Rating: 
Summary: Asian-style cinema for kids!
Review: There are movies that are made for specific audiences and then there are movies that want to play to all audiences but end up appealing only to a certain demographic group. This applies particularly to Bulletproof Monk, which at first glance, is a movie for teens. Its got martial arts, guns, Matrix-style fight scenes, a hot babe, and even a plot that involves Nazis and a sacred artifact a la Indiana Jones. But where as the Indy flicks could definitely play to all ages (even with all the bloody shootings and gory death scenes that must have stretched the PG ratings in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Temple of Doom), Bulletproof Monk is strictly a kids' flick. What does that mean? It means if you're over the age of twelve, you'll probably find yourself bored by the film. How exactly does this movie narrow its appeal only to kids? Well, there's the story, which involves the "sacred artifact which must not get in the hands of evil." Yeah, sure, I know what you're thinking, the Indy flicks all had that same premise, too. But there's a difference. The first and third (not so much the second) truly gave the viewer a good idea of what was at stake if the prized possession fell into the wrong hands, and better yet, the macguffins were far more interesting than what's given to us here. I mean, come on, which would you prefer: the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail or a sacred scroll? Chow Yun-Fat plays the protector of the scroll, a job that sounds like it'd suck considering it means living a life on the run. But there are benefits, notably the fact that he's impervious to bullets and can't age so long as he's the scroll's guardian. His only mission is to protect it while searching for the next guardian. That's where Seann William Scott comes in. Playing a pickpocket named Kar, he's the typical Thief with a Heart of Gold. So now Chow's got to train Kar to be the next protector while also evading capture from a nasty old Nazi (Karel Roden), who wants the rejuvenating powers of the scroll for himself. Watching Bulletproof Monk, there's a clear sense of desperation on hand. Director Paul Hunter (his feature film debut) does a messy job of putting this film together, sloppily introducing puzzling plot elements along the way (the training school for potential scroll guardians, goons led by Roden's granddaughter, the origin of Kar's martial arts). It's like a cut and paste job, the worst part being the fact that too much of it is pasted together with MTV-style edits and quick cuts. A couple of the action sequences are okay, but most of it collapses in a mess of unconvincing martial arts, awful blue-screens, and confusing editing. Seann William Scott is an odd choice to play Kar, mostly because the script doesn't play the role to his talents, that is, it doesn't give him any low-brow humor to work with. Scott's made a career out of playing total goofballs so it comes as a bit of a surprise that Chow Yun-Fat has more moments of comic relief. Adding James King into the mix is merely a bone tossed to either the girl-power female crowd or the horny male teens. Because her performance and martial arts work are subpar, she won't appeal to the former, and because she doesn't get naked, she'll only marginally appeal to latter. Chow Yun-Fat is still the best thing Monk has going for it; he's charming, likeable, and surprisingly quite funny. It's also interesting to see that at this stage of his career, he's leaning more towards martial arts flicks than his usual "heroic bloodshed" films he was so famous for in Hong Kong. At the beginning of this review, I noted that Monk was a kids' flick; how does that work? Simple, take every possible kick-ass element (martial arts, gun battles, hot chicks) that is used to appeal to the teenage to twenty-something crowd and water it down so that only kids will enjoy it (hardly any bone-crunching violence, Chow only uses guns once, zero nudity and hardly any cleavage, etc.).
Rating:
Summary: Painfully Ripped Off
Review: There is not a lot of good to say about this movie. The acting - all of it - is dreadful from Fat to Scott to the Nazi character. Moreso that anything the plot is a blantant rip-off of "The Matrix" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"- two movies that are much better than this monstrosity. The idea of a prodigal hero is taken from both of the movies, and Fat is pretty much the same type of character as he was in "Crouching Tiger" but with a worse script. The rip off from the Matrix is made most apparent in the "philosophical" discussions between the two main characters, Fat and Scott: "You're saying the rules of gravity don't apply." => no i am not quoting "The Matrix," this is a line from "BM." The action scenes are a mix of the two movies, as well, with the idea of being weightless from "Crouching TIger" and 'bullet-time' from the Matrix. As I searched I was unable to find any original idea in the movie, but I was unable to find one. Ultimately, the only redeeming qualities of the movie are the screen presences of the ever-smirking Sean William Scott and Chow-Yun Fat, who clearly struggles for command of the English language.
Don't waste your time with this movie; instead watch the award winning movies, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "THe Matrix" where the material is actually original and well-used.
Rating: 
Summary: Hokum
Review: The word hokum originated as stage slang when people put together the words "hocus-pocus" and "bunkum". One of its central meanings is a nonsensical waste of time. The word hokum could have been invented to describe "Bulletproof Monk". "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" notwithstanding, Chow Yuen-fat should never have moved to Hollywood. With the exception of that movie, which was partly Hong Kong produced anyway, he hasn't done a decent piece of work since he went there. And he's done less work there in the past seven or so years than he used to do in one year in Hong Kong. "Bulletproof Monk" is yet another addition to the genre that might be known as lousy movies based on indifferent comic books. It begins moderately spectacularly with a fight on a rope bridge hanging over a ravine. The monk with no name (Chow Yuen-fat) is fighting his master. He proves his worth, and his master tells him he's now ready to look after the Scroll of the Ultimate. "Whoever reads it aloud in its entirety," says the master, "will gain the power to control the world." The question to ask ourselves is why the deities, whoever they are, created such inflammatory objects in the first place. This supposedly takes place in 1943. The Nazis turn up to capture it, but Chow Yuen-fat's character escapes, and the movie flashes forward to the present and a nameless city that might be New York but is nameless because this is a cheap movie and the budget only stretched to filming in Canada. Sixty years have passed and the ageless monk is soon to find the person who is to replace him as the scroll's guardian. The monk, scroll in briefcase, encounters a pickpocket named Kar (Seann William Scott). Kar manages to steal the scroll, which is pretty dumb of the monk considering he's supposedly the top dog in the job of protecting it, after which he's taken to the underground den of a gang of thugs. This gang is led by Mr. Funktastic (Patrick Hagarty), who has his name tattooed across his chest, and also includes the beautiful Bad Girl (Jaime King), who turns out to be not so bad after all. As well as "Bad Girl", there's genuine feminine villainy in the role of Nina (Victoria Smurfit), who is a third-generation Nazi. "Bulletproof Monk" was written - if that's the word - by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris, and based on the comic book by Brett Lewis and RA Jones. John Woo and Terence Chang played a part in producing it, once again apparently proving my theory that the reason some Hong Kong film-makers do OK in Hollywood is that at least one area of Hollywood has fallen off in quality enough that even the more mediocre of Hong Kong movies can get made there now. It's all directed, pretty much as dully as possible, by a guy called Paul Hunter who apparently previously directed music videos. This movie has none of the slickness of style you associate with music video directors, and I don't mean that in a good way. The cinematography by Stefan Czapsky is lacklustre. Even Chow yuen-fat isn't looking so good in it. He's put on weight. He has a lousy haircut and lousy lines to speak. He's doing more acting in English, and - unfortunately - his acting in English is not much better than Sammo Hung's. Let's hope that another Asian film-maker will give him the chance to do something decent soon. Seann William Scott - who was in "American Pie", "Road Trip", and "Dude, where's my car?" surprised me by being more watchable. But it doesn't make any difference. "Bulletproof Monk" is all garbage anyway. And garbage with no style, which makes it even worse.
Rating:
Summary: An utter mess...good heavens!
Review: "Tightly edited"? "Unpretentious"? What can I say except that I wholeheartedly disagree with Amazon editorial reviewer Bret Fetzer? Bulletproof Monk is a sorry excuse for a film. Not only does it waste the talents of Chow Yun-fat, but the action sequences are limp and unexciting, the dialogue flat, and the acting just atrocious. Even The Medallion was a better film, and that's saying a lot. Bulletproof Monk opens with the phoniest-looking green/blue-screen sequence I've ever seen, with Chow Yun-fat (as "Monk") fighting another monk on a bridge. It looks like they are standing on a dance floor painted to look like a bridge over a ravine! The "action scene" following the opening gives you the feeling that you're in a for a very long night. Director Paul Hunter is easily the worst music video-to-feature director I've seen, even lower than Kevin Donovan (The Tuxedo) or Dominic Sena (Swordfish). He seems determined to use every single shot he's shot for any given action sequence: "Is it exciting? Can we see the characters punching, kicking, jumping, firing their guns? Let's just forego all that and cut in every single beautiful composition I shot on set!" Most ex-music video directors are hyperactive, but Hunter has a raging case of cinematic ADD that puts them all to shame. The action scenes are plainly an eyesore because of this. Hunter should be tied to a chair and forced to watch John Woo's martial-arts sequences from Hand of Death and Last Hurrah for Chivalry for a whole year, because not a single one of his frames is ever good for capturing the action. During the subway-platform chase scene, he massacres his footage so much by editing that you don't even know which character is where at any given point. Through all of the action sequences I kept praying for one shot to stay longer than a second so I can rest my eyes...but that's not to be. I gave this movie a chance just to see Chow Yun-fat, but even that's not worth it, because he seems to lose all the progress he's made in The Corruptor in terms of acting in English. The acting in this film is audience abuse: Seann William Scott shows that his funny turn as Stifler in the American Pie movies are either a fluke or a credit to the American Pie writers, because his comic timing in Bulletproof Monk is nonexistent. Chow Yun-fat seems crippled by his English on this film, not able to utilize his usual grace and charm, most likely because Hunter just doesn't know how to direct actors. The supporting actors, especially the "Funktastics" (talk about dumb), are so bad they look like they're in audition, reading the script for the first time. The only actor who escapes somewhat unscathed is Jamie King, but one supporting character can hardly save a whole film's worth of horrendous acting. I've seen some bad action movies in the last couple of years -- Rollerball, for example -- but Bulletproof Monk is the worst yet. Don't even rent this one -- rewatch The Killer or A Better Tomorrow instead if you want to see Chow Yun-fat.
Rating: 
Summary: Greet find
Review: There was much more than Chow Yung Phat (sp?) holding up this movie. It had one of the first original plots I've seen in a while (unlike spiderman 6 and x-men 10), then it managed to combine a fine romance, good action, and even religion into the pot. Finally, the humor of this movie is particularly memorable, it had a mix of varying types of inside humor as well as the standard american jokes. For instance, the scroll being a recipe for soup was an indirect reference to a movie called Tampopo, which was about such a quest.
Rating:
Summary: And Hollywood insults our intelligence once more!!!
Review: Worst movie I've seen in a long time. Full of cliches, bad acting (except for the amazing Chow yun Fat), not funny at all and with the worst seudo-martial arts ripoff ever!!! I'm not bull... you!, the movie is really bad!...I still don't know why Chow Yun Fat took this role...well probably the money, which makes me wonder on why does Hollywood hired such an incredible international action star like Chow Yun Fat for whatever amount of money if they're going to put him in such a dumb stupid movie that did not make a cent? Nazi gestapo, SS and the Wehrmacht in China (Tibet) in 1943...when did this happened??...What an incredible work of ignorance!!!! and you should see some of the action scenes or CGI work...wire Fu has never been so pathetic its horrible is beyond description...This movie is bad....really bad!
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, but Not Particularly Memorable
Review: In 2003, in his big-screen directorial debut, Paul Hunter directed the film "Bulletproof Monk", which was based upon an underground comic book of the same name. Starring the renowned actor Yun-Fat Chow (who starred in the 2000 film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and the 1999 film "Anna and the King") as the "Monk with No Name", the film begins in a Tibetan monastery in 1943 when the previous "Monk with No Name" (Roger Yuan) passes on the responsibility of guarding a sacred & powerful scroll to the next one (Yun-Fat Chow). Immediately thereafter, a group of Nazi soldiers under the command of an officer named Strucker (Karel Roden) attacks the monastery to obtain the scroll. The "Monk with No Name" escapes and is chased for the next 60 years by Strucker and his henchmen, until the chase reaches present-day New York City where the monk meets a self-trained martial arts street punk named Kar (Seann William Scott) who works in a rundown movie theater and as a petty thief. Other characters in the film include Jade (Jaime King, who played a nurse in the 2001 "Pearl Harbor"), Strucker's granddaughter Nina (Victoria Smurfit) and movie-theater owner Mr. Kojima (Mako, whose long film career includes the 1969 "The Great Bank Robbery" and the 2001 "Pearl Harbor"). With a whopping $52-million budget (more than three-times the budget of the 2000 "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"), "Bulletproof Monk" was not a particularly wise investment for the six production companies involved, even though the film attempted to mimic many of the "lighter-than-air" martial arts special effects of the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", but not very convincingly. Had "Bulletproof Monk" had a more experienced director and better writing, it would have probably been a better film. The film's two writers, Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris, have collaborated on every work since 1991, with an emphasize on action/gothic/horror/sci-fi stories. They co-produced and co-created a gothic television series in 1998 entitled "Brimstone", which was cancelled after 13 episodes. The best acting performance in the film was by Yun-Fat Chow. Seann William Scott's portrayal of Kar was okay, but not particularly inspiring. The only other well-acted part (though a minor part) was by Mako as Mr. Kojima. The rest of the acting in the film was mediocre at best. Overall, I can only rate "Bulletproof Monk" with 3 out of 5 stars. Though it's not a particularly engaging film, it is somewhat entertaining, but not particularly memorable.
Rating:
Summary: The Only Saving Grace: Chow Yun-Fat, Great Actor of Today
Review: "Bulletproof Monk" is credited as "Based on The Flypaper Press Comic Book." Whatever it means I don't know, not having read the book mentioned, but I know the film is intended as action flick with slight comic book taste. That is not a bad idea, but sadly, though the film starts with a pretty good action sequence, it goes downhill after that. And where is John Woo (co-producer of "Bulletproof") when we needed him most? Doing not-so-great "Paycheck"? Is this a bad joke or something? The story is same old one; it's Tibet in 1943, and you see an ancient scroll with magical power for which the bad German soldiers do anything. The hero of the film, Chow Yun-Fat's 'Monk with No Name,' is entrusted with that secret, and defends it from them ... and cue to today's New York City. The rest of the story is not particularly original, just OK. The Monk finds a possible successor to his role in an American boy Kar (Seann William Scott), who is a typical street-smart bad boy with a hidden good nature. They meet, fight, and finally understand each other. And they have to, for the enemies are just behind the Monk, still seeking for the secret of the scroll. Though I gave only two stars, that is not because the actions stink. They are decent, I know (additional action by Cory Yuen), and the opening action scenes over the cliff-hanging situation is impressive, but I have seen "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" so many times, which makes me wonder -- "Is this the best they can do?" Chow Yun-Fat is in fact NOT an action film star. His forte lies not in kung-hu action, but in ability to show the subtle emotions of the character. See many of his films made in Hong Kong, and you see that he can do comedies and serious dramas very well. In "Bulletproof Monk" you see this side just a little, like in his affable character with a humorous smile. But the filmmakers here still want him to hold guns (and two) as you see in the poster. I see, I know its his trademark in Hollywood, but isn't that what is called stereotype? To be fair, the two supporting actors do well; Seann William Scott is surprisingly good as the Monk's sidekick, showing convincing martial arts skills while Jamie King is in good form as his love interest (and he kisses HER). But the rest of the cast are disappointing, especially the now obligatory villain with usual German accent. Director Paul Hunter (known for his numerous music videos) knows how to shoot each scene beautifully, but does not seem to know how to make emotioal impact out of them. He always pushes the wrong buttons; humor does not come from corny dialogues, and thrill does not come from a series of set-pieces based on clithed situations. I hope Chow Yun-Fat's next project "Land of Destiny" (with John Woo) turns out a better one than this.
Rating:
Summary: good effects with some minor flaws
Review: if you can really pass of some of the cornyness of this movie it really pays off big time... Seann William Scott is a hoot as always and its a treat to see him getting his groove on with Jaime King(James King, also a model) and Chow Yun-Fat is phat in this movie as the man who trains Scott to be the new protecter of the scroll...very good action but like I said it only goes so far to be so good....some what of a corny title..but hey.....theres a lot more corny titles of movies out there then this...fun for its time
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your time
Review: --It amazes me how many great scripts never make it to the screen, yet something like this is produced?! - Anyway, The camera work /edits of the slow-mo stunts -never work out - bad -unpolished look to it, script, chemistry -just not there.
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