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Kiss of the Dragon

Kiss of the Dragon

List Price: $14.98
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: one of my favourite movies
Review: This movie is very action packed with alot of ultra violence and action. The story is about some chinese agent who goes to france to find these gang of bad people, but at first he ends up being on their side but then figures they are a bad influence so he ends being chased as the french gang find out his an undercover agent. Once he is no longer chased he goes and works at his masters(trainers) asian food place. After he works a prostitute comes up to him and tries to get him laid, but he pushes her a way and has a little talk to her about why she is a prostitute. She tells him that the leader of the french gang makes her work as a prostitute like that she can bring money to him and if she makes him alot of money she gets to see her daughter once a year. Jet li than starts to feel sorry for her and then makes a deal with her that if she tells him where the gang are he will get her daughter back. This si a very great movie and jet li is great in action movies and i hope he keeps this up. This was a bit of a sad movie but all i can tell you is that it has a sweet ending, though a gory ending. Overall great movie and worth watching with friends, family, or even go out on a date to see it. I hope this review really helped you and i hoped you enjoyed it because it took me ages to think about and write all this down.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: AH! THANK GOD FOR ASIAN ACTION MOVIES!!
Review: I usually do like asian movies for a lot of reasons and KISS OF THE DRAGON is better than most.

For one, contrary to the junky junk action movies that most Hollywood Directors slap together, you actually care about the characters in asian films. They're more character driven and real.

KISS OF THE DRAGON falls right into that line. Excellent characters. JET LI has matured as not just an action star, but an actor. And what could possibly be said to give justice to BRIDGET FONDA! I've always been a big fan of BRIDGET, and she does such a great job in KISS OF THE DRAGON. She plays a woman forced to sell her body behind promises that she will have her daughter returned to her.

The scene where she plops down and helps herself to Jet's chips and rice because she's starving... talking the entire time. Despite her appearance, you just want to give her a great big hug and take care of her woes.

The action scenes are outstanding, but what makes the movie a cut above the rest is the story and the characters.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Li and Fonda shine in this plot-driven action thriller
Review: I find myself finally indulging my long-nascent love for martial arts movies, and this road has taken me rather directly from Bruce Lee and the Bruceploitation films of the 70s and early 80s to Jet Li, whom I consider to be the most worthy successor to Bruce Lee working today. I won't even compare him to the Dragon because he is definitely his own man, one steeply trained in both the physical and philosophical ways of the martial arts. He has a compact yet powerful, no-nonsense approach to his fight scenes, and what you get is pretty much the real deal - no invisible cables, no stuntman, no fakery, and most importantly no cheesiness. Kiss of the Dragon is my first Jet Li film, and I am glad to say that I was in no way disappointed. There may not be as much fighting in this film as you might find elsewhere, but this is by no means a bad thing. This film revolves around the story and main characters, and the forging of such a strong plot- makes the fight scenes, when they come, all the more enjoyable. Long gone are the days when martial arts movies had weak or nonexistent plots serving no other purpose than to move the film from one fight to the next.

Kiss of the Dragon is set in France, which is not your typical setting for kung fu action. Jet Li plays a Chinese cop named Liu Jian, one of China's best, sent to France to help the authorities there nab a Chinese drug dealer. The expected drug bust goes as far removed from planned as can be (at least from Liu Jian's point of view). The whole thing was a set-up by the French police chief (played to the despicable max by Tcheky Karyo), leaving Liu Juan on the run and accused of murder. Liu Juan must evade the authorities and somehow get the proof he needs to put the real bad guy away. Bridget Fonda, an actress I have admired for some time, is wonderful in the role of Jessica, a sort-of witness to the initial murders and reluctant cohort to Richard. She is a reluctant prostitute whom Richard keeps under his thumb; he has her daughter, so her options in life are quite limited - until she eventually meets up with Liu Jian, that is. It is at this point we see the moving humanity that lies beneath the bedraggled, desperately hopeless prostitute that Jessica has been forced to become. Liu Jian vows to get her daughter back, and you can pretty much rely on the fact that he will have one more chance to tell Richard face-to-face not to call him "Johnny."

There are a lot of action sequences in this film, all of which are quite good, but these only complement rather than subsume the gripping movement of this story. Jet Li takes on all comers, including a room full of police cadets, making use of his hands, feet, and mind along with any helpful props that he finds readily available. I particularly enjoyed the scene wherein he beat up a few corrupt French authorities with the French flag - I could watch that all day. It was also nice to see several bad guys attack him at once, rather than patiently waiting for each other to be taken out one by one. The final confrontation may have the look of letdown at first, but the viewer is soon rewarded with a rather gruesome and certainly deserved downfall of a thoroughly disgusting fellow. It is here that you will discover the significance of the movie's title. I could not help but wonder at the lack of reaction to all the mayhem by innocent standers-by, however. These guys basically shoot up half of France, turning a fancy hotel into a war zone, battling it out on tops of boats and buses, blowing up buildings, etc., yet there was no observable sense of panic or sound of mind-shattering screams coming from the significant population slated to become collateral damage statistics.

The DVD comes absolutely loaded with extras. You get a commentary by Jet Li, Bridget Fonda, and director Chris Nahon, a featurette on the making of the movie, a fascinating exploration by Jet Li of his martial arts style, background, and philosophy, a look at the choreography (including a few preparatory demos) of the action sequences with Jet Li and fight choreographer Cory Yuen, a theatrical trailer and half dozen TV spots for the film, and a couple of storyboard to film comparisons. Jet Li is the best martial arts actor working today, and Kiss of the Dragon has everything a good film of this type needs: a great story, characters you really come to care about, terrific action sequences, and a quite satisfying ending.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best martial arts/action flick in a long time
Review: Not to be rude, but you'll have to disregard some of the reviewers on this page, especially that guy from Columbia, MD who gave it two stars. This is a martial arts/action movie. If you expect The English Patient, of course you'll be disappointed. Take it for what it is, and allow some suspension of disbelief, and you'll thoroughly enjoy this movie.

Personally, I love this genre, but I've been consistently disappointed by recent efforts. Even a movie like The Matrix--the special effects were great, but the martial arts choreography was just so-so. Too much wire-work and CG. What happened to jaw-dropping, adrenaline-pumping fight sequences? Sure they may have been in "substantively subpar" movies like Bloodsport and Best of the Best, but I certainly don't give a damn, I loved those movies because the fight scenes were so well done.

A number of things make this movie stand out in its genre. The first is Jet Li. No one in the industry, now or even in the last 15 years, has come close to his level. Jackie Chan is fun to watch, but he's too nice; it's almost like he doesn't want to hurt the other guy. Chow Yun Fat is decent as well, but he lacks fire and has little charisma. Steven Segal had the necessary brutality, but he was too rigid. Van Damme had some moments, but was never badass enough for many viewers. When Jet Li walks into a room about to engage 6-7 dudes, he looks dark and impentrable, with a steely focus in his eyes. He's simply a bad man. He's calm until he has to explode, and he is just brutal enough, never soft but also never going over the top. Sometimes you want the hero to break the bad guy's face with desk drawer. He'll do that. That's why I dig him.

I thought director Chris Nahon and producer Luc Besson did a great job; Besson of course is known for his skill in making such movies. Even the music was great--a little hip-hop to flow with the action. Also, as a critic of all movie genres, I found the dialogue and plot to be more than tolerable, certainly better than that of 90% of action movies. The problem is that the director and producer are French, and perhaps overestimated the intelligence of most Americans filmgoers. I'll admit, as a country we need so much to be spoonfed every little detail. If people would exert some brainpower, they would find the plot easily digestible and definitely not a point of contention.

At least rent this movie. It's quite entertaining, in my opinion, and the last 10 minutes of the movie are fantastic--absolutely furious in their pace, some of the best action and choreography ever filmed.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: WOW, a martial arts movie without wire-works
Review: I decided to see this movie when it came out expecting to see what I saw in the usual Jet Li movies, wire-works (some of you kung-fu movie watchers know what I am talking about, but if you don't, wire-works is when the actor or stunt man is suspended in air or swinging on a cable performing unusual fighting moves). Wire-works are cute, but I do not like them because they are slow and take me away from the action most of the time. This movie HAS NO WIRE WORKS in the action sequences. I was so happy, finally a martial arts movie for the new millennium not caught into the new-old trend to hit Hollywood. The martial arts scenes are fast, rough, brutal, and are simply what Bruce Lee fans want to see. There was a fight scene Jet Li had in a dojo that reminded me of Chinese Connection a.k.a. "Fist of Fury".

The story was not bad; it was good for a martial arts action movie. Personally I would have made the movie a bit longer (like 10 or 20 minutes) to make sure people know exactly why things are going on. Its workable but would have been perfect with a little bit of information. The big one in the beginning such as the French investigator and the Chinese drug boss, the movie doesn't tell you their connection exactly but it's implied.

Li is an overly devoted cop, so he doesn't have much to work with until he meets Fonda's character, there his character is not just doing the job but being a character. Fonda's character used to be addicted to drugs and is a forced-to-be prostitute. So her reactions were pretty not bad for Fonda's acting and I thought she did a good job for her given character.

The score is done by Craig Armstrong (from Massive Attack), which is cool of techno/orchestra. Also there are some hip-hop songs thrown in two of the fight scenes. The one by Mystikal was bearable because of the drum beat (not a bass electronic beat) so it felt OK. Personally I don't like rap in fight scenes cause the talking (rapping) might take it away. I like rap in the background or to set a scene, not in a fight scene, unless it is instrumental.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Jet Li keeps it going
Review: 3 stars for the movie and one for the plentiful extras. Jet Li's extraordinary martial arts fight scenes combined with a standard Luc Besson plot. Jet Li tells a joke near the end of the movie. About being bored in France. For Li, this is pretty daring. He is usually so straight faced and monotoned, it would be hard to fault him for bad acting. After all, you have to act at all in order to act poorly. Li is sort of the Steven Seagal of Hong Kong imports. The action scenes rock. Mostly martial arts and (wisely) not much gunplay. Lost of props and running around. There are at least five separate excellent high adrenaline fight scenes to a booming soundtrack. The down times are a bit dull with the plot spinning its wheels and Bridget Fonda acting like a skank with a good heart. She plays a skank with a good heart in another Luc Besson movie, Point of No Return. Maybe Luc saw a special something in her the rest of us don't. This is a relax-and-enjoy-the-action movie if ever there was one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Canadians: cool. French: a flurry of kicks upon you!
Review: I'd rate this movie as Jet Li's third best behind "Fist of Legend" and OUATIC. At least in terms of action. I can take or leave wirework, but I prefer my martial arts movies without.
Jet Li plays a Chinese cop who comes to France to particpate in an international investigation, but ends up being doublecrossed. He meets this hooker who hangs in front of the shop where he's staying, and the hooker is coincidentally tied up with the same guy who doublecrossed Jet Li and has also taken the hooker's daughter and killed Hoffa and won't tell anyone where Waldo is, and so forth and so forth. The plot is way overbaked, but the bottom line of the movie is no more complicated than this: Jet Li kicks serious French [rear]. And the Amazon reviewer is right on target. I don't go to a Jet Li fightfest to listen to the bad guy twirl his mustache and explain how he did away with Professor Plum in the library. I go to see Jet Li kick serious French [rear]. And he does not disappoint.
The final sequence with him storming the police station held echoes of Game of Death for me (ascending to different levels by defeating opponents). I thought the setup with the 25 French stickfighters just standing around was a little hokey, but I shrugged it off. The fight with the two blond guys exceeded my expectations, at any rate. There, you got to see Jet being just vicious.
There was only one wrinkle in this for me. The cinematographer was just too close to the action sometimes. You missed punches connecting, kicks landing, ironing boards smashing, etc. I don't think any Western cameraman has kept up with an Asian movie star yet, at least not in any movie I've seen. That is, unless the star moves at half the speed he is accustomed to. But the crew gets an A for effort. Top notch fights, Tcheky Karyo (2nd best villain player ever behind Jack Nicholson), and a cameo from Ric Young ("I want to go to heaven!"). What more do you want?

PS. As an added bonus, Bridget Fonda is, as always, uber-hot.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Whole N' Hearty Hong Kong Action
Review: If you see `Kiss of the Dragon', don't bother paying attention to the plot. It's pure pie filler in between the action sequences that reminisce back to the `A Better Tomorrow' films. The plot, the best cop in China travels to Paris and gets double-crossed, isn't creative nor innovative. But I don't care, I, nor anyone else in the audience, was paying attention. In this movie, Jet Li gets double crossed, he teams up with a beaten-up [prostitute] (Bridget Fonda) who, get this, has a daughter held captive. The plot is nothing new, the dialogue is boring, but I didn't go see `Kiss of the Dragon' for that, I went to see it for it's action. And boy does this movie have a lot of that!

Tchéky Karyo is Jean-Pierre Richard, the embodiment of all corny cinematic evildoers with two defining differences. A: He has intelligence. Yes, he single-handedly wipes out half of his bodyguards throughout the movie, bodyguards that could have been more properly wasted trying to take out Jet Li. And yes all of his lines are composed of shouting orders similar to `Bring him back alive! I will deal with him myself!' But Tchéky Karyo just doesn't read lines. He is a convincing bad guy .... And, B: He's French. Karyo delivers a promising performance that reaffirms his position as the best actor in France.

Now to the action. The movie starts and ends with sweet and sour chicken that the audience just gobbles up. I'll give you an example. The start of the movie is a running chase after a prostitute stabs a Chinese official, Basic Instinct style, to death. One of Jean-Pierre's spies turns on rock n' roll with two SMGs, and sets himself up to get a billiard ball ricocheted off his head in one of the more retro action scenes. ...Jet Li take on a room full of black belt karate experts. Action fan nirvana! This is why come to the movies! Just well done professional martial arts at it's finest.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Jet and Brenda don't match
Review: Bad movie, bad story. If it were not for the few good action scenes, I would have given this a 1 star rating.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: As Bad as it Gets
Review: I don`t know if this movie is just bad or plain terrible, but it surely is far from good. The plot is predictable and lacks originality, the acting is unconvincing, the characters are ridiculous and the action sequences are utterly average. Craig Armstrong`s score is decent, but that alone doesn`t make this movie work. "Kiss of the Dragon" is not more than a run-of-the-mill action movie with enough cliches to be unworthy of any praise. Jet Li and Bridget Fonda are wasted here, delivering bland characters in a forgettable cinematic experience.

Avoid.


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