Expert: Troy Heinzman - 6/26/2004

Question
I recently saw previews for HERO starring Jet Li, and they were so good that I'm like a child waiting for Christmas.

A good site for HERO is :

http://www.herothemovie.com/production/index.htm

The Official Jet Li site also had good info.

MY QUESTION IS :

What do you think are the best Jet Li movies ?

I've seen "Romeo Must Die" in the theaters and this week rented 6 Jet Li DVD's.  So far I've viewed 4 of them.  Out of those I'd pick "Red Dragon", though most people would probably NOT pick that one.  (It kind of reminded me of an old-fashioned Disney movie, lol.  There are lots of kids and most of the material is basically "kid-stuff".  For some reason I enjoyed it anyway.)

"Meltdown" is where most of "Kill Bill" comes from -- the yellow costume is almost identical.  "Meltdown" is also the one with the most humor, I'd guess my 2nd pick.  I liked the helicopter scene at the end and some of the other effects.  Also "Kill Bill" borrows from the "Meltdown" mass massacre "ballroom" scene.

Shot in Paris, "Kiss of the Dragon" (co-starring Brigette Fonda) was cinematographically the best.  (With some Jet Li movies, you feel, every now and then, like you're watching a TV espisode like a Columbo or some such series.)  But the drama was heavy, too, a little cumbersome.

I also enjoy "Black Mask" overall, too.

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Incidentally, I would also be interested on your opinion of "Van Helsing" -- one of my favorite all time movies.

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Thanks for any comments on Jet Li movies. Are there other, non-Jet-Li kung fu films you feel are especially noteworthy ?

Thank you for the opportunity to ask you this question,

Jerry in Pennsylvania


Answer
Hi Jerry,

 I, too, am excited for Hero. It looks amazing and I anticipate will become the best the Jet Li movie. It has already been released in Asia and the reviews are terrific.
 My personal favorite Jet Li movies are "Fist of Legend", "Once Upon a Time in China", and "The Swordsman II".
 While I am a fan of the American films Jet Li made, I feel the original "raw" Hong Kong films are his best. I enjoyed "Romeo Must Die", "Meltdown", "Kiss of the Dragon", and "Black Mask". I have not seen "Red Dragon", however.
 I know exactly what you are talking about regarding "Meltdown". When I saw "Kill Bill", I noticed the resemblances between the two.
 It takes a certain kind of person to be a Jet Li fan mainly because a lot of his films are shot on a low budget and the dubbing of the lines leaves something to be desired. So it is hard to convert non-fans, but I think "Hero" will be the movie that makes him a huge star.
 Van Helsing was an at-times enertaining ride. I don't recommend it overall though. I did like the old-fashioned monster movie aspect and it was great to see the monsters come to life. I just thought the script was flat and too much was focused on the special effects. I liked the film for a saturday afternoon viewing, I just can't recommend it as a great film. (Which disappointed me because I was SO excited for this movie for a long time).
 My favorite non-Jet Li Kung-Fu film is "The Prodigal Son". Amazing!
 Thanks for your question.

Troy