Bulletproof Monk (2003)

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.

Director:

Paul Hunter

Writers:

Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris

Stars:

Yun-Fat Chow, Seann William Scott, Jaime King

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

For 60 years a mysterious monk with no name has zigzagged the globe to protect an ancient scroll - a scroll that holds the key to unlimited power. Now the Monk must look for a new scrollkeeper. Kar is an unlikely candidate, a streetwise young man whose only interest is himself. But when he inadvertently saves the Bulletproof Monk from capture, the two become partners in a scheme to save the world from the scroll's most avid pursuer. Packed with spectacular special effects and martial arts action, the Monk, Kar, and a sexy Russian mob princess called Bad Girl must struggle to find, face, and fight the ultimate enemy.

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Plot Keywords:

tibet | woman murders a man | woman murders a woman | woman strangles a man | murder | 

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Taglines:

A power beyond measure requires a protector without equal.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English Tibetan Punjabi German

Release Date:

16 April 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bulletproof Monk

Filming Locations:

Loblaws Warehouse, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$52,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,653,542, 20 April 2003

Gross USA:

$23,358,708

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$37,713,879

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Lakeshore Entertainment, Mosaic Media Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Seann William Scott trained for three months and lost 22 pounds for his role in the film.

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Goofs

When the Monk is teaching Kar fighting moves, he holds Kar down and Kar has his right hand on the Monk's right shoulder. Kar's hand goes from being flat, and angling up to grasping the Monk's shoulder as the angle of the shot changes from looking at the Monk to looking at Kar.

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Quotes

Cabbie: [playing ethnic music with no words] Do you guys like this music?
Kar, Monk With No Name: ...Yea!
Cabbie: It's the bomb diggity.
[phone rings]
Cabbie: Excuse me I have to talk to my baby-mamma-to-be.

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Alternate Versions

German theatrical version was cut for violence (the torture of the monk) to secure a more commercial "Not under 12" rating. DVD release is uncut and has a "Not under 16" rating.

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Connections

References Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

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Soundtracks

Ranjahx
Written by Bittu Dhakiwala
Performed by X-Crew/Bittu Dhakiwala
Courtesy of Decknology Records
Under license from Decknology Records

User Reviews

Fun and entertaining. Don't take it too seriously.

It was hard to watch this film and not compare some of the wild action/fight scenes with those in the Matrix or its over-hyped sequel. Whilst the scenes in BPM are not as polished or well done as those in the Matrix, they are entertaining enough and the choreography and use of props showed much more promise and imagination than those in the Wachowski Bros. productions (at least in regard to the Matrix Reloaded, anyhow).

But this film did not receive the hype that TMR did and, consequently, my expectations of it were lower. As a result, I was not disappointed in BPM as I was with TMR. Sure, its all silliness, but at least it has the humour to go along with that silliness. In short, it doesn't take itself too seriously, and neiither should the audience.

Chow-Yun Fat shows he can play non-serious roles and get away with it, and Sean William Scott shows he can do other parts away from American Pie and its teen comedy clones. But a particular joy to see in this film is the appearance of Mako, whom I haven't seen much of in recent years. He only has a small role in this film, but he steals the show whenever he's on screen.

The kung-fu isn't quite as wild as Crouching Tiger's flying escapades nor is the wire-work quite so obvious. All in all a fun movie that should be watched as it was intended, as sheer escapism.

There are a few bad points. Watch out for the villain at the end. He should get the "worst villain's hairstyle" award for his mullet. That, and the ludicrous torture machine are the lighter negative aspects in an otherwise entertaining movie, and even they somehow just add to the fun. The only really dire moment is "Mr Funktastic's" atrocious British accent/choice of language. There are some things Hollywood will NEVER get right!