Bulletproof Monk (2003)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Paul Hunter

Writers (WGA):

Ethan Reiff (written by) &
Cyrus Voris (written by)

Release Date:

16 April 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

A power beyond measure requires a protector without equal.

Plot:

Based on the very underground comic book, a Tibetan monk becomes a mentor to a young street kid whom he can teach to protect a scroll.

Plot Keywords:

Scroll | Monk | Tibetan Monk | Martial Arts | Secret Scroll

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Yun-Fat Chow	...	Monk With No Name (as Chow Yun-Fat)
Seann William Scott	...	Kar
Jaime King	...	Jade
Karel Roden	...	Strucker
Victoria Smurfit	...	Nina
Marcus Jean Pirae	...	Mr. Funktastic
Mako	...	Mr. Kojima
Roger Yuan	...	Master Monk
K.C. Collins	...	Sax (as Chris Collins)
Sean Bell	...	Diesel
Kishaya Dudley	...	DV
Rob Archer	...	Buzz
Mauricio Rodas	...	Wicho
Bayo Akinfemi	...	Shade
Russell Yuen	...	Brother Tenzin

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Tibetan | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Malaysia:18SG | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 | India:UA | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:PG | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 (cut) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38899)

Filming Locations:

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Cub Five Productions

Trivia:

The visual effects for this film was handled by "Boy Wonder Visual Effects", a company headed by Burt Ward.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At the inside shot of Kar climbing through Jade's window when he lets go with his hands he appears to be quite well supported, even though the previous outside shot showed there was nothing for him stand on outside.

Quotes:

Monk With No Name: Water which is too pure has no fish.

Movie Connections:

References Wo hu cang long (2000)

Soundtrack:

Ranjahx

Mildly entertaining hodge-podge of martial arts and commercialized Buddhism

I really wanted to like this movie. I generally enjoy Chow Yun Fat in virtually any role, I tend to enjoy martial arts films, and I am a Taoist so I at least sympathize with various forms of Buddhism. Furthermore, I believe that comic book based films are finally coming into their own as commercial cinema. However, Bulletproof Monk, though entertaining at times, never really grabbed me. I was left with the same sort of feeling I got from Tomb Raider, Aliens vs Predator, etc. Though I found Chow Yun Fat's character likable, I frequently found myself asking 'who are these people and why am I supposed to care about them?". There is a certain one-dimensionality to the characters, the script and the portrayals which can not be escaped in this film.

Chow Yun Fat has been charged with the protection of a scroll which is endowed with the secret of eternal life for over 60 years. The scroll is sought by a maniacal nazi who inexplicably turns up in Tibet during World War Two and equally improbably leads a small contingent of followers in New York city in contemporary times. Chow Yun Fat, who is in NYC for an unknown reason (probably not the best place to protect an ancient scroll of incredible power and importance), playing an unnamed Tibetan monk is pursued by this militia just as he begins to befriend a protégé who he believes might be a prophesied successor in his task of protecting the scroll (Seann William Scott). An uneasy apprenticeship begins...

The script is packed with martial art / Hollywood-Buddhist philosophical clichés, though I have to admit that this film does Buddhism better than many of its competitors. Most of these paradoxes and objects of meditations are unfortunately delivered in matter-of-fact disaffected tones. Similarly, the fight scenes are technically interesting, and convincingly violent, but generally devoid of any emotional content or ferocity. Compare any of these scenes to any performance by Bruce Lee, for example, and you'll see what I mean. Of course, Bruce was not really a traditional Buddhist, not a very ttraditional martial artist.

The cinematography is good. I especially enjoyed seeing so many familiar sights in the world's greatest city, and some of the artistically fantastic if not entirely believable sets. It was also nice to see old friends like Mako. Unfortunately, Seann William Scott's uneven performance only reinforced the frigidity of the film.

Bulletproof makes for a decent light night's entertainment, but little more. Worth seeing for martial arts and action fans.