Kiss Of The Dragon (US)

Martial Arts films have always had a special place in my heart because even when the plot is directionless rubbish, a few impressive fight scenes/stunts can still make the viewing experience worthwhile. I think it`s fair to say that Kiss of the Dragon has plenty of exhilirating set-pieces and many of the violent scenes are pleasingly visceral (and well-paced too). All it needed was a vaguely original, well-thought-out story to make it an instant classic......
That`s why it`s genuinely regrettable that the underlying plot for this film is just a re-hash of some VERY familiar action staples.

Putting it simply, Jet Li is framed for a murder by a crooked cop (Tchecky Karyo), he is then forced to take the law into his own hands in order to clear his name (although his chief aim seems to be defending himself in the most OTT ways imaginable!). I won`t go into any more detail, as TBH, the story is full of glaring plot-holes and questionable elements (although it only really dawns on you when you think about it the following day). Bridget Fonda does her best to flesh out her thinly-written character and is pretty successful for the most part. The quasi-relationship she forms with Li isn`t completely believable but it`s much less cringe-inducing than you may be expecting. As you should have already guessed by now though, this is a film built for action, not drama.

In any case, the whole premise of being set-up and then consequently on-the-run has been seen countless times before (Art of War, U.S Marshalls etc), so it`s obvious that the story offered here is merely a method of getting from one fight to the next. None of this should be taken as damning criticism, as the movie`s frenetic and visually impressive action scenes easily lift it above most of its rivals. The direction and (Luc Besson) production are both particularly slick and the editing is borderline "MTV" stuff. A purist would argue that the choreography is spoiled by all the cutting and inserts, but I don`t think it detracts from the skillful performances at all and it`s certainly in keeping with the style of the film as a whole.

The disc itself is a well-rounded package, containing just enough extra features to be satisfying (including interviews with Li, some behind-the-scenes clips and a commentary with Li/Fonda). The A/V quality is more or less flawless and the DD5.1 track has a well-judged mixture of ambience, directional effects and sub activity. All in all, no complaints whatsoever.

Basically then, this is a largely enjoyable action romp with plenty of high-octane thrills (filmed with equally high production values). The rather dubious plot-points would require big spoilers to explain, but take it from me, this is a cast-iron no-brainer (although it`s a relatively accomplished one)..

This is Jet Li`s best Western film to date. Not only is it infinitely better than the dire Romeo Must Die but, it has Burt Kwouk in it too!!

As it has been said the story is wafer thin, but there are few good action films that have a deep plot. The action makes up for it in a big way with some really cool fight and action sequences and Jet Li shows why he is one of the best martial arts actors ever.

The picture is good and does the film justice as does the sound. The extra aren`t too bad either with an average commentary from the director, Li and Fonda and also other BTS stuff and some biographical features about Corey Yuen (fight director) and Jet Li.

All in all, a highly enjoyable martial arts, action flick with a good DVD treatment.

A pretty unoriginal story is made up for by some outstanding action scenes involving Jet Li doing what he does best, as well as a very good supporting cast. I thought Bridget Fonda was excellent, as was the always brilliant Tchéky Karyo as the bad guy.

The disc itself is very good. Video and audio are both excellent. And we get a number of extras that all look rather good. The commentary is interesting, although Jet Li stays quite for most of it unfortunately. We also get a number of featurettes that are interesting in places, but nothing more. Plus there are the usual trailers and TV spots.

Altogether an excellent action no-brainer that is far better than either Romeo Must Die or The One. Great stuff.

This is a great DVD. It is about a Chinese Secret Agent (Jet Li) who comes to Paris to help the French police on a case but the officer in charge turns on Li and frames him for murder and Li does everything he can to clear his name. The DVD has a lot of special features and is a good enough disc. I would give this 10/10.