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Bulletproof Monk

Bulletproof Monk

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $13.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Coulda been awesome
Review: For the most part it's not the plot that was flawed, but something about the way it was handled. I don't know who to fairly blame it's lackings on, so i won't worry about it. However it a few significant philosophical merits, and some awesome action scenes. Unfortunate it didn't live up to it's full potential, but it wasn't a waste.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Decent Action Flick
Review: Chow Yun Fat and Sean "Stifler" William Scott team up in a fun, harmless action flick.

THE MOVIE

The Story

Throughout the ages the Tibetan priests have safe-guarded a sacred scroll that holds ultimate power. The Monk with No Name (Chow Yun Fat) is the latest monk to defend the scrolls. Pursued for 50 years by a Nazi officer Fat must defend the scrolls and seek out the next person to take over as the defender of the scrolls. He takes on an unlikely partner in the streetwise thief Kar.

The Cool Things

Being a Chow Yun Fat film, the action is just as solid as you'd expect. The contrast between Fat's "Monk" character and wisdom and Scott's "Urban Thug" is a pleasure to see. Overall, this is a decent action film to kill a few hours with for some guilty pleasure entertainment.

Best Scenes

1. Monk trains Kar

2. Most of the fight scenes...

THE DVD EXTRAS

If you liked stacked DVDs you'll love the package they've put together for the Bulletproof Monk release. Here's what you get:

1. Two Commentary Tracks, one with director Paul Hunter and producers Charles Roven and Douglas Segal and one with writers Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris.

2. "The Tao of Monk" featurettes
a. "Fists of Fury" - 6 minute featurette detailing Sean William Scott and Jaime King's martial arts training and wirework.

b. "Enter the Monk" - 19 minute production featurette detailing how the actors were cast, how the costumes were selected and how the shooting locations were picked as well as the movie's comic book origins.

c. "Zen Palette" - 9 minute featurette detailing how various sets used in the movie (Wooden Bridge, Tibetan Temple, Gang Hangout, Nazi base) were built, both manually and computer generated.

d. "Smoke and Mirrors" - 7 minute featurette detailing how the special FX and CGI FX were done for the big actions scenes in the movie such as the helicopter and the wooden bridge fight scenes.

e. "The Art of Score" - Cool 10 minute featurette detailing how the music was written for the movie. The feature literally shows how the movie was edited from picture and how the music and sound effects were edited into the scenes.

3. "Monk Unrobed" - 6 minute featurette that talks about the movie's comic book origins.

4. 5 deleted scenes with optional commentary track

5. Alternate Ending with optional commentary track

6. Trailers for the movie, its soundtrack, video game and other movies

7. "Behind the Scenes Gallery" of stills from the set

THE VERDICT:

Overall, the movie itself, while not knock-out fantastic, is a decent action flick that makes a great rental to fix one's action cravings. The loaded DVD extras are a great insight into the movie-making process, well worth the price of the DVD if you are so inclined to purchase.

THE GRADES

The Movie: 3.5 stars
The Extras: 5 stars
Overall: 4.25 stars

Recommended

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A power beyond measure requires a protector without equal.
Review: Chow Yun-Fat plays a nameless monk in charge of protecting a sacred scroll possessing mystical powers so great that who ever reads the scroll would be endowed with the ability to turn the world into a paradise or a living hell. Now, my first thought was if this dang thing poses such a potential danger to the world, why not just destroy it? Well, another reviewer stated that the reason it was so closely protected and not destroyed, as spelled out in the movie, was that the human race just wasn't ready for such power at this time.

Anyway, Chow is the latest in a long line of protectors, and each protector has the responsibility for a period of 60 years, and then they pass on the responsibility to another chosen one. Why 60 years? Who knows? I guess just because it's in the script. Also know that whoever is chosen as protector of the scroll is endowed with special powers, one being that the protector doesn't suffer the effects of time. The reasoning for that is as the protector protects the scroll, so shall the scroll protect the protector.

So now Chow's 60 year term as guardian comes to its' end, he's looking for the next protector, who comes in the form of Kar (Sean William Scott), a petty thief and pickpocket who lives in a movie theater and learned martial arts by imitating old kung fu movies. Oh yeah, for like the last 60 years Chow has been pursued by a crazed Nazi intent on stealing the scroll, taking the power, and cleansing the Earth of so called inferior races.

Jaime King plays Jade, Kar's love interest. As I watched the movie, it seemed to me that her character had no real reason for being in the movie other than giving the male viewers an attractive woman to look at, but by the end, we are enlightened to the importance of her role in the outcome of the storyline. I thought her connection to the other characters in the movie was paper thin, but hey, whatever...the actress I most enjoyed watching was Victoria Smurfit. She played Nina, the grand daughter to the psycho Nazi and is helping him to acquire the sacred scroll. She is truly easy on the eyes and seemed to make the most of what little screen time she had.

The movie, based on a comic book, plays out that way, keeping things pretty simple with lots of action, some humor, a smidgen of romance, and a little philosophical nonsense thrown in for good measure. Suspension of disbelief is required throughout the movie, but I kinda enjoy this film, as it reminded me of some of those old Hong Kong chop socky movies.

As far as extras go, there are some deleted scenes, an alternate ending, some 'making of' stuff and the usual trailers. I would be hard pressed for anyone to run out and buy this movie, but if you're looking for a fun way to kill an hour and a half, this works pretty well.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Bullet-ridden script
Review: This movie is a complete waste of time. Terrible plot, acting and martial arts. You'd have a better time watching a marathon of "8 Heads in a Duffel Bag" on TNT.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It's not great but the actors make it fun
Review: Bullet Proof Monk is a silly but fun movie. It's fun mostly because Chow Yun-fat and Sean William Scott. Yun-fat is charming, funny and a good actor. He maybe too good for bad material like this but he makes the best out of it just like he did with the Replacement Killers. The movie seems more like something Jackie Chan should be in and isn't worthy of Chow Yun-Fat's talent especially after Crouching Tigar, Hidden Dragon. When I say it seems more like something Jackie Chan would do I mean it's sorta like Shang High Noon. It never takes itself seriously and as well it shouldn't. The story is silly as is all the flips and bullet dodging but it's all fun as well and Chow Yun-fat and Sean William Scott make it work. I just found it hard not to like because Chow and Scott work well together and they make it worth sticking with.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Chow FUN Fat! :)
Review: Chow Yun Fat is well known for his action/martial arts movie roles. However, most of the best known ones have ranged from serious to the downright gloomy. In this movie, he gets to show a range of expression that was denied him in his other popular films, and demonstrates a good grasp of comedic timing while still leaving the film overall serious.

Our villains, led by a genuine Old Nazi, are the sort that, well, we just won't HAVE for much longer. I mean, even the youngest of the real Nazis would be in their late 70s by now, so soon even the most generous interpretation of longevity will eliminate what's been the single most reliable standby for Real True Villainy. Enjoy this uncomplicated good versus evil tale, because it's got a lot to enjoy -- ancient prophecies adjusting to modern demands, boy meets girl, girl meets boy, girl and boy go kicking butt together, wierd Oriental philosophies also adjusting to modern demands, B-movie superscience, and superhuman martial arts. I rewatched this one just a few days after I first saw it, and that's a rarity for me. Definitely worth the price.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: spiritual and fun
Review: Well, from what I've seen here I guess I'm going to write about something that seems to have been missed. I was impressed with the performances because I had gone into the movie expecting worse. The temples and props having to do with the Monk are the closest to real that I have seen in a long time. It flows with the rest of the movie without overpowering it. I have been an action movie fan for years and have seen too many of them going into the relm of too much special effects and leaving out the spiritual part of martial arts. It was nice to see artistry again. If you want blood and guts this is not the movie for you, if you want a well made action movie that you can watch no matter who is around, this is it. The use of martial arts is to protect without killing, this movie really brings that back to light. Yes, people do die in the movie, but its not the " KILL THEM ALL" mentality that I have seen more and more. Don't get me wrong, I love martial arts and action movies, I am just happy to see one so different and yet so good come along.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Decent
Review: "Bulletproof Monk" is an okay film about a Tibetan Monk's quest to keep a valuable scroll, which contains script giving its holder the gift of time - he or she will never age while the scroll is in possession. While protecting the scroll, he comes across a thief who, through time, fulfills three important prophocies. These three prophecies will let the monk know that he can now pass the scroll onto the next person to protect. All the while there is a villain (a guy who looks like a blonde Hitler) who is trying to steal the scroll so that he can become young and take over the world. The monk and the villain had a run-in sixty years ago and now he's out for revenge.

Chow Yun-Fat and Seann William Scott do good jobs as the monk with no name and Kar. Jaime King makes an appearance as Kar's love interest, but her performance is filled with looks into the camera either trying to come off as a bad a** or sexy. I couldn't tell which. Almost all of her screen time consists of her looking into the camera and at the other characters with her chin down looking up at them. It was weird and I couldn't understand why kept doing it. I think they could have gotten a much better actress for the part. King did a better, and more realistic, acting performance in "Pearl Harbor".

Overall, this film is okay. I would suggest it if you're in the mood for some special effects and a lot of fighting.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: hands down the worst movie of the year
Review: Bad acting, lousy storyline ('boroughing' from Matrix, Indiana Jones and the rest of the action movie genre didn't add up to something appealing . . . . ), action scenes not believable at all - where are the negative stars? Don't bother to try and watch this one, it's basically unwatchable. Not even my teenage son likes it. I want my money back.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: not the worst but still bad
Review: The Monk with No Name has been given some eternal life thing by another monk! Then some nazis try to steal the scroll from them but fails (I GUESS). 60 years later, the monk finds a smart-mouthed pick-pocketer and trains him to be some protector of a powerful scroll! But they have to deal with some mercenaries and a crippling old nazi!

I have no problems with movies that try to be like The Matrix movie (I call it inspiration, not ripping off)! But if you're gonna do something like that, at least try to make it look cool! These days action movies lack one thing....... action!!!! And that is another thing about this movie that didn't blow my mind! It was more of a "Buddy movie like at first I hate you, but suddenly you inspire me and I am suddenly your mentor" type. In other words, it has humor (in a sense this was fun to LAUGH AT)! This movie wasn't terrible but wasn't good either! In a way it was just mediocre! I somewhat enjoyed it but expected alot more! This can very well be Chow Yun-Fat's worst action movie yet! But it was a tad bit enjoyable but nothing more!


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