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Kiss of the Dragon (2001)
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Reviews Counted:101
Fresh:51
Rotten:50
Average Rating:5.2/10
Consensus: A formulaic actioner that's sure to please action fans. Those looking for plot, believability, or character development will have difficulty finding them.
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: The writers of THE FIFTH ELEMENT, Luc Besson (who also directed the Bruce Willis film) and Robert Mark Kamen, have teamed up again to deliver Jet Li in the action thriller KISS OF THE DRAGON. Li... The writers of THE FIFTH ELEMENT, Luc Besson (who also directed the Bruce Willis film) and Robert Mark Kamen, have teamed up again to deliver Jet Li in the action thriller KISS OF THE DRAGON. Li stars as Liu Jiuan, a Chinese agent so dedicated to his job that he has no friends, no family, no dreams. He is sent to Paris to help the French police capture a Chinese gangster, but France's top cop, Jeanne-Pierre Richard (Tcheky Karyo), has set Liu up to take the fall for a brutal killing he himself carried out. On the run in a strange city, Liu keeps a low profile until he unwillingly becomes friends with an American hooker, Jessica (Bridget Fonda)--who just happens to hold the key to his innocence. But Richard is always one step ahead of them--he has Jessica's daughter. Li and Fonda make a great team; their relationship is at the core of the film, as neither character has ever been able to put his complete trust in another person before. The action scenes, directed by Corey Yuen, are fast and furious and very violent, featuring mesmerizing moves by Li, especially one involving a billiard ball. Chris Nahon, in his directorial debut, makes excellent use of the location, including numerous shots of famous Parisian landmarks as the bad cops try to machine-gun down Liu in the streets and sewers and on the Seine. [More]
Starring: Jet Li, Bridget Fonda, Tcheky Karyo, Burt Kwouk
Starring: Jet Li, Bridget Fonda, Tcheky Karyo, Burt Kwouk, Max Ryan
Director: Chris Nahon
Director: Chris Nahon
Screenwriter: Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen
Producer: Luc Besson, Steven Chasman, Happy Walters
Composer: Craig Armstrong
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Reviews for Kiss of the Dragon
A supremely satisfying blend of Hong Kong mayhem and Gallic flair that can only bolster Li's escalating reputation.
The formulaic story cannot weigh down the high-flying, visceral excitement that the film offers in generous doses.
Li has smartly decided to eschew the all-too-fashionable use of wires for the fight scenes in favor of old-fashioned hand-to-hand combat.
Poor Jet Li . . . he doesn't have the comedic timing of Jackie Chan, the looks or charm of Chow Yun Fat, and he certainly isn't the second coming of Bruce Lee.
Latest News for Kiss of the Dragon
September 21, 2006:
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This week at the movies, we've got antisocial behavior ("Jackass: Number Two," with Johnny Knoxville and the gang), hell-raising politicos ("All The King's... More...
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March 30, 2005:
Code Entertainment Goes "Gravedancing"
Variety brings news of the inaugural production from Code Entertainment: it's a horror flick called "The Gravedancers," and it's just about to wrap production in North... More...
June 14, 2001:
The style of action in KOD was heavily influenced by comments made during series of messages posted by fans on the Jet Li website forum, immediately after the release of Romeo Must Die in United States. ![]()
More...
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