"Dragon" -- In Need of a Sense of Humor by Homer Yen (c) 2001
A friend of mine who recently visited France remarked that the people there lacked a sense of humor. But how could that be? After watching this film, how can you NOT laugh at the French police force, which appears to be the most inept law enforcement agency in all of Europe? Their bumbling methods make it seem as if they all graduated with top honors from Inspector Clouseau's Academy for the Dimwitted.
In "Kiss of the Dragon," however, the intent is not to elicit laughter. And that's too bad because there are oodles of opportunities to make this a really fun film. Just think of all the wacky situations that our hero, Jet Li, could have found himself in. He plays Johnny, an operative from Beijing sent to Paris to help the local police crack an important case. Diminutive, unable to speak the language, and unaccustomed to their way of police work, it makes you wonder how these two governments could even agree to such an arrangement. Meanwhile, Johnny is humbly reserved, but while in Paris, stays with a colleague who makes his hideaway in a seedy, prostitute-infested area. Here is the perfect 'fish-out-of-water' set up. But the film's tone opts for moody atmosphere rather than lighthearted earnestness.
Any laughter that occurs is more the result of the absurdity of the on-screen action. For example, every time Jet Li dispatches a thug, there's another taller and more muscular thug in the background that steps up to attack. He fells opponents in a variety of wild ways such as by ramming a pair of chopsticks into the throat. My favorite scene, though, was when he executed a balletic scissors kick that propelled a pool ball across the room and into the forehead of a surprised bad guy. "Yeah, right!" we say to ourselves under our breath. It's a strange juxtaposition of silliness and violence. Alas, the one thing that Jet Li really needs in his arsenal of lightning-speed punches, roundhouse kicks, and weapons mastery is an ability to give a beaming smile. Yes, this film desperately needs to strip away its stoicism and find a sense of humor.
But for those of you who just want to see Jet Li kick butt, you won't be disappointed. The plot provides a string of sequences that showcases Li's athleticism and martial arts skills, which are quite impressive. And he'll need every ounce of luck and skill to stay alive after a corrupt French inspector (Tcheky Karyo) frames him for the murder.
Our villainous inspector is another absurd element that will make you roll your eyes. We don't so much mind his cold-blooded nature, but it's hard to believe his irritatingly odious demeanor and his incessant snarling in that gravelly French accent. Perhaps the feedback levels of the boom mike were a bit out of whack.
Our lithe hero manages to escape all of the Inspector's attempts at capturing him even when he is pursued through sewer drains by SWAT teams, seemingly trapped on a boat, or surrounded in a dojo facility with 3 dozen black belts. Yes, some of this absurdity becomes entertaining at some point. And, when Li decides to stop running and to take matter into his own hands by infiltrating the Inspector's police station, this sequence is kind of fun. Yet, it's too bad that Li never smiles. This film would have been more enjoyable if we thought that he was having fun too.
Grade: C+ S: 2 out of 3 L: 1 out of 3 V: 3 out of 3
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