Please... don't do that! (Kiss of the Dragon (DVD))

Member Name: thebluehippo

Product:	Kiss of the Dragon (DVD)
Date:	23/09/06 (157 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Jet Li action

Disadvantages: Occasional cheesy dialogue

Jet Li stars in this film, playing cop Liu Jiuan who has come to Paris to assist in a major drugs operation. Here he meets Richard (Tchéky Karyo) who turns out to be a corrupt Inspector. He frames Liu for the murder of a Chinese gangster and a prostitute. Fortunately it is not known where he is staying until he comes to the aid of prostitute Jessica (Bridget Fonda) the shop he is staying at ends up a mess after a gruelling fight. 'Uncle' Tai is caught in crossfire when Max (John Forgeham) tries to stop Lie.
Liu angered by the death of the man who took him in finds out that Jessica is working for Richard and was one of the other prostitutes at the hotel the murder commenced, he wants her to stand up for him as a witness - but it's not too straight forward as he has her daughter and she wants her back.

This is a really good film, although the story line is really basic (written by Jet Li himself and the screenplay by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen) the fight scenes are enjoyable and reasonably believable. Part of the reason for this is the fact that Jet Li took fan feedback to what they like and dislike about his films - one thing that was mentioned was wirework so this film had no wires. Another thing I liked was that they managed to have fight scenes that incorporated the fact that the police/gangsters where armed, which rather than having ridiculous bullet dodging scenes they work round it by having Li diving for cover, or using quick reactions to stop the person even pulling a gun out there jacket.
You also have to look at the fact that Corey Yeun was action director on this - a sure sign that an action/martial arts movie is going to have some good choreography.
The scenery in this film is fantastic featuring a fight scene on a boat which although is fantastic in itself also gives the viewer a chance to take in some French scenery.

I also liked the directing on this (by Chris Nahon) I already mentioned the fact the film uses the scenery of Paris to it's advantage but also I felt there where scenes that used the characters faces to it's advantage. Like at the beginning before Liu meets Richard, there's a scene in the bathroom where the men around him are just reacting to him being then and just looking suspicious. There's also a scene at a hospital where Liu is on his own in a waiting room and you hear French in the background with is not even translated for the viewer, which I felt added to the isolation and loneliness that Liu was feeling at the time being in a strange city on the run.
The running time is only 94 minutes (approx) so the film doesn't outstay it's welcome.

The performances overall where pretty good, Jet Li does what he does best, the good guy who saves the day and who could have a potential love interest but is too much of a good guy to even try it on. The only time I didn't like something he did was a scene where Jessica's pimp is beating her around and Liu says "Don't do that" which sounds quite cheesy, I don't know if it was supposed to sound serious or intimidating but either way it gave a bit of a chuckle from me.
Bridget Fonda is interesting in her role as a prostitute who has kicked the drugs, she struggles to get her life back in order and wants to be with her daughter which makes you feel very sorry for her, especially just to see her get beaten down and then injected with heroin to put her back in her place, making you want to see the bad guys get what's coming to them.
Tchéky Karyo plays the evil corrupt Frenchman to perfection, he's so aggressive, intimidating and used to getting away with the stuff he does that you can't wait to see him punished right at the end.

The film sets a bad image for the French police force as it's suggested that a good number are corrupt, they also tend to shoot before thinking, taking out many innocent bystanders along the way!

With the fast paced action and back basic fight scenes, this is a must for any action or martial arts movie junkie.

The Extras on the film are as follows:
Audio Commentary with Chris Nahon, Jet Li and Bridget Fonda
Corey Yeun Action Academy featurette
The Jet Li technique/fight philosophy
Storyboard Sequence: The Orphanage
Police Gymnasium Sequence: Martial Arts Demo
"The Laundry Chute" - Multi-angle sequence
On the Set action
Action Gallery
Making of Featurette
Theatrical Trailer
6 TV Spots
Scene Access
Interactive Menus

Language: Some very strong
Sex/Nudity: Moderate
Violence: Frequent/Strong
Other: Drug Use
Dual Layer Single Disc (Region 2)
Certificate: 18
Languages: English and English Subtitles for the hard of hearing.

Summary: Must for martial arts fans