|
Cast:
Donnie
Yen
Annie
Wu
Jimmy
Wong
Yu
Wing Kwong
Action:
Donnie
Yen
Producer:
Donnie
Yen
Director:
Donnie
Yen
Score:
 
|
BALLISTIC
KISS
AKA:
N/A
Year:
1998 Reviewer: Phil
Mills
Yen
stars as Cat, one of the top hitmen for hire. During a
routine hit, he encounters his old partner Wesley (Simon Lui)
who was once his closest friend. However, Wesley took a
sharp turn into the demonic and betrayed Cat in preference of
a life of crime. As these feelings of hate return, Cat
elects to take a hostage in the form of Carrie (Annie Wu) as
he believes her to be Wesley’s girlfriend. Of course,
this close contact between captor and captive forges a bizarre
relationship which results in the eventual release of Carrie
completely unharmed. However, Wesley immediately spots
the connection and grabs Carrie in the hope of forcing a final
showdown.
Written
by the hugely informative Bey Logan, 'Ballistic Kiss' is an
interesting premise let down by budget restrictions and time
restraints. The film starts out well enough with some
solid action combined with good performances from Yen and Wu
but as the second half rapidly approaches, you get the
distinct feeling that the production is being rushed.
The ending in particular would seem to corroborate this as the
final battle is not as vindictive as it could have been and
there are several loose ends still left hanging.
However, all this aside it is still a worthwhile watch as the
opening action on display from Yen is as exciting as ever
(although the usual undercranking is evident) and Logan's
script is entertaining if perhaps a little forced in the
dialogue area.
Overall,
worth a watch thanks to Yen and Wu but it's unlikely to
set the world on fire.
|
