Ballistic Kiss is a dark and dreary picture masterfully painted by director and principle actor Yen. Perhaps one of the most under looked and under appreciated films in Hong Kong cinema, Ballistic Kiss achieves a seldom surpassed level of intimate connection between the viewer and primary actors Yen and Annie Wu. Rarely do action films establish complete character development. By the end of the film, I felt as though I knew everything about Cat (Yen) and Carrie (Wu). And not just know them, but know them intimately. For those of you eager to compare this movie to, John Woo's "The Killer," I feel that although it is one of the best movies of all time, in it's standard 111 minute release, it failed to completely examine the relationship between Jeff and Jennie. Ballistic Kiss, in my opinion is a more complete movie, character-wise. However, I difficult to compare Ballistic Kiss to "The Killer" because they are fundamentally different movies. Ballistic Kiss conveys a darker sense of emotion. This is strongly reflected in gritty action sequences void of blatant symbolism which propagates throughout the refined action scenes in "The Killer." Where "The Killer" emphasizes loyalty, "Ballistic Kiss" emphasizes despair and imbalance. Yet, ironically, the endings of both movies are drastically different. You'll have to watch the movie to see what I mean.
HKFlix Rating: 9/10 (Entertainment: 4.5/5; Arthouse: 4.5/5) |
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