by comments made during series of messages posted by fans on the Jet Li website forum , immediately after the release of Romeo must die (2000) in the United States , the fans wanted more realistic fighting as in Jet Li's movie Jet Li's Fist of Legend (1994) . The rousing fights include deadly use of fists , feet and palms ; being perfectly staged by expert Corey Yeun . Fights , attacks and exciting combats very well staged by great fighters , in fact , here are only seven wires used in the entire movie, the only scenes involving wire work were when Jet Li had to jump up to kick the pool ball and when Cyril Raffaelli performs his one-and-a-quarter backwards somersault-kick ; the result is a strong entry for art martial buffs . Actors made their owns stunts ; some of the players got injured and to had to be hospitalized during the shooting , some of them suffered mild concussions during filming, after being struck several times during fighting scenes . The only scenes that used CGI are when Jet Li falls down the laundry drop with CG flames surrounding him and in the hotel scene when Jet Li kicks the ball from the pool table . Amid the glamour and grandeur of the scenarios , including luxury hotel , is developed an intrigue about women exploitation and dealing with a Chinese agent who attempts to restore his name .

Colorful and luxurious cinematography by Thierry Arbogast . Adequate musical score fitting to action by Craig Armstrong . This moving film was lavishly co-produced and written by the great producer/director Luc Besson and well realized by Chris Nahon . Director Chris Nahon had to slow down the fight scene between Jet Li and Cyril Raffaelli because they were moving too fast for the camera. Filmmaker Nahon establishes his signature style of kinetically-paced story-telling through sumptuous imagery , leading to international critical acclaim . Chris Nahon was born in France , he is a good director and writer, known for Empire of the wolves (2005) , Blood: the last vampire (2009) and Kiss of the dragon (2001) . Rating : Better than average art martial movie . Worthwhile watching .

The action scenes in "Kiss of the Dragon" are outstanding. The skill of the players, and their direction is nonpareil. One doesn't see any of the little scenes where two or three fighters are jumping up and down waiting for their cues. Pay attention to the fight scene in the police training room. I think its the best I've seen. A trademark of Jet Li films seems to be a display of the highest quality martial arts. His skills, and those of his antagonists, provide detailed and polished confrontations that are simply thrilling. And I love those needles!

The pace of the film is excellent too. The action just keeps coming. There is just enough talking and character interaction to keep the plot alive and well. Bridget Fonda manages well in a role I think was not really designed for her. She is one of those actors who always finds her character and makes it work.

The film is violent, to be sure. And the bad guys are the worst. Their blatant, public methods are almost too much to believe. Still, the pace of the action leaves one little time to ponder details. One element I wish the director had left out is Jet Li dodging about a thousand rounds of full auto gunfire. Everyone seems compelled to shoot such scenes, but two guns raking rounds across the hotel lobby could not possibly miss. It is virtually enfilade fire, and no one could get through that. Otherwise, the firearms action was believable and thrilling to watch.

Even the music, though not my style, seems to work well with the action. The director puts it all together in a wild ride I can recommend to any action film fan.

KISS OF THE DRAGON / (2001) *** (out of four)

By Blake French:

I admire "Kiss of the Dragon" because it's a wake-up call to the increasingly desperate genre of martial arts action movies. After disasters like "Romeo Must Die" and any recent Jackie Chan production, my expectations for "Kiss of the Dragon" were not exactly sky high. It seems as if every movie like this replaces a story and characters with silly special effects and high-tech action sequences involving martial arts fighting. Here, there are solid, visible characters and an involving story. That's a real accomplishment these days.

Jet Li starred in 25 successful Asian films before making his debut in America as the villain in the lackluster "Lethal Weapon 4." His last film, "Romeo Must Die," was a pitiful action extravaganza that borrowed elements from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." Before this film, I could not stand this martial artist turned actor. Here, he makes a strong name for himself. He co-produces the film, stars in it, and created the original story. According the production notes, Li initially envisioned a dramatic film that combined his trademark martial arts and action heroics with strong, recognizable characters.

"I wasn't interested in making a movie about a big action hero who saves the day," explains Li. "My character, Liu Jiuan, is one of China's best agents, with tremendous abilities in martial arts and acupuncture. He's determined and driven. But he's not a superman; he's human. When his mission goes wrong, Liu initially doesn't know how to handle things."

Liu Jiuan is the most skilled law enforcer in China brought to Paris on a top secret mission where he must assist an unorthodox police official named Richard (Tcheky Karyo) in dealings involving some off the record drug traffic. His mission goes awry and he quickly learns that Richard, who seemingly has a limitless supply of henchmen, is the villainous mastermind behind most of the crime in France. Liu becomes trapped in a dangerous conspiracy-Richard frames him for a murder he tried to stop. Liu also becomes involved with a local American woman named Jessica (Bridget Fonda), who was forced into prostitution when Richard kidnapped her child.

The story feels real, instead of a clothesline for countless gratuitous action sequences. There are plenty of action sequences, however, and the fighting does not involve wires, phony stunts, or computer generated effects like in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and "The Matrix." The fights are grounded and real. "We went back to the basics," explains Jet Li, "keeping the fighting simple and based more in reality." Liu's principle fighting weapons are not guns or swords, but acupuncture needles, which play an important role in the mysterious "kiss of the dragon" revealed at the movie's climax.

"Kiss of the Dragon" is directed by French commercial director Chris Nohan in his feature film debut. He does a good job of involving the audience in the action, and distracting us from some of the film's weaknesses. But no director could conceal some of the bad writing, terrible dialogue, unanswered questions, plausible motives, and stereotypical character traits. "Kiss of the Dragon" is not a great movie, but for Jet Li, this is good stuff nonetheless.