Kiss of the Dragon (2001)

Jet Li is a Chinese cop who is sent to help the French police, but is set up as a murderer by his psychopathic French boss (Tchéky Karyo). The story also includes Bridget Fonda as a former pig-farmer’s daughter from North Dakota and nowadays hooker in Paris (some Frenchie lied to her that he would make her rich and happy, and now she is in the claws of this very psychopath copper). So, Jet Li saves her and her young daughter (+ they set free the poor turtle that the psycho cop kept in a drawer), and brings them back to a better life in Motherland China ... Well, it's pretty predictable, stereotypical and silly, but it's still a nice film, with good Kung Fu scenes and interesting acupuncture tricks. The film looks good, too.



Martial arts:
At the great showdown, Jet Li fights his way through a large building full of people who know martial arts. The match against the giant aryan twins is particularly memorable. Overall, the martial arts in this film (and many other films reviewed here) has more of dancing than real violence - in a good way.


(Both screenshots courtesy JL2H)

Misogyny:
It's a bit sad that, once again, a prostitute has to be ‘saved’ by some guy, and doesn’t get to fight and get free, herself. Well, it’s more bearable when this saviour is Jet Li, and not Richard Gere or something equally awful, but it’s still a really male chauvinist way to see things. (Oh well, I’ll just have to write more stories myself about girls with guns and kicks who save themselves, or who save some helpless guys ...)
On the plus side, there are no stereotypical 'save love interest from sexual assault' scenes in this film ... If that would have been the case, I guess Jet Li would have had too much to do.

Hunk factor:
Jet Li is a bit more sweet than cool this time. His haircut looks particularly cute.