Kiss of the Dragon *** (2001, Jet Li, Bridget Fonda, Tchéky Karyo, Bert Kwouk) – Classic Movie Review 2202

A Chinese intelligence officer is sent to Paris to help the French vice squad apprehend a Chinese drug lord and his unknown French connection. But it’s only a matter of hours before the intelligence officer is framed for a brutal murder and has to enlist the aid of an American farm girl prostitute to prove his innocence from a deadly conspiracy before returning a favour to her.

Jet Li as the betrayed intelligence officer Liu Jian pairs well with Bridget Fonda as the hooker Jessica Kamen for director Chris Nahon’s flashy and fun action-filled 2001 martial arts adventure, with no shortage of fights, stunts and dodgy performances. Tchéky Karyo over-eggs the pudding entertainingly as the lip-smacking villain Inspector Richard, while there’s a nice role for Bert Kwouk as Uncle Tai.

The writing partners behind The One and Taken, Luc Besson (who also produces) and Robert Mark Kamen, write the effective screenplay, based on a story by Jet Li.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2202

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