Jet Li was at a weird crossroads in 2001. He’d done the Hollywood villain thing in Lethal Weapon 4 and the high-tech hip-hop fusion in Romeo Must Die, but fans were getting restless. They wanted the guy from Fist of Legend. They wanted the whirlwind. If you decide to watch Kiss of the Dragon today, you aren't just seeing a martial arts flick; you're seeing Li’s aggressive response to the "wire-fu" craze that was sweeping the West after The Matrix. He wanted to prove he could still hurt people on screen without a harness or a digital stunt double.
It's gritty. It's surprisingly mean-spirited for a studio film. And honestly? It holds up better than almost any other Western martial arts movie from that era.
The Luc Besson Connection and the Paris Underbelly
The movie didn't just happen by accident. Li teamed up with Luc Besson, the French mogul behind The Professional and The Fifth Element. Besson has this specific "Cinema du Look" vibe—slick, stylish, but often grounded in a dirty, industrial reality. They moved the production to Paris, which was a stroke of genius. Instead of the polished streets of San Francisco or LA, we get the damp, claustrophobic alleys of the French capital.
Liu Jian, played by Li, is a Chinese intelligence officer sent to help the French police bust a drug lord. Things go south immediately. He’s framed by a corrupt police inspector named Richard, played with terrifying, sweaty intensity by Tchéky Karyo. If you’ve seen Karyo in The Patriot or Bad Boys, you know he does "vile" better than almost anyone. Here, he’s basically a sociopath with a badge.
📖 Related: Why The Winter That Wind Blows Cast Still Hits Different Years Later
The plot isn't revolutionary, but it doesn't need to be. It’s a chase movie. Liu Jian is a stranger in a strange land, carrying nothing but a bag of acupuncture needles and a very specific set of skills.
Why the Action in Kiss of the Dragon Hits Different
Let's talk about the fights. Most American movies at the time were obsessed with slow-motion and CGI-assisted jumps. Li and director Chris Nahon went the opposite direction. They actually slowed Li down in the editing room because his natural speed was making the footage look like it was fast-forwarded.
There is one specific scene in a hotel where Liu Jian uses a single acupuncture needle to paralyze a guy. It’s quiet, clinical, and brutal. That’s the "Kiss of the Dragon" of the title—a forbidden needle point at the base of the skull that sends all the blood to the brain, causing a slow, agonizing death. It’s dark stuff.
The choreography was handled by Corey Yuen, a legend who has worked with everyone from Jackie Chan to Michelle Yeoh. Yuen understands geometry. He uses the environment. In the final act, when Liu Jian storms the police headquarters, the fight in the dojo against the "twins" (played by real-life martial arts experts Cyril Raffaelli and Didier Azoulay) is a masterpiece of pacing. You see the fatigue. You see the impact.
Bridging the Gap Between East and West
When you watch Kiss of the Dragon, you notice a weird soulfulness that usually gets stripped out of Western imports. A lot of that comes from Bridget Fonda’s character, Jessica. She’s a prostitute being held under Richard’s thumb, and her daughter has been kidnapped.
Usually, the "love interest" or "damsel" in these movies is a cardboard cutout. Fonda plays Jessica with a shattered, nervous energy. She’s not a kung-fu master. She’s just a person who’s been stepped on for too long. Her chemistry with Li is platonic and protective, which makes the stakes feel much higher than your standard "save the world" plot. It’s about saving one kid and one woman’s dignity.
Fact-Checking the Production: What Really Happened On Set
There are a few myths about this movie that circulate on Reddit and old IMDb boards. One is that Jet Li did all his own stunts. While he did the vast majority of the fighting, insurance in a multimillion-dollar production rarely allows a star to do everything. However, the "no wires" rule was strictly enforced for the main fights.
📖 Related: What Time Does SNL End? The Late-Night Schedule You Need to Know
- The Fire Hose Scene: That wasn't a trick. Li actually used a fire hose as a weapon, a nod to his traditional staff work in Chinese cinema.
- The Twins: Cyril Raffaelli, the blonde guy who fights Li at the end, is a traceur—a parkour pioneer. You can see his agility in the way he moves over furniture. He later went on to star in District 13.
- Acupuncture: While the "Kiss of the Dragon" point is a fictionalized exaggeration for cinema, the pressure points Li targets throughout the film are based on real Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) concepts, specifically Dim Mak (Death Touch) lore.
How to Watch Kiss of the Dragon Today
Finding this movie can be a bit of a hunt depending on your region. It’s a 20th Century Fox (now Disney) property, but because of its R-rating and gritty content, it doesn’t always sit front-and-center on Disney+.
- Streaming: In the US, it frequently rotates through platforms like Max or Hulu.
- Digital Purchase: It’s available in 4K on Vudu, Apple TV, and Amazon. The 4K transfer is actually worth the money because the film was shot on 35mm with a lot of natural grain and shadow.
- Physical Media: There is a great Blu-ray release from various boutique labels that includes commentary from Chris Nahon and Jet Li.
The Lasting Legacy of the "Dragon"
We don't get movies like this anymore. Modern action is often "John Wick-ified"—lots of gunplay, neon lights, and long takes. While that’s great, there’s something visceral about the 2000-era French-produced action cinema. It feels like a bridge between the classic Hong Kong era and the modern tactical era.
If you’re tired of superheroes and CGI explosions that don't feel like they have any weight, go back and watch this. It reminds you that Jet Li wasn't just a movie star; he was an athlete at the absolute peak of his powers, trying to prove he could conquer the West on his own terms.
📖 Related: JJ Criminal Minds: Why Jennifer Jareau is the Show's Most Misunderstood Character
Actionable Next Steps for Action Fans
If you've finished the movie and want more of that specific "Luc Besson meets Martial Arts" flavor, your next stops are clear. Start with The Transporter (the first one), which was also choreographed by Corey Yuen and shares much of the same DNA. Then, move to Unleashed (also known as Danny the Dog). It’s another Jet Li/Besson collaboration, but it focuses more on emotional trauma and raw, animalistic fighting. Finally, check out District 13 to see Cyril Raffaelli (the twin from the end of Kiss of the Dragon) redefine what humans can do without a stunt double. These films form an unofficial trilogy of the "French Action Wave" that defined the early 2000s.