Kiss of the Dragon
Encyclopedia
Kiss of the Dragon is a 2001 martial arts
action film
, directed by Chris Nahon
, co-written and produced by Luc Besson
, and starring Jet Li
, Bridget Fonda
, and Tchéky Karyo
.
The film was made in response to Li's fans requesting more realistic fight scenes, and is notable as most of the action sequences did not use CGI or wire work
; only two scenes required CGI enhancement and only one scene involved wire work. Wire work was also added to one of the last fight sequences between Li and Cyril Raffaelli
, only to add clarity to Raffaelli's kicks, as he was moving too fast for the camera. Nahon was also required to slow down this fight scene, as both Li and Raffaelli moved too quickly to be captured clearly at normal recording speed. The film is based on a story by Li.
), a Chinese
intelligence agent, is sent to Paris
to help apprehend Chinese mob boss
Mr. Big (Ric Young
), who is involved in heroin smuggling. He meets Inspector Jean-Pierre Richard (Tchéky Karyo
), a corrupt and violent French
police detective, at a hotel
. Richard tricks Liu into believing he is simply providing reconnaissance of a meet involving Mr. Big. The plans are changed when Mr. Big is introduced to two prostitutes, one being Jessica Kamen (Bridget Fonda
), an American
woman, who takes him to his room to service him. While Liu and the rest were watching through the surveillance camera, Mr. Big kicks everyone out except for the two prostitutes. While a prostitute is on top of Mr. Big, she attempts to murder him. Witnessing the events from a surveillance room, Liu rushes to stop the prostitutes. Richard enters shortly later, only to shoot Mr. Big and the prostitute with Liu's police-issue handgun
, framing Liu for the murders.
Realizing he has been set up, Liu manages to escape from the hotel with a surveillance tape showing Richard shooting Mr. Big. Chinese liaisons are sent to France after the events to investigate the matter, as Richard makes Liu the primary suspect. However, the liaisons do not believe the story Richard provides. Liu manages to contact one of the liaisons, in an attempt to pass on the tape to reveal the truth. Due to French police surveillance, the meet between the liaison and Liu is spotted, and the liaison is assassinated. During Liu's escape, he loses the tape in the chaos, and is forced to maintain a low profile.
As he considers his situation, he meets Jessica, whose daughter was kidnapped by Richard to force her into prostitution. Liu discovers Jessica was the second prostitute at the hotel during the night of Mr. Big's murder. He realizes she can prove his innocence, but she refuses to go without her retrieving her daughter, Isabel. Liu decides the tape would provide the best evidence, and sends Jessica to Richard's office to steal the tape. Jessica manages to get the tape, so Liu and Jessica head to an orphanage where Isabel is kept. However, Richard anticipates this move after discovering Jessica has stolen the tape, and ambushes the couple at the orphanage. During their escape, Jessica is shot in the chest. Liu manages to get her to the hospital in time, and becomes driven to retrieve her daughter. Liu arrives at the police station where Richard is holding Isabel hostage
, and fights his way through Richard's henchmen to his office. Once at the office, Liu rescues Isabel, getting shot by Richard in the process. To save Isabel, Liu kills Richard by sticking an acupuncture
needle into the back of his neck in a forbidden location known as the "kiss of the dragon," which stimulates all the body's blood to travel to the brain to cause a painful death via a brain aneurysm
. Liu survives the gunshot wound, and returns Jessica's daughter back to her mother.
, bleeding from the head's orifices, and a painful death via a brain aneurysm
.
.
Martial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...
action film
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
, directed by Chris Nahon
Chris Nahon
Chris Nahon is a French film director best known for directing the films Kiss of the Dragon, Empire of the Wolves, and Blood: The Last Vampire.- Filmography :-External links:...
, co-written and produced by Luc Besson
Luc Besson
Luc Besson is a French film director, writer, and producer. He is the creator of EuropaCorp film company. He has been involved with over 50 films, spanning 26 years, as writer, director, and/or producer.-Early life:...
, and starring Jet Li
Jet Li
The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
, Bridget Fonda
Bridget Fonda
Bridget Jane Fonda is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in films such as The Godfather Part III, Single White Female, Point of No Return, It Could Happen to You, and Jackie Brown...
, and Tchéky Karyo
Tchéky Karyo
-Early life:Karyo was born in Istanbul to a Greek mother and Sephardic-Jewish father and raised in Paris, France. He studied drama at the Cyrano Theatre and later became a member of the Daniel Sorano Company, playing many classical roles.-Career:...
.
The film was made in response to Li's fans requesting more realistic fight scenes, and is notable as most of the action sequences did not use CGI or wire work
Wire fu
Wire fu is an element of Hong Kong action cinema. It is a combination of two terms: "wire work" and "kung fu". Wire fu is used to describe a sub-genre of Kung-Fu movies where the stuntmen's skill is augmented with the use of wires and pulleys, as well as other techniques, in many cases to perform...
; only two scenes required CGI enhancement and only one scene involved wire work. Wire work was also added to one of the last fight sequences between Li and Cyril Raffaelli
Cyril Raffaelli
Cyril Raffaelli is a French traceur, martial artist and stuntman.-Biography:Utilizing shotokan karate and wushu, Raffaelli has been a regular in films with Luc Besson and David Belle, the latter being a friend of his.-Filmography:...
, only to add clarity to Raffaelli's kicks, as he was moving too fast for the camera. Nahon was also required to slow down this fight scene, as both Li and Raffaelli moved too quickly to be captured clearly at normal recording speed. The film is based on a story by Li.
Plot
Liu Siu-jian (Jet LiJet Li
The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
), a Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
intelligence agent, is sent to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to help apprehend Chinese mob boss
Gangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....
Mr. Big (Ric Young
Ric Young
- Selected Filmography :- External links :...
), who is involved in heroin smuggling. He meets Inspector Jean-Pierre Richard (Tchéky Karyo
Tchéky Karyo
-Early life:Karyo was born in Istanbul to a Greek mother and Sephardic-Jewish father and raised in Paris, France. He studied drama at the Cyrano Theatre and later became a member of the Daniel Sorano Company, playing many classical roles.-Career:...
), a corrupt and violent French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
police detective, at a hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
. Richard tricks Liu into believing he is simply providing reconnaissance of a meet involving Mr. Big. The plans are changed when Mr. Big is introduced to two prostitutes, one being Jessica Kamen (Bridget Fonda
Bridget Fonda
Bridget Jane Fonda is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in films such as The Godfather Part III, Single White Female, Point of No Return, It Could Happen to You, and Jackie Brown...
), an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
woman, who takes him to his room to service him. While Liu and the rest were watching through the surveillance camera, Mr. Big kicks everyone out except for the two prostitutes. While a prostitute is on top of Mr. Big, she attempts to murder him. Witnessing the events from a surveillance room, Liu rushes to stop the prostitutes. Richard enters shortly later, only to shoot Mr. Big and the prostitute with Liu's police-issue handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
, framing Liu for the murders.
Realizing he has been set up, Liu manages to escape from the hotel with a surveillance tape showing Richard shooting Mr. Big. Chinese liaisons are sent to France after the events to investigate the matter, as Richard makes Liu the primary suspect. However, the liaisons do not believe the story Richard provides. Liu manages to contact one of the liaisons, in an attempt to pass on the tape to reveal the truth. Due to French police surveillance, the meet between the liaison and Liu is spotted, and the liaison is assassinated. During Liu's escape, he loses the tape in the chaos, and is forced to maintain a low profile.
As he considers his situation, he meets Jessica, whose daughter was kidnapped by Richard to force her into prostitution. Liu discovers Jessica was the second prostitute at the hotel during the night of Mr. Big's murder. He realizes she can prove his innocence, but she refuses to go without her retrieving her daughter, Isabel. Liu decides the tape would provide the best evidence, and sends Jessica to Richard's office to steal the tape. Jessica manages to get the tape, so Liu and Jessica head to an orphanage where Isabel is kept. However, Richard anticipates this move after discovering Jessica has stolen the tape, and ambushes the couple at the orphanage. During their escape, Jessica is shot in the chest. Liu manages to get her to the hospital in time, and becomes driven to retrieve her daughter. Liu arrives at the police station where Richard is holding Isabel hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
, and fights his way through Richard's henchmen to his office. Once at the office, Liu rescues Isabel, getting shot by Richard in the process. To save Isabel, Liu kills Richard by sticking an acupuncture
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a type of alternative medicine that treats patients by insertion and manipulation of solid, generally thin needles in the body....
needle into the back of his neck in a forbidden location known as the "kiss of the dragon," which stimulates all the body's blood to travel to the brain to cause a painful death via a brain aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
. Liu survives the gunshot wound, and returns Jessica's daughter back to her mother.
Origin of title
The title "Kiss of the Dragon" is derived from one of the last scenes in the movie, in which Liu punctures Richard in the back of the neck with an acupuncture needle at a "very forbidden" point on the body. The puncture itself, called "kiss of the dragon", traps all the body's blood in the head and causes side effects of quadriplegiaQuadriplegia
Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is paralysis caused by illness or injury to a human that results in the partial or total loss of use of all their limbs and torso; paraplegia is similar but does not affect the arms...
, bleeding from the head's orifices, and a painful death via a brain aneurysm
Cerebral aneurysm
A cerebral or brain aneurysm is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel.- Signs and symptoms :...
.
Cast
- Jet LiJet LiThe fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
as Liu Siu-jian - Bridget FondaBridget FondaBridget Jane Fonda is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in films such as The Godfather Part III, Single White Female, Point of No Return, It Could Happen to You, and Jackie Brown...
as Jessica Kamen - Tchéky KaryoTchéky Karyo-Early life:Karyo was born in Istanbul to a Greek mother and Sephardic-Jewish father and raised in Paris, France. He studied drama at the Cyrano Theatre and later became a member of the Daniel Sorano Company, playing many classical roles.-Career:...
as Jean-Pierre Richard - Max Ryan as Lupo
- Ric Young as Mister Big
- Burt KwoukBurt KwoukBurt Kwouk OBE , born Herbert Kwouk, is an English actor of Chinese descent, known for many television appearances and for his role as Cato in the Pink Panther films.-Career:...
as Uncle Tai - Kentaro as Chen
- Laurence Ashley as Aja
- Cyril RaffaelliCyril RaffaelliCyril Raffaelli is a French traceur, martial artist and stuntman.-Biography:Utilizing shotokan karate and wushu, Raffaelli has been a regular in films with Luc Besson and David Belle, the latter being a friend of his.-Filmography:...
as Twin - Didier Azoulay as Twin
- John ForgehamJohn ForgehamJohn Forgeham is a British actor who is probably best known for playing businessman Frank Laslett in the ITV series Footballers' Wives....
as Max - Paul Barrett as Pilot
- Colin Prince as Lupo's Assistant
- Vincent Glo as Pluto
- Vincent Wong as Minister Tang
Box office
Kiss of the Dragon opened at 2,025 North American theaters on July 6, 2001 to an opening weekend gross of $13,304,027 ($6,569 per screen). It went on to a total North American gross of $36,845,124. Its total worldwide box office gross is $64,437,847.Soundtrack
A soundtrack containing a blend of hip hop and electronic music was released on July 3, 2001 by Virgin RecordsVirgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
.