“˜Dragon’ follows formula for action movie success

  Twentieth Century Fox As Liu Jiuan, Jet
Li lays down the law against two thugs in "Kiss of the
Dragon."

By Kenny Chang
Daily Bruin Contributor

The formula for great action-movies usually includes a guy from
a foreign country being framed for something he didn’t do,
with the catch that the foreigner is a cop ““ crime busting
and good hearted. The new action thriller, “Kiss of the
Dragon” follows this recipe successfully.

But the formula is lacking something which “Kiss of the
Dragon” picks up. It attaches producer Luc Besson, who
established a loyal fan base with his direction of the “The
Fifth Element” and “The Professional” and throws
in martial arts superstar Jet Li (“Romeo Must Die”),
creating the blockbuster which opened July 6 at theaters
nationwide.

Li, a seasoned film star, has been dazzling fans for years with
his tremendous skill in Wushu, an ancient Chinese martial art.
Therefore it comes as no surprise that newcomer Chris Nahon
accepted Li’s initial vision of “Kiss of the
Dragon” and decided to help direct the film.

The movie takes place in Paris, where Liu Jiuan (Li),
China’s top government agent, is on a top-secret
mission. The trouble begins when he has to assist Richard
(TchÈky Karyo), a corrupt police official, with the
aforementioned mission. Little does Liu know, he is being set up
and abruptly descends down a spiral of chaos.

  Twentieth Century Fox Liu Jiuan (Jet Li)
rescues Jessica (Bridget Fonda) from danger.
Framed for murder, Liu runs into Jessica (Bridget Fonda), an
American woman who serves as a prostitute in this foreign country.
She, of course, is kind and was forced into prostitution against
her will. The two find they have one thing in common: all they have
is each other. Following their introduction, Liu proceeds to do
some serious ass-kicking.

Though the plot is not brilliant, its shortcomings are redeemed
by the action sequences. Jet Li’s martial art choreography is
reminiscent of the popular fighting style employed in Jackie Chan
flicks, making use of any prop available and fighting like
there’s no tomorrow. Jet Li’s fight scenes, however,
are more serious than most Chan sequences.

Though not quite as impressive as fight scenes in Li’s
older Hong Kong movies, the action sequences do seem a bit better
than those in Li’s recent film, “Romeo Must Die.”
Most stunts have no string assistance and do not indicate much
computer rendering. Keanu Reeves would be put to shame.

The dialogue is straightforward with several one-liners ““
typical script for action movies. TchÈky Karyo does an
excellent job as a villain and his impassioned notoriety dominates
his scenes. Li’s lines, although short and concise are
certainly better than his single line, “If you were in Hong
Kong, you would be dead,” in “Lethal Weapon
4.”

Fonda does a decent job as a prostitute and contributes some
emotional scenes, a relief from the anger and seriousness in the
rest of the movie.

A definite commendation is also deserved for the musical score.
Composed by Craig Armstrong (“Romeo + Juliet,”
“Goldeneye”), the entire score is fantastic. The music
is a crucial part of the film and contributes considerably to every
scene. The tense portions are extraordinarily so and the music even
helps to promote the lukewarm relationship displayed by Li and
Fonda on screen.

Though lacking in some aspects, “Kiss of the Dragon”
is a good action movie. The one hour and 50 minutes pass by at a
comfortable pace and viewers are kept adequately entertained.
Amidst the heroism, gun-toting fight scenes and blood and gore, it
is rather impressive to see a man a foot shorter than everyone else
in the film beating up 15 black belts.

If anything, it gives everyone a bit of hope that they too could
bail themselves and a prostitute out of trouble in the event that
they are framed for murder while visiting a foreign country.