Kiss of the Dragon (2001)

Good Quality Movie

I have this movie for regular DVD and I can say that the blu-ray version did improve upon the movie itself. Crystal clear quality! December 12, 2008

"Sometimes the best are also the worst. It's really sad. "

First the good news.
This is a very entertaining film
on many levels.
The plot is simplistic, but that
is alright because the action sequences
are excellent.
Jet Li's character in this film does have
some depth, the only one that does,
and I liked it very much.
Jet Li is the best martial artist on film
at the time of this review and he is in
great form in this one.
Admit it, the primary reason to watch
a Jet Li film is to watch him air out
his fighting skills, and in this case,
his needle-placement skills.
In that regard, this an excellent film,
but...

The bad news.
The characters are extremely cliche
and the acting and over-acting,
with some exception, is not at
all good, noticeably so.
What could have been an excellent crime
drama becomes an over the top moving comic
book.
Too many ridiculous things happen,
such as policemen whipping out machine guns
on city streets, hotel rooms and lobbies,
fighting in orphanages, etc.,
at will with no apparent blow-back from anyone
but a foreigner visiting the country (France).
The soundtrack had no continuity at all.
I thought the techno music suited the film
quite well, but the rap music nearly ruined
the fight sequence with the nasty twins at
the police station for me, rescued only
by the last few moments when there was no music
as it should have been done.
I wanted this to be a different type of movie,
but it never was.

The way it ends is very nicely done.

It is good enough to watch multiple times,
but it could have been so much better
had it been produced for intelligent adults
rather than as a product for the marketplace.
I consider film to be an art form.
This is commercial art, not fine art.
Hence the three star rating.




October 30, 2008

This movie f***ing sux!

This movie makes me want to kill myself.

F*** Bridget Fonda. Shes terrible. June 1, 2008

Great Blu Ray Quality!

The moive itself is your standard low-budget, over the top action film. It has the usual plot and the usual action. I am not here to talk about the film, but the BD quality.

The BD quality is very good and pristine - for a single layer BD with DTS-HD MA! I see the specs on Amazon do not mention that! DTS-HD Master Audio is THE reason to get this disc! It is also the reason the price is so high.

The film is not bad, but if you were looking for a true martial arts film or a believable action film, this is not it. Jet Li had great promise, but most of his movies do not compare to his scenes in Lethal Weapon 4. It is something to watch, but not something to keep. August 10, 2007

Good action with okay stuff in between

The crew that has something to do with Luc Besson seem to rotate jobs as films are made. From Besson there comes a line-up of action films created by Cory Yuen, Louis Leterrier, Pierre Morel, and more, all taking turns at direction, cinematography, or choreography.

These movies have always been fun and easy to watch, with charming moments of clever action and a smart twist on the normal plate. "The Transporter," "Unleashed," "District B13," "Wasabi," the upcoming "War," and, of course, "Kiss of the Dragon" are among this collection.

I give my review of "Kiss of the Dragon" by pointing to the contributions of Cory Yuen, the director and fight choreographer, and actors Jet Li, who co-wrote, and Cyril Raffaelli.

Of the actors, this latter one is the silent blonde martial artist Jet Li fights in the climax of the film. Though examples of him are not prolific, he is swift become my favorite martial artist of the day, due partially to his enthusiasm for le parkour.

"Kiss of the Dragon" features very fine action from Jet Li at the hands of Cory Yuen, highlighted with Jet Li's defeat of a room full of karate students, a brutal fight in a noodel shop with a much larger gentleman, and the seminal moment, the fight against Cyril Raffaelli. The acrobatics and speed on display in especially this final conflict are a pleasure to watch.

Of course, it is the action which shines, more than making up for decent connections. One staple of the films produced by this crew is an unusually intelligent script or, instead of plot, a unique and refreshing take on the action scenes themselves. The action was great, but the plot seemed to rely too heavily on crutch of the female protagonist's status as a prostitute. Dealing with her destructive personal life in a serious way was an admirable attempt for an action film, but not enough to justify calling the script intelligent, making this an anomaly among the collection of films I've mentioned.

It's a fun movie, especially in a nostalgic way- it's one of the earliest movies put out by this group of filmmakers, and for an early attempt it does well for itself. They've certainly polished themselves up with time, sort of leaving "Kiss of the Dragon" behind. But it's still fun to watch, and fun to see the early stages of some of my favorite industry names. July 30, 2007

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