*** out of ****<br /><br />After the disappointing Romeo Must Die it's great to see Jet Li back in ass-kicking form in Kiss of the Dragon, a movie that features a story that doesn't always make a whole lot of sense but features martial arts fights that rank among Li's best. The movie improves considerably on the mistakes made in Romeo and is a thrill ride that moves at a consistently good pace.<br /><br />Li plays a Chinese intelligence officer on a mission in Paris. He's been assigned to work with a French officer named Richard (Tcheky Karyo), who's obviously corrupt and also calls Li by John since he can't pronounce his real name. Anyway, their assignment involves busting a drug kingpin, but everything goes horribly wrong when the crime lord is killed and Richard pins the fault on John. Thus, John goes on the run in a city he's unfamiliar with; he has almost no allies and is being chased after by the police and Richard's countless cronies.<br /><br />He meets a prostitute named Jessica (Bridget Fonda) inside a restaurant, and a mutual friendship begins to develop between them. It's also by chance he discovers that she was a witness to the kingpin's murder and can clear his name. But she's reluctant to help him because Richard has her daughter, which is the only reason she continues this demeaning job in the first place. As Richard and his men begin to pin them down, John prepares to fight back with all his skills and strengths and retrieve Jessica's daughter safely.<br /><br />From the get-go, there's a fault in the story. There's simply no good explanation given as to why Richard actually had the kingpin killed in the first place. My own assumption would be that they were working together and this led to the possibility of his corruption being revealed. That's as good as any guess, I suppose. Luc Besson's script isn't particularly distinguished, but hey, at least it's more comprehensible than the Romeo Must Die's plot, a move which I will probably refer to many times in this review.<br /><br />Not only is that element improved upon from that film, but Li is actually given a hell of a lot more screen time and the fact that everybody seems to be after him gives the movie a more frenetic pace. That's not to say that Kiss of the Dragon is a lightning-paced film. After an exhilarating opening fight sequence inside a hotel that features Li using props a la Jackie Chan style, the movie does slow down considerably.<br /><br />But to compensate for this pace is an interesting relationship that forms when Bridget Fonda enters the picture. True, this isn't the most well-written role the actress has had (well, then again, she's not really give many well-written roles in the first place, is she?) but her performance is good, and the chemistry that clicks between her and Li is strong, and even sometimes sweet and touching. Some see the lack of an actual romance blossoming between them as another sign that Hollywood isn't much for interracial couples (much like in Romeo Must Die) but I think it's better this way. Plus, I'm getting tired of seeing the hero bed the heroine in an impulsive moment of passion. Fonda and Li's quiet communication and toned-down feelings are more effective than a kiss or love scene would be. Of course, there are the obligatory moments of cheesy dialogue when she says to him that all he cares about is himself, but the fight scenes kick in before any of this can significantly hinder the film.<br /><br />Speaking of the action scenes, they are supremely exciting. I'm not sure if director Chris Nahon was in charge of the choregraphy, but if he was, this is very impressive. First of all, there's no wirework, or at least none that I noticed, so there's a feeling of authenticity in all the fight scenes. The film's best action sequence is Li's two-on-one fight with the "blonde brothers" in the finale who, I must say, also display some very impressive martial arts moves (Can Li even do flips like that one blonde guy does?). I've seen several of Li's other films and these fights on par with his Hong Kong work, if not better than some. The only real complaint I have with the fight scenes is that some of the camera movements are too quick, making it sometimes a little difficult to make out a couple of Li's impressive moves. But it's a problem that thankfully doesn't permeate the film.<br /><br />The action is also very bloody and graphically violent. An early scene with a man being literally blown in half by a grenade let's us know that isn't a family-friendly Jackie Chan film. When someone gets hit, they bleed and they bleed a lot. (Minor Spoiler here) Tcheky Karyo's death scene is perhaps the film's bloody highlight; he bleeds from every orifice on his face until he dies in a frenzy of spasmatic twitching.<br /><br />What can be seen as a flaw in the film is in some of its settings. Those who think present-day Paris is nothing but a beautiful city will be unpleasantly surprised by Kiss of the Dragon, which almost exclusively focuses on the grungy and seedy side of society in the city. Seeing Fonda in a mess of sweat and dirt in a filthy allieway isn't a fun sight.<br /><br />As I said before, Fonda is good, and so is Li, who can actually act, unlike so many big-time action stars around. The quiet intensity he displays says more than any dialogue that spews out from Steven Seagal or Jean-Claude Van Damme. Tcheky Karyo is so snaky and disgustingly vile in his role, everybody will cheer for his death (well, that and the fact that some people in the audience couldn't stop proclaiming how gross his death was).<br /><br />The actual Kiss of the Dragon the movie's title refers to is a form of Chinese acupuncture, a method that Li uses in the film can put people to sleep or give a very bloody death. It's not mentioned as often in the film as I thought it would and neither is it extremely significant to the plot, but who cares? This film's all about the action and I'm certainly not complaining when it comes to that. It's funny to see that from the so many lackluster blockbuster films of the past summer two of the best have its roots in Hong-Kong filmmaking (the other such film is Tsui Hark's Time and Tide).