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poster of Kiss of the Dragon
Rating: 6.9/10 by 1184 users

Kiss of the Dragon (2001)

Liu Jian, an elite Chinese police officer, comes to Paris to arrest a Chinese drug lord. When Jian is betrayed by a French officer and framed for murder, he must go into hiding and find new allies.

Directing:
  • Chris Nahon
Writing:
  • Luc Besson
  • Robert Mark Kamen
Stars:
Release Date: Fri, Jul 06, 2001

Rating: 6.9/10 by 1184 users

Alternative Title:
Le Baiser du Dragon - US
Le Baiser mortel du Dragon - US
Pocałunek Smoka - PL
El beso del Dragon - MX
El beso del Dragon - ES
O Beijo do Dragão - BR

Country:
France
United States of America
Language:
English
Français
普通话
Runtime: 01 hour 38 minutes
Budget: $25,000,000
Revenue: $64,437,847

Plot Keyword: martial arts, prostitute, paris, france, drug smuggling, gangster, conspiracy, police corruption, drugs, framed for murder, action hero

Wuchak

_**Jet Li flick in Paris with Bridget Fonda**_ An expert Chinese intelligence agent (Jet Li) is sent to Paris to help the head inspector (Tchéky Karyo) in apprehending a Chinese mob boss at a ritzy hotel, unaware that it’s a set-up. Bridget Fonda plays an American prostitute that “Johnny” (Li) develops a relationship with during the misadventure. "Kiss of the Dragon" (2001) is a big city crime thriller with the expected overdone martial arts action due to Li. It’s a modern mixing of “From Russia with Love” (1963) with the preposterous action of “The Gauntlet” (1977) and the martial arts of “Enter the Dragon” (1973). It was Bridget’s second to last theatrical movie before calling it a day (although she also did some TV work in 2001-2002, like her final piece “Snow Queen”). I like the fact that the protagonist, Liu Jian (Li), is confident and an expert fighter, but also very human, even meek, as a stranger in a strange land (being his first visit to Paris). The action is thrilling with a sense of style counterbalanced by some quality drama with Fonda’s character and her situation. If I were to nitpick, some eye-rolling elements bring down the film’s quality. For instance, Liu Jian storms a police building, opens a door and suddenly enters a dojo full of martial arts guys ready to take him down. Why Sure! Earlier, a British pilot grabs not one, but two Uzis to kill Liu Jian in the swank lobby, shooting up the entire place. Did he really need to cause mass devastation to kill one Chinese man? I'm sure the corrupt Inspector (Tchéky Karyo) wouldn't enjoy explaining the wholesale desolation to the mayor. Moreover, there are too many hip-hop songs on the soundtrack. I could see one or two (at the most), but they overdid it. It smacked of trying to be too ‘hip.’ The film runs 1 hour, 38 minutes and was shot entirely in Paris & nearby Seine-Saint-Denis, France. GRADE: B-


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