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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: Look just watch it
Review: While this may not be a great movie and is sort of predictable, it is a fun little film. Scott impressed me by doing his stunts and fights in the film, proving that Stifler was a job not a trait. He works flawlessly with Chow and together they actually counter balance their obvious differences in acting to put together a good story. I was VERY weary at first and honestly I rented because there was nothing else I hadn't seen. I was pleasantly surprised at a good action film with a terrible title.Watch the behind the scenes and you will be more impressed with Scott and the sexy Jamie King. Just please don't expect a Die Hard and you will be highly entertained for 90 minutes.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: 2 cents
Review: ok, is this movie pretty bad? yes. are all the negative things being said about it true? yes. however, i must admit that this movie is entertaining. even though we know how its gonna turn out. even though the plot and story line are pretty lame. i finished watching this movie and did not feel an empty void of wasted time like i get from other bad movies. with all the ratings systems out there i have come up with one which is very simple. 4=buy the dvd, 3=rent the dvd, 2=wait for tv, 1=dont bother, 0=not worth mentioning. this movie would be a 2, don't spend any money on it but catch it when its on cable.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Hot Dog Buns Matrix Style
Review: I didn't hold any expectations for this movie - I just decided to make an impulse buy to see what I got. Good thing. Cause any hype you may have heard is a little off. Sure the martial arts is cool - if at times extremely far-fetched. But hey; non-reality is what we watch movies for in the first place, right? But I will go so far as to say that some of the moves seen in this film belong in the Matrix trilogy - and not in this film's "reality". Although, on the other hand, it can be fun if you just let go and buy into it.
The story here is nice. Chow Yun-Fat from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon plays a monk who has been guarding a scroll for 60 years. The scroll holds power over the world - the person who reads the complete scroll aloud can alter the universe into a paradise or a living hell. And of course, a dirty nazi seeks the scroll with mad passion. Chow Yun-Fat stumbles across Seann William Scott's (American Pie, Road Trip) character and sees within him "potential". Oh yeah. Time for a team up. But don't forget about Seann's tough-as-nails love interest. . .
The story never gets "too deep" for this type of movie - and the action sequences are catchy to watch. But in the same breath: the movie is incredibly predictable. I guessed everything that was going to happen, just before it happened, the very first time I watched the film. The only "twist" that caught me slightly off-guard was the one at the very end. Should have saw it coming - but didn't. And that's a major factor in my rating. The ending blind sided me, the action scenes are unreal in a fun way, and the characters are somewhat endearing in a small and rather odd sort of way. Oh yeah - and perhaps the best part of the movie is that we finally find out the answer to the age-old riddle: "Why do hot dogs come in packages of 10 while hot dog buns come in packages of 8?" ;-)

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Funny at times, but very rare, action, well....
Review: Bulletproof Monk is a film you will watch and then forget about.
I am shocked that Chow Yun-Fat picked this film to be his first since he did Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Basic plot, Monks protect a scroll that has the powers to change the universe into whomever reads desires. Nazi's try to take it, but Monk (Yun-Fat) gets away and must protect it for 60 years until he can find someone to take over for him. Nazi's finally get it 60 years later, but everything ends well.

Very cheesy stuff here. Sean William Scott is going from gross punk kid in movies to the white sidekick. Scott and Yun-Fat have good chemistry and at times what they say can give you a chuckle or two.

All I can say is this is a rental. I wouldn't spend the money unless you are a diehard fan of Chow Yun-Fat or you are a 13 year old girl in love with Sean William Scott. To give me true feeling of this movie let me just tell you this, While the movie was playing I got up to feed my cat, make my dinner and do another things around my house and I didn't pause the movie for a second.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: At least Seann Williams Scott can play more than Stifler
Review: It is not until you get to the end of "Bulletproof Monk" that you come to the inevitable realization that the best fight sequence was the one that opened the film. Of course the best fight sequence should be the one at the end of the film between the good guys and the bad guys, but that is not the case. On the DVD you can see an alternative ending, which must have been the "original" one, because what they came up with instead is a lot better, but not as good as it should be given the premise. Granted, you really have to be willing to suspend disbelief when you are dealing with a martial arts film inspired by a comic book, but the result should be something rather special and "Bulletproof Monk" does not even embrace its cliches enough to make it at least a decent B-movie.

Another part of the problem is that since the film stars Yun-Fat Chow as the Monk With No Name, you are really expecting something at least within range of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." However, the film you end up thinking about more when watching this one is "The Matrix," and not in a good way either. At least this particular monk is with it, open to the idea that "cranes" might mean something different in New York City than they might in Tibet. However, the material is just not up to the capabilities of this actor.

The plot? Well, suffice it to saw that sixty years ago one of those persistent Nazis that used to be prominent in films made in the last century showed up in Tibet seeking a magic sacred scroll. The Monk With No Name manages to escape with the scroll but the ancient Nazi and his uber-granddaughter are closing in. Meanwhile, the Monk encounters a pickpocket who may fulfill the ancient prophecies regarding he who will become the next nameless Monk and can solve the eternal riddle regarding hot dogs and hot dog buns. Along the way the pickpocket picks up a girl, the Nazi digs up some Dr. Frankenstein like equipment, and it appears there is a major loophole in the law of gravity.

The more than pleasant surprise in this film is Seann William Scott as Kar, the aforementioned pickpocket. He has the second best fight sequence in the film, which consists mainly of him whipping a long metal pipe around. If you were wondering if Scott could get beyond the character of Stifler from the "American Pie" films, then that questioned is settled once and for all because he is much more than comic relief in this film. But then you probably got a clue about that catching the trailer for "The Rundown," the upcoming action comedy where Scott co-stars with the Rock. He is the one that makes "Bulletproof Monk" most worth watching, but just do not have high expectations for the film overall.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not so Good..Not so Bad
Review: Make no mistake about it, Bulletproof Monk is a bad film, with dialogue that has more cheese than a French supermarket, and a script that put the C in cliche.James Ivory can direct better action sequences,while the opening scenes of Nazis in Tibet(!!) have a 'where did the director learn his craft?' feeling to them. In addition to that I was annoyed by the fact that the charater of the subway gang leader, who is pretty nasty,is British.How on earth did a Brit end up there? Probably the same route that the Nazis found to Tibet!
It is yet another martial arts/fantasy comedy that is closer to a B movie, one that is so bad it is actually...watchable.
I wanted it give this film the lowest mark possible, and thought at first movie making can not get worse than this, but then after the credit rolled, I could not but help feel a slight affinity to it. What saved the film is a very important factor, it does not take itself seriously!
The other slightly redeeming factor is Sean William Scott, who is an able actor, and it is fresh to see him in a role that does not involve gallons of beers and scantly clad women. James (now Jaime) King 's character although is so badly written and directed, it makes Shannon Tweed's look Oscar worthy,she is not bad as an actress pre se, and yes she is very pretty.
So you have to watch Bulletproof monk with a 'empty mind' attitude,and you might just find it bearable..only just!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Wasted talent
Review: The premise for this movie, although cheesy, as an action-comedy buddy film could have worked if cast well. In Chow Yun-Fat, the film has a good anchor, who brings a wealth of experience in the great Hong Kong action movies, as well as a sterling turn in Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. However, Seann William Scott is not an action star and is certainly not a dramatic actor - the scene where he finds his employer dead is almost laughable (entirely appropriate for someone who made his name in gross-out comedies) and highlights his limitations as an actor.

The plot revolves around an ancient scroll - if read out it will give the reader the ability to rule the world. Of course the Nazis are after it and the chief villain comes directly from the Dr Evil school of megalomania - witness him moving around his underground lair in a wheelchair! Yun-Fat is searching for his new protege who must guard the scroll for the next sixty years (his own time is nearing expiry). The rather trite way in which he discovers Scott is that protege is forced and frankly unbelievable. And the romance between Scott and an under-used Jamie King lacks any spark.

Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan have shown the way for this type of movie with the Shanghai "duology" and while painful to see someone of Chow Yun-Fat's standing prostituting himself in a movie like this, it serves as a serious reminder of the perils of high concept action comedy.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: not worth a proper review
Review: I want my money back from the theatrical viewing- was not satisfied with this. bad backdrops cgi and hokey storyline..the idea is way cool but executed bad..its so damn formulaic that i was grinding my teeth..and bad acting...some cool eye candy NOTE: i said "some" but not great. the parts of the movie work better independently then as a whole.

mr funktastic? gimme a break..when you see this character with this name of all things
10 on the lame-o meter (watch the tattoo on his chest)

its still hard to see Stifler (of American Pie fame) be an action guy, especially when he has the same smirk on his face half the movie time

This comic-book-inspired junk heap of a movie opts for a barrage of crazy-quilt effects. The movie mixes dull dialogue, martial arts wire work and half-baked approximations of Eastern philosophy, some shallow enough to make the average fortune cookie seem profound.

rental- only if better movies arent around..though for the life of me i cant figure out why some people like this movie

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Decent Time Killer
Review: As a martial arts action movie, Bulletproof monk is a dud. No matter how good Chow Yun Fat is as an actor, no matter how likeable Seann William Scott is, and no matter how appealing Jaime King is as Jade, Bulletproof Monk fails as a martial arts movie because it is nearly impossible to buy Steve Stifler as a martial artist, it can't be done.

However, as a film to kill time it is one of the most enjoyable films in recent memory. It's easy humor and simple storyline are the main assets for this likeable film. The film is as long as it needs to be. A real benefit in times of 150 minute snorefests.

Unlike Brotherhood of the Wolf and the Blade series it isn't a pseudo martial arts film it's more of a buddy film that features martial arts - like the Big Hit or Big Trouble in Little China.

Could someone please tell Hollywood that HK wirework is getting passe? It was refreshing change when it returned to the big screen during the Matrix (after too long an absence) but when Charlie's Angels features wirework it's time to move on.

One last thing, Jaime King in this film has to be the best dressed actor for last two years. Her green shirt (at her home) and her maroon ensemble at the end of the film are things of beauty.

2.5 stars for the film and 1.5 stars for Jaime King's fashion sense. Just awesome!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very entertaining, fun flick
Review: This movie is not intended to be too deep, and at times, laughs at itself, but overall, it is very entertaining. Chow Yun Fat continues to show the breadth of his acting skills. The karate fighting is unbelievable (although much more believable than Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon!!). Overall, it is a fun movie that will make you laugh at times and really draw you into its storyline.


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