Reviews & Ratings for
Ballistic Kiss More at IMDbPro »Sat sat yan, tiu tiu mo (original title)

4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Donnie Yen comes into his own., 16 November 2003

Author: veganflimgeek (David@vegsandiego.com) from San Diego, CA

Before I saw this film I read an interview with Donnie Yen where he said that he puts his blood and passion into everyshot. I think he was indeed very passionate about this film. While I don't think it is perfect it is a great stylished modern gun-fu action film. Hardcore action fans maybe bummed about the pace. I think it is just right.

The improvement from Donnie's first two films is right on the screen. I do think his other films are good, don't get me wrong. Having recently seen princess blade on the big screen I think what I like about Donnie yen's fight scenes is they are very much a part of the film. The fights come from a balenced sense of cinema and Kung Fu.

Miramax needs to give Donnie the budget and put him behind the camera on a high brow Iron monkey 2. Watching blasstic kiss should give them faith.

4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Donnie Yen is a martial and cinematic artist, 23 October 2002

Author: Andrew Hernandez (jackyvoe@yahoo.com) from Phoenix, AZ

Chances are, I probably would have been disappointed if I thought this was going to be an action packed slam bang ride like HARD-BOILED. I knew ahead of time that BALLISTIC KISS was refered to as an "arty" action film. Donnie Yen is one of the best movie martial artists out there. I had no idea that he had such a cinematic eye though. After seeing SHANGHAI AFFAIRS and LEGEND OF

THE WOLF, I noticed his real passion for film making, so I could only imagine what BALLISTIC KISS was gonna be like. From the beginning of the movie, it was obvious that this wasn't a typical HK production. The intro to the movie was like an american noir film with the way the lighting and camera shots were used when Donnie Yen is talking to the radio show host. The cinematography was of particular note. Donnie used a lot of blues and reds. Everything was shown as being gloomy. Wong Kai-Fai was a great collaborator with Yen. Many things about this film are unconventional. The action for instance is shot with neo noirism , and the editing works. Some people may find the editing to be too choppy/fast, but it worked for what Yen was trying ot present. Even the undercranking (Which I normally disapprove of) was appropriate. I didn't even mind that guns in the film shot more bullets than they really do. The editing and sense of action made the movie look sureal. BALLISTIC KISS is kind of like a combination between what John Woo and Wong Kar-Wai would do. The story is also something. This isn't about a killer trying to go straight. In this movie, Donnie's character of Cat Lee has no sense of redemption. He just wants revenge against his partner who betrayed him, and if he dies while doing it, so be it. The only thing that would probably save him from that fate is his attraction for a cop played by Annie Wu. While Cat thinks about her and how wonderful things would be if they were together, he doesn't have an optimistic view of the future. One of his sayings is "No one is innocent." He thinks the world won't get better, and his sense of peace only exists in his mind. But the gloomyness of the film is not what the theme is. It doesn't mean that the rest of us have nothing to look forward too. In fact, it tells us the opposite. The lives these people lead are not the lives we have to leave. Even though it also expresses a common theme of "even trusted friends are capable of betrayal," there's no reason to be sad from seeing this movie. Bey Logan (Who I've had the honor to meet.) wrote a great script. Many people hate this film. But the strange thing is that the reasons for why people hate it are the reasons why I like it. It's self-indulgent, the editing is sureal, like I said: it's unconventional. This movie is definitely not for everyone, but if you're an "arty" type person with an open mind, you may like it. It's not fully arty though. There's a good combination of mainstream film making to go along with it. This is Donnie Yen's best performance. He gives of a great sense of a tragic hero without having to go over the top. Annie Wu plays off him very nicely. The relationship that develops between them is more like mutual respect than "deep romance." But there's still romance there nontheless. While Donnie Yen's best martial art performance is in IN THE LINE OF DUTY IV, his best film overall is BALLISTIC KISS.

10 out of 10

2 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
A Good, Solid Example of the Heroic Bloodshed Genre. Arty and Entertaining., 9 February 2006

Author: Schwenkstar from United States

I am not quite sure what the reason is for the harsh criticism that the film is receiving by commentators here on IMDb. "Ballistic Kiss" is one of those rare times that a film fuses together mass entertainment with personalized artistry, albeit not entirely successfully but to a greater degree than other film of its ilk.

Donnie Yen directors this film with surprising visual flair. The cinematography is slick with lighting that is very noir-ish in nature. Yen utilizes different color filters and shifts to B&W occasionally to formulate a distinct mood that reflects the situation of the scene or the emotions of the characters.

The editing, admittedly, is slightly rough. During action scenes this adds a feeling of gritter intensity, but during dramatic and emotional scenes, the editing can be jarring.

Yen, being an action legend, does not disappoint in the film's action sequences. He carefully choreographs gun fights that are balletic and poetic in nature. The most notable scene is a sequence within the apartment where Yen and a hit-man shoot at one another at extreme close ranges, encircling a sofa and sliding along the ground in effortless motion.

The acting, however, is a mixed bag. The performances of the Yen and his female captors are near perfect. The relationship between the two is entirely believable and we become involved with them, investing our own emotions into the film.

However, some supporting characters do give rather over the top performances, such as the two villains near the end of the film. Fortuantely, there isn't a high degree of theses occurrences so we are able to forgive them of these mistakes.

The narrative is rather typical of the genre, yet it is told in a fresh way. The artistry of the visuals really add depth to the standard story and the strong character development makes what would have been flat characters into full bodied, three dimensional figures.

The narrative does, however, have issues of coherency. The film often presses too hard for aesthetic scenes rather than scenes which are story driven which creates some moments of confusion, though the attentive viewer will easily be able to place the events together.

In conclusion, this is one of the better thrillers to come out of Hong Kong. It is a fine example of the Heroic Bloodshed and should be viewed by anyone remotely interested in the genre or Asian thrillers in general. For the average film viewer, however, I would suggest a rental or, better yet, see some of the classic examples of the genre such as "The Killer" or "Hard Boiled". If you like those films, then give this a try.

Disappointing effort from Yen, 22 December 2010

Author: craigstealsheep from United States

In an attempt to mix martial arts gunkata and some slight Buddhist philosophy, Donnie bites off far more than he can chew. "Ballistic Kiss" tries hard to be hard hitting and gritty, but comes off as just another John Woo's "The Killer" ripoff without any of the deep characters or sacrifice that film gives us. This just becomes an exercise in how not to write a script, and how not to make a plot.

The main story concerns an ex-cop turned killer who seeks revenge against the one who wronged him and sent him to prison. Along the way, he falls in love with a Hong Kong cop who has a relationship with the man who wronged him. While a certain amount of suspension is necessary, the story has so many jarring problems with logic that it's hard to keep a straight face.

The story is so plot driven that the characters are left in the dust. You never get a sense of who's who and what their personalities are like. Not only that, but Donnie Yen's character, Cat, is even more invincible than Jean Reno in "The Professional", which this movie even discusses. In one scene, Yen is about to snipe the villain from afar, but when he sees the love interest walking arm in arm with him, he charges in with a pistol. He then pries her away without being injured and the two escape. They also have a love scene after he used her for a shield five minutes earlier! This film isn't terrible, but when people say this is better than most of what Hollywood puts out, that is just Hollywood hate going around. "The Bourne Identity" is a Hollywood picture that manages to do everything this film tries to do, with a coherent story and character driven plot. Probably the biggest problem is the fact that the fights aren't even that good. They are hard to see, and it's like watching an episode of the A-team, lots of shooting, but their aim is awful.

It's too bad this film didn't work. I really enjoy Donnie Yen's more contemporary settings (Tiger Cage 1 and 2, Flashpoint, and SPL especially), but this one just tries so hard to be a John Woo style gun ballet that it just has no weight on it's own. Which is really too bad, because the idea has so much promise it's a shame it doesn't work.

0 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
I wanted it, I needed it, and when it came down to it..., 11 January 2002

Author: Manji from Canada

Wow, this film is utterly UNFORGIVABLE.

Donnie Yen is an incredible martial-arts talent who should utterly claim this film as his alan smithee masterpiece. God knows he couldn't be bothered to remove hisself as the film's lead. Usually, when watching an HK actioner you should suspend your disbelief to an unbearable degree. John Woo's HK films made this easy and fun to watch. But here the viewer is utterly dragged kicking and screaming into utter garbage. The acting was top notch, for most HK flicks, and thought he story was essentially striving to free itself there was no resurrection. Instead what we have here is a failure to entertain as we are subjected to uninspired fights, mingled with shameful gunplay, and some bad guys/heavies that are so happy go lucky that I'd probably play "Yut, Yee, Sum!" drinking games with 'til dawn. THESE BAD GUYS WERE SO UNTHREATENING THAT TRIX BUNNY ON MY TV RIGHT NOW LOOKS LIKE CHARLIE MANSON, IN COMPARISON.

Did I come into this flick wanting to hate it? HELL NO! Donnie Yen is cool, he's cooler than cool. This guy is action nitro glycerine times a thousand plus infinity. But here, in a film he directed no less, it's a heartbreaking waste. I encourage those who get caught up with the flashy title to instead search for something meaningful, like John Woo's earlier films. Hell, even Mission Impossible 2 was better than this. Yowza!

Donnie, let other people direct. I have only so much respect for you, buddy. Don't make me lose any more.

0 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Finally: the Hong Kong-professional-killer-genre strikes again!, 24 June 1999
Author: rik herder from Amsterdam

Not since John Woo left Hong Kong has the once very popular genre of the Professional Killer seen such an explosion of style and action. The guns never empty and the camera never stops in this killer-loves-cop action drama. Don't miss it!

1 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
seen worse.....thankfully, not many, 9 February 2002

Author: vonboise

There's something about movies that are produced by, directed by, and staring the same person. Maybe it stifles the rest of the cast and crew from giving any honest input. It would have been helpful if someone would have spoke up and mentioned the totally unrealistic gun fights were a bit much. Gunfights can be cool, but please, even the most squeamish pacifist would understand guns need to be reloaded from time to time. Shotguns don't hold 100 shells nor do 9mm hand gun clips provide that kind of firepower. Also, bullets follow a straight trajectory and don't do their best to avoid the target.

This is the type of film that leaves one wondering if the producer-director-actor thinks the audience is so mental as to take the movie seriously. I ended up giving this film a 4/10 because it had it's moments. Annie Wu did a decent job with what was available. She was even able to sprint, without favoring her bad leg, minutes after being shot in the thigh. It could have been a decent film with a bit more character development and shorter, more realistic gun fights. I could only recommend viewing to have a few chuckles.

0 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Can't outdo the Woo., 30 May 2003

Author: lordburn591 from United States

Sorry Donnie, but this is a rather feeble attempt to one up John Woo in the action/shooter genre. While not a terrible film, I have to say that Ballistic Kiss fails to live up to the promise of great gun or hand to hand fight scenes. With a villain that would make Dirty Harry envious (Seven bullets in a six shooter? Ha, Try thirty seven!), and a camera so kinetic that it renders the 1 1/2 fight scenes nearly unwatchable, it's hard to find a lot to like about this. It's so sad, since I watched both The New Fist of Fury and this after seeing Iron Monkey. Go back to Yuen Woo Ping, Donnie. For the sake of all of us.

Add another review

Related Links