Review of Kiss Of The Dragon

Introduction

Asian martial arts experts are yet another way of attracting the punters - they make good celluloid fodder due to their extreme stunts, hi-octane scraps and `let the feet do the talking` attitude.

Jet Li is one of these people, who is best described as an athlete...someone who respects what he`s doing and isn`t just a merciless street fighter. Li is at the top of the game, a guy who can really pull some big punches (literally in some cases) and, if directed properly, can give a movie something special, an edge to lift itself above other action flicks.

Kiss of The Dragon is Li`s latest venture. It is set in Paris, and revolves around an Chinese police inspector (played by Li) being framed for murder. He is now on the run, and soon teams up with a prostitute (played by Bridget Fonda - Monkeybone) who is working for one of the men that double-crossed Li. They must pin the murder on him before it`s too late, whilst fighting for not only their lives, but also for the life of her daughter.

Jet Li is not an actor. Jet Li is instead the action of the movie. Instead of character depth, original scripting or emotional set-pieces, Kiss of The Dragon is a pleasant way to spend 94 minutes because it requires little concentration on the plot, but instead warrants remarks such as "Jesus! How did he do that?" or "That`s got to hurt" due to its incessant, and thoroughly enjoyable fight scenes. It is a nitty gritty thriller that is brutal and visceral in parts, but is always watchable.

Although it has a wafer-thin plot, some good moments due come out from Li and Fonda`s `bonding`...Fonda does act well in this as the girl with nowhere to turn to, and Li is surprisingly good at conveying his sympathy.

Video

It is presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, and the transfer is flawless. The palette is used to good effect, the visuals are deep, and the print is constantly crisp and clear.

The fight sequences in Kiss of The Dragon are breathtaking: my favourite moment has to be when Li kicks a pool ball out of a pocket, launches himself into the air, and then kicking it (whislt horizontally) towards a guy who made the mistake of firing at him. Suck on that, you bastard.

The locales of Paris are used to good effect as well, especially during a scene on a boat next to the Eiffel Tower (cue another insane fighting sequence, and a lot of smashed glass).

Audio

A DD 5.1 track is on offer, and it is bone-crunching. During the fight sequences, the surrounds spring into life, and the subwoofer is given one hell of a workout. The main audio stream is always crisp and clear for the dialogue, and the ambience level is just right.

The script in this, as one would expect, is on the average to poor side, but it does pack some good lines and good settings to make the scenes in between the fighting watchable, and the pace doesn`t let up (not significantly anyway), so you stay on the edge of your seat throughout.

Features

Even though this disc went through the rental window, it still manages to pack an impressive array of extra features:

Commentary by director Chris Nahon, Jet Li & Bridget Fonda - this is quite insightful, and is ideal to tune into on your second or third viewing.

Jet Li: Fighting Philosophy - this is an 11 minute featurette that contains interviews with cast and crew about Jet Li, and interviews with the man himself, as he explains how he got into the movie industry. Interesting, and fortunately this isn`t the usual PR fluff.

Cory Yuen: Action Academy - this is an 8 minute featurette, this time focusing on Jet Li`s action partner, Cory Yuen, as he details how they go about getting each action shot. Again, interesting.

Police Gymnasium Fight: Action Demo - this contains two demo tapes of training for this sequence, and then the final version. Watchable, but it does get a little bit tedious.

On The Set Action - does what it says on the tin, a compilation of clips showing the various action set-pieces as they are being filmed.

Featurette - a 4 minute, PR fluff-packed, brief, waste of space insight into the production process. It`s over way too quickly, and barely breaches the topic.

Storyboards - there are 2 storyboards on offer, showing how they went from paper to screen.

Theatrical Trailer - take a guess what this is.

TV Spots - 6 different complilations focusing on different elements of the story.

Production Stills - a moving sequence (this is good...saves you from having to keep on pressing the `Forward` button) of various stills from the production.

The menus are all animated well, both visually with some audio in the background.

Kiss of The Dragon is supplied in a black Amaray case, with a booklet containing the chapter listings.

Conclusion

The movie is one of the better Western martial arts movies I`ve seen in a while...whilst on the outside it seems to lack depth, the scenes between Li and Fonda are done well. As for the action, it is top class, and Nahon`s directing is excellent. The use of the camera angles is especially well done.

Disc wise, the visuals and audio are great - no complaints there, and the extras are detailed enough to be insightful, but they tend to focus on the action side of things, which is interesting enough, but a more definite making-of would have been better...it could have had a more detailed interview with the director and screenwriter et cetera.

For trivia fans, `Kiss of The Dragon` refers to a lethal technique, which, when performed correctly, will kill the person unlucky enough to be on the receiving end. And yes, it`s in the movie. And yes, it is nice and visceral.

Overall, this is a good purchase, as it boasts a good replay value due to its action scenes, and makes good entertainment when watched with a curry and a few mates. The quality of the disc just adds to that verdict.