Bulletproof Monk

Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Seann William Scott, Jamie King
Directed by: Paul Hunter
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action
Box Office: $23,358,708
2003

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An order of monks has always guarded a sacred scroll, which gives the power to rule the world to whoever reads it aloud. The monk with no name (Chow Yun-Fat) is the current protector of the scroll. He comes to New York City to find a new protector, and stumbles across a young, street-smart kid (Seann William Scott). The two team up as a Nazi leader returns from the past to try to obtain the scroll- and the unbelievable power that comes from it.

Review:

Tim: The first thing to mention about Bulletproof Monk is that this film really ushers in the fact that The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon no longer have the monopoly on amazing fight scenes where anyone can fly through the air and kick, twist, and spin despite the laws of gravity. If such special effects can be employed in a smallish film like this one, then they are available to absolutely everyone. I'm waiting for the first independent film to boast bullet-time shots.

That being said, Bulletproof Monk has a lot going for it. Scott is excellent as always. He's still his smart, witty self as in films like the American Pie franchise, but he's proving more and more that he can be an action hero as well. He and Chow Yun-Fat have excellent chemistry together. Yun-Fat is really proving to be a force to deal with in martial arts films. Here, he gives a very charismatic as well as an amazing physical performance.

The film itself, while having a few original ideas, ultimately can't escape the fact that much of what you see has been done before. On top of that, the movie isn't incredibly entertaining, and many scenes just don't work together. The best you can hope for with this film is a semi-entertaining film to watch when you are really craving an action film. Other than that, Bulletproof Monk doesn't have much to offer.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, American Pie, The Corruptor, The Rundown