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:

woman murders a man | woman murders a woman | woman strangles a man | murder | murderess | 

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Taglines:

A monk. A punk. A chick. In a kick-ass flick.

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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

Official Sites:

Filmax [Spain] MGM [United States]

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English Tibetan Punjabi German

Release Date:

16 April 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alexisfairos kalogeros

Filming Locations:

Loblaws Warehouse, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$52,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,653,542, 20 April 2003, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$23,020,488, 26 May 2003

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$13,960,630, 7 November 2003

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

After Kar's failed attempt at forcing the Monk to leave, the two sit down to talk. The Monk (Yun-Fat Chow) tells Kar that his name is Cantonese, which was Yun-Fat Chow's first language.

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Goofs

When we see Jade's car explode from above there's no one around it, while in the next shot people are caught by the blast.

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Quotes

Mr. Kojima: And I am through taking your messages. My name is Kokijima. Not Sony, Sanyo, Toshiba.

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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 Waterworld (1995)

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Soundtracks

Chronopolis
Composed by Yasunori Mitsuda
(The first ten seconds of this Chrono Cross (1999) track is played as Jade walks through a sewer tunnel before confronting Nina.)

User Reviews

Silly...fun, but silly.

Bulletproof Monk has a plot like it is the Indiana Jones of martial art flicks. You have a monk that is chosen every 60 years to protect a scroll that will give anyone who reads it invincible. The film revolves around The Monk with No Name (Chow) trying to find a new chosen one (Scott) while avoiding a nazi super-villain that he incountered 60 years ago.

The film is more of a comedy than an action film and Sean William Scott and Chow Yun Fat play off each other well in a world where they are chased by nazis and run into characters like a British guy named Mr. Funktastic. Sean plays a goofy pickpocket well and Chow is excellent as a calm, smug, nameless monk...then again Chow has always been good at acting smug. Of course there has to be a leading lady and Jamie King is as good looking as they come and plays her character well.

The action all involves wire-fu, like that as seen in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", but not as dynamic. Since most of the characters are new to martial arts the fights are a little slow but entertaining and lighthearted none the less.

Bulletproof Monk could have been a lot better than it is, with a little more time spent on it, but as it is it is a silly amusing film, which kept me entertained for an hour and a half. I recommend it to martial art flick junkies.