Martial arts films are often risky territory.
The characters usually aren’t very interesting except for their physical abilities and the stories are far-fetched, even for such a far-fetched genre.
But “Kiss of the Dragon,” starring Jet Li, manages to entertain without talking down to the audience or getting too hokey.
The story centers on Li’s character, Liu Jian, who’s something of a Chinese supercop. Liu travels to Paris to help bust a drug lord, but is double-crossed and framed by crooked French cop Richard (Tchéky Karyo).
From there, the action begins as Li kicks, punches and tears his way through the rest of the film. The movie doesn’t waste much time and packs as much action as possible onto the screen without underdeveloping the characters.
Bridget Fonda also makes an appearance as a prostitute named Jessica, who’s the source of most of the story’s melodrama.
While her appearance is a welcome addition to the plot at first, she slows down the movie in several scenes with misplaced outbursts that would’ve been better served by a lack of moralizing.
Overall, Fonda’s character becomes the only annoyance in the script.
Li’s performance is cool and collected. He makes for an intriguing character, without the normal baggage of “supercops,” such as dead parents or a missing wife. His challenging physical feats are also fun to watch.
Unfortunately, the movie has no sense of humor. Those looking for the jokes of a Jackie Chan movie may be disappointed, while fans of hard-core martial arts will enjoy the straightforward approach.
The story is full of holes, but action films are usually worse. The audience probably questions why the top police agent in Paris is running prostitution and drug rings without suspicion, or why Liu doesn’t pick up the hundreds of guns left strewn around after his is taken away.
And of course, an audience will have to wonder why no one thinks anything of a man who walks around with hundreds of drugged acupuncture needles attached to his arm.
The needles are the basis of the film’s name, deriving from a death-dealing move Li uses to end the film. Of course, his character uses the same needles to put people to sleep and paralyze them throughout the movie. It’s a corny plot device, but it’s used conservatively enough to prevent it from becoming annoying.
The movie is also refreshingly devoid of massive computer assistance and hidden wires. Li uses only his natural prowess at martial arts to impress, and does a good job of it. The action scenes are spectacularly done and are sure to impress everyone, not just martial arts movie buffs.
Overall, the movie is well-made, fun to watch and impressive. It’s not without a bit of goofiness, but it’ll entertain more than anything else. The characters are well-developed, the film is well-made and people will enjoy it, regardless of their fondness of the genre.
