Bulletproof Monk (DVD)

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Bulletproof Monk is based on a comic book, which very few people have ever heard of. I’d never heard about it, and only learnt this when researching the film on the Internet. Bulletproof Monk is also another example of a Hollywood attempt to make a martial arts movie, albeit with rather more fun thrown in. From the start, it was therefore always going to be on shaky ground. Comic book fans and martial art purists are ...
...comics or proper martial arts, Bulletproof Monk is more of a mixed bag. At times, the movie was utterly dreadful to the extent that many people would simply scoff and walk out. At other times, the movie has a tremendous spirit of fun about it and I have to say that on the whole it isn’t all that hard to enjoy this movie.

It has been criticised and praised equally for its usage of those “Matrix-style” wire action scenes. ... more

In an isolated monastery atop the Tibetan Mountains exists an order of monks with a grave purpose. For centuries, the monks have protected an ancient scroll, which is destined never to fall into the hands of mankind. The scroll contains scriptures that are so powerful they could enable the owner to turn the planet into paradise or a living hell. With each passing of a sixty-year period, the scroll passes into the hands of a new protector, who is identified once he/she has completed three tasks. In 1943, the scroll passes into the hands of a monk who simply has no name. But as soon as the scroll has passed into his hands, the monastery is raided by a group of Nazi officers. Their leader, Strucker, has his sights set on the power contained within the scroll, and The Monk with No Name apparently sacrifices himself to prevent Strucker from obtaining the scroll.

Sixty years later, it transpires that the monk is in fact very much alive and is living in the USA. Whilst travelling on the Metro system one day he encounters a young pickpocket, whose aid he enlists in saving the life of a small girl who has fallen onto the tracks. Unbeknown to the monk, the pickpocket steals the scroll from him but immediately loses possession to a local crime lord known as Mr Funkastic. In turn, the monk steals back the scroll, but not before he witnesses the pickpocket’s surprising martial artistry. Could the young man somehow be the next protector of the sacred scroll? The Monk may have his work cut out trying to discover the truth. A familiar face has also arrived on American shores. It would seem that the passing of sixty years has served only to feed Strucker’s desire to obtain the scroll, and with considerable wealth behind him he will now stop at nothing to obtain it.

Bulletproof Monk is based on a comic book, which very few people have ever heard of. I’d never heard about it, and only learnt this when researching the film on the Internet. Bulletproof Monk is also another example of a Hollywood attempt to make a martial arts movie, albeit with rather more fun thrown in. From the start, it was therefore always going to be on shaky ground. Comic book fans and martial art purists are united in their passion for their chosen obsessions and Bulletproof Monk probably pissed both groups of people off intensely. For those of us who know nothing of either comics or proper martial arts, Bulletproof Monk is more of a mixed bag. At times, the movie was utterly dreadful to the extent that many people would simply scoff and walk out. At other times, the movie has a tremendous spirit of fun about it and I have to say that on the whole it isn’t all that hard to enjoy this movie.

It has been criticised and praised equally for its usage of those “Matrix-style” wire action scenes. Both the Monk and his newfound accomplice demonstrate an ability to use the surrounding air as though it was solid. As such, they seem to be able to fly and move in impossible ways that, in all honesty, do appear to have been inspired by scenes from The Matrix. They aren’t filmed as well, of course. Some of the sequences are very poorly put together and I wouldn’t have been surprised to find that the makers had forgotten to take out some of the wires. There is a lot of shoddy, almost random editing that is employed to keep the viewer entertained, but instead exposes itself as a blatant attempt not to dwell too long on things that are technically incompetent. The sum result visually is a rapidly paced film that often seems blurred and has very little impact on the audience at all. This is a great shame because several scenes had great potential, notably an action sequence involving a helicopter. I’m not sure whether it was budget or expertise that were lacking, but one or both of them definitely were.

The story comes straight from the “Raiders of the Lost Ark” school of imagination, but this is an entirely positive thing. The plot is so fantastical that it is quite easy to suspend belief, and the audience therefore finds it much easier to get into the spirit of things. There is an exciting opening scene, set in 1943 which sets the scene perfectly and provides a good springboard from which the film can propel itself into the present day. In pure fantasy terms, the story makes sense, although it could be argued that a story about Nazi obsession with mythical artefacts is hardly very new. If I’m honest, I kind of missed where the scroll came from in the first place and so more historical story telling might have given the story a little more substance.

This is not a film that one should dwell upon. So many of the details are generalised, over-simplified or simply ignored and at times this starts to annoy. The pickpocket advises the monk that he learns his moves by watching old movies, which seems to me to be a great insult to anyone who has ever actually studied and mastered any of the martial arts. I’ve watched a few Jet Li movies, so I guess I should also be as gifted now. The bad guys seem to be telepathic too, and turn up wherever and whenever the monk decides to be with little explanation of how they found out. The power of the main monk is also rather over-amplified in comparison to the other monks in the film, who seem to fall at the drop of a hat. It may be too simple for the writers, but surely a group would better protect such a dangerous artefact than an individual? This is obviously not the case, but your guess is as good as mine as to why.

Bulletproof Monk is one of those films where you will either love the characters or hate them. Chow Yun-Fat, plays the Monk (who really doesn’t have a name in the film). Fat is notably famous from his appearance in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and moves capably enough but his character was intensely irritating from start to finish. He typically plays the smug mythical warrior who seems to know everything and never ceases to remind people that this is the case. He just about copes with the dialogue, although some of his pronunciation is not unlike that of Jonathan Ross. Nonetheless, he is convincing and certainly looks the part. His sidekick, the pickpocket names Kar benefits from being cheeky and quite sexy, and this is probably enough to make you fall for him. Seann William Scott never gets his lop-sided smile wiped off his face but his attitude is entirely appropriate to the character and I decided that he worked very well. There is, of course, a romantic interest, in the shape of a young girl called Jade who obviously agrees with my opinion about Scott, even if she does kick his butt first. The main bad guy, Strucker, is your typical Nazi, complete with a psychopathic granddaughter who is so bad she’s actually quite good. Strucker himself (Karel Roden) walks the walk, and talks the talk but somehow seems very out of place in the modern setting and makes the film seem a little dated. The real turkey of the peace is the underground gang leader Funktastic. Why on earth that decided to cast a Cockney wide-boy is beyond me, and whilst Marcus Pirae might have a body to die for, he is dreadful as an actor.

Did I like this film? Well, despite my many criticisms, overall I probably did. It wasn’t a demanding film and although technically not the best I’ve seen, it did still romp along in a fairly enjoyable way. I’ll be totally honest and say that the presence of Seann William Scott really helped keep me interested and if you are motivated by slightly more intellectual concerns, I doubt you’d enjoy this film. It looked good on a cinema screen, but I’m sure would work just as well on TV, and that’s probably the place to look out for it.

Recommended, nonetheless.

Quick Facts

Directed by: Paul Hunter
Written by: Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris
Running time: 104 minutes
UK certificate: 12A
Alerts: mild peril and a bit of mild violence
Notable appearances: Chow Yun-Fat and Seann William Scott
You’ll like this if you liked: Romeo Must Die
 

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