Jet set

>> Jet Li stars in Kiss of the Dragon and at Fantasia

by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

This is the week for Jet Li fans in Montreal. After an eon of buzz, the Chinese kung-fu star unveils Kiss of the Dragon, his collaboration with French wunderkind filmmaker Luc Besson. Set in Gay Paree, the flick features Li as a top-notch Chinese operative double-crossed by the craggy-faced Tcheky Karyo, a ruthless and plain mean French government agent with his own agenda.

What agenda? Got me. Such specifics would only bog down what is otherwise a blur of rapid-fire martial-arts displays. While Dragon doesn't drag on--it moves quite fast and effectively--it lacks any degree of inspiration or discipline in terms of the story. Furthermore, Besson's usual stylish flair, so present in films like The Professional and Fifth Element, is glaringly absent. In fact, the casting of Bridget Fonda--as the prostitute done wrong who teams up with Li--only underlines the way this flick feels less like Besson's classic Nikita than Point of No Return, the lukewarm American remake that she starred in.

Li holds up his end, though, dishing out the fists of fury as only he can. Which leads us to the other Li films screening this week--Once Upon a Time in China 1 and 2 and Swordsman 2, all of which help kick off Fantasia 2001 at the Imperial. OUATIC is, of course, the Tsui Hark series which established Li as a star back home, in the role of the mythic Wong Fei-Hong. Swordsman 2 sees a superior turn from Li as a, uh, guy with a sword. In the Ming Dynasty era, eh. The frosty-hot Brigitte Lin is in there, too.

I'm tellin' y'all this because the Fantasia programs won't be available until about five minutes before the first film of the fest, the preview showing of the CGI overdose Final Fantasy, on Tuesday, July 10, at 8 p.m. If you're really itchy to see what they've got lined up this year (and it's some crazy, crazy stuff), get thee hence to www.fantasiafest.com. Otherwise, check in here in a week.

Kiss of the Dragon opens Friday, July 6. Once Upon a Time in China and Swordsman 2 screen at the Imperial on Wednesday, July 11 (7pm and 9:45pm respectively)