Kiss Of The Dragon

By EWAN McDONALD

(Herald rating: * * * )

China's top cop is sent to Paris to help a Government official in a delicate matter that might involve some dealings that won't go into the official's reports home. They involve certain substances that are not generally included in free trade agreements, unless the governments are from Latin America.

Afterwards, the official has an encounter with two hookers that doesn't go quite the way he was looking forward to: he dies. The cop, Liu Jian — and let's call him Jet Li from now on, because there's not a lot of character development or plot here — figures that a crooked cop, Inspector Jean-Pierre Richard (Tcheky Karyo), is behind the murder and most of the crime in modern France as well.

That's the plot. Well, all you need to know. Almost everything else, as it should be in a Jet Li movie, is the action — one man against every thug who came out of, passed through, or even thought about a trip to Paris. Oh, apart from the relationship between Jet Li and Bridget Fonda, who plays Jessica, a North Dakota farm girl who the evil inspector has hooked on drugs, turned into a prostitute and blackmailed over her young daughter.

Jet Li and Corey Yuen, his choreographer, use much of the City of Light, some pretty basic props (a billiard ball, a laundry chute, a hand grenade) and some tricky editing for some of the best action scenes you'll see this side of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; producer and co-writer Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, La Femme Nikita) goes back to his physical and film-making roots for a slick, professional evening's entertainment.

The title? Apparently it refers to using an acupuncture needle in a manner that seems directly opposed to the Chinese concept of "wellness" — altering the body's flow of blood so that it all rises to the head and bursts from every available orifice. Just thought you might like to know that before you see the movie.

Rental video, DVD: Today

• DVD features: movie (98 mins); commentary from Bridget Fonda, Jet Li and director Chris Nahon; Jet Li: Fighting Philosophy feature; Corey Yuen: Action Academy feature; Police Gym Fight: Demo fight-planning demonstration; behind-the-scenes clips; storyboards; promotional featurette, production stills, theatrical trailers, 6 TV spots.