The writers of THE FIFTH ELEMENT, Luc Besson (who also directed the Bruce Willis film) and Robert Mark Kamen, have teamed up again to deliver Jet Li in the action thriller KISS OF THE DRAGON. Li stars as Liu Jiuan, a Chinese agent so dedicated to his job that he has no friends, no family, no dreams. He is sent to Paris to help .. Read more
| Starring | Bridget Fonda, Jet Li, Tchéky Karyo, Lawrence Ashley |
|---|---|
| Director | Chris Nahon |
| Genres | Thriller |
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The writers of THE FIFTH ELEMENT, Luc Besson (who also directed the Bruce Willis film) and Robert Mark Kamen, have teamed up again to deliver Jet Li in the action thriller KISS OF THE DRAGON. Li stars as Liu Jiuan, a Chinese agent so dedicated to his job that he has no friends, no family, no dreams. He is sent to Paris to help the French police capture a Chinese gangster, but France's top cop, Jeanne-Pierre Richard (Tcheky Karyo), has set Liu up to take the fall for a brutal killing he himself carried out. On the run in a strange city, Liu keeps a low profile until he unwillingly becomes friends with an American hooker, Jessica (Bridget Fonda)--who just happens to hold the key to his innocence. But Richard is always one step ahead of them--he has Jessica's daughter. Li and Fonda make a great team; their relationship is at the core of the film, as neither character has ever been able to put his complete trust in another person before. The action scenes, directed by Corey Yuen, are fast and furious and very violent, featuring mesmerizing moves by Li, especially one involving a billiard ball. Chris Nahon, in his directorial debut, makes excellent use of the location, including numerous shots of famous Parisian landmarks as the bad cops try to machine-gun down Liu in the streets and sewers and on the Seine.
| Starring | Bridget Fonda, Jet Li, Tchéky Karyo, Lawrence Ashley, Burt Kwouk |
|---|---|
| Director | Chris Nahon |
| Studio | 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 38 mins Blu-ray: 1 hr 38 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Thriller |
| Language | English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Released | DVD: 13 May 2002 Blu-ray: 11 Dec 2006 Production year: 2001 |
| Format | DVD |
Leon meets Romeo Must Die in this furiously kinetic action thriller that combines the amazing fighting talents of Asian superstar Jet Li with the canny genre production and scripting know-how of French auteur Luc Besson. Outrageously violent, hard-edged and constantly exciting, the film has Li as a Chinese intelligence officer sent to Paris on an undercover assignment, who becomes embroiled in a drug cartel conspiracy. Helped by hooker Bridget Fonda and hindered by super-nasty corrupt cop Tcheky Karyo, Li must use his amazing skills to see justice done. Director Chris Nahon's super-charged thrill-ride does nothing more than highlight a breathtaking array of dazzling martial arts sequences — but it's more than enough. All choreographed by Li's long-time collaborator Cory Yuen, the visceral kung fu and kickboxing on show here are the finest seen on screen since the classic glory days of Bruce Lee.
Some spectacular fights enliven an otherwise unexceptional action movie, in which Jet Li demonstrates his prowess in hand-to-hand combat.
In a word: No.
I had high expectations for this film and although in the end I did quite like it, the other reviews here set it up for a fall.
The Action is artificially sped up, sometimes to the point of becoming distracting, the characters were pretty uninspired and the dialogue was entirely functional, humorless and shallow.
What about 'Hero', 'Romeo Must Die' and the slightly similar 'Unleashed'?
Good, but for me not the best.
In a word: No.
I had high expectations for this film and although in the end I did quite like it, the other reviews here set it up for a fall.
The Action is artificially sped up, sometimes to the point of becoming distracting, the characters were pretty uninspired and the dialogue was entirely functional, humorless and shallow.
What about 'Hero', 'Romeo Must Die' and the slightly similar 'Unleashed'?
Good, but for me not the best.