Like Chow Yun Fat and Jackie Chan, Jet Li has found it difficult to make it big in the states. Chan found it with Rush Hour, while Fat found it with the import Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Lethal Weapon 4 got Li some exposure, but he still needs that ideal breakthrough role. Unfortunately, the dull Kiss of the Dragon is not it.

In Kiss of the Dragon, Li plays an agent battling corruption on both sides of the fence while trying to help a junkie (Bridget Fonda) get her life back together.

Kiss of the Dragon is ultraviolent to say the least. And while I love a good violent picture as much as the next guy, I found this movie to be pretty boring.

Jet Li proves to be a commanding screen presence. He is the one and only reason to even consider seeing this film. Not only are his fighting sequences spectacular, it's backed up by a decent dramatic performance as well. True, he has very little dialogue, but he does manage to convey plenty through his actions and facial expressions. Fonda doesn't fare as well. This is an uninspired and completely underwritten role. Kiss of the Dragon also features a villain who is even more over the top than Gary Oldman's baddie in Luc Besson's The Professional.

The reason I bring up Besson is because he co-wrote Kiss of the Dragon and much of it feels like The Professional. The Professional, however, had a strong emotional center in the relationship between Jean Reno and young Natalie Portman. The relationship between Li and Fonda in this picture is poorly developed, and the subplot dealing with Fonda's daughter is just silly and implausible.

As much as I liked the choreography in this picture, it never really added up to anything. Jackie Chan is known for a light, humorous touch in movies like Rumble in the Bronx. Chow Yun Fat tries to take more serious roles. While Li is just as effective as these performers, he has yet to find worthwhile material. Kiss of the Dragon has it's moments, but not nearly enough to recommend it beyond the most hard-core martial arts fans.