A monk at a Tibetan monastery has been protecting a mythical scroll for the last sixty years and now, in 1943, it is time for him to hand over the task to the one who has fulfilled the three prophecies. No sooner has he done this than Nazis attack and kill the old monk. His successor gets away and we next see him sixty years later as he prepares to find his successor. He bumps into a pickpocket named Kar, who takes the scroll from his bag; he sees something in the young crook though and wonders if this unlikely character will be the next guardian of the scroll. The monk has other problems too; the Nazi, now an old man, is still after the scroll which has the power to change the world into a paradise or a hell depending on the person who reads it. As the film progresses Kar shows more signs that he may be 'the one' and they have more run-ins with the Nazi and his henchmen before the inevitable final confrontation.
This is definitely not a film to be taken seriously; it has plenty of flaws but is still kind of fun. There is plenty of action but much of it looks rather fake; and not in the beautifully choreographed way of films like 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon'. Nazis have been a popular choice for villains ever since the war but they have been a cliché for much of that time and here it feels as though somebody watched 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' and decided they wanted those villains! Chow Yun Fat does a good job as the monk; he is genuinely funny and is great in the action sequences. Seann William Scott is okay as Kar but doesn't really have the presence for the role. Jaime King, who plays Kar's love interest Jade, had more of a presence and I'd have preferred it if her character had a greater role rather than Kar. Overall this is okay if you want some mild action and don't mind all the clichés; not necessarily a film to seek out but it passes the time well enough.
This is definitely not a film to be taken seriously; it has plenty of flaws but is still kind of fun. There is plenty of action but much of it looks rather fake; and not in the beautifully choreographed way of films like 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon'. Nazis have been a popular choice for villains ever since the war but they have been a cliché for much of that time and here it feels as though somebody watched 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' and decided they wanted those villains! Chow Yun Fat does a good job as the monk; he is genuinely funny and is great in the action sequences. Seann William Scott is okay as Kar but doesn't really have the presence for the role. Jaime King, who plays Kar's love interest Jade, had more of a presence and I'd have preferred it if her character had a greater role rather than Kar. Overall this is okay if you want some mild action and don't mind all the clichés; not necessarily a film to seek out but it passes the time well enough.