Hello! I am a strange lass but kinda cool, and into movies especially so expect lots of reviews on ...
Hello! I am a strange lass but kinda cool, and into movies especially so expect lots of reviews on them! I am opinionated and not afraid of criticism so comment as you will!
Member since:17.10.2001
Reviews:29
Members who trust:8
The intriguingly titled Bulletproof Monk is a film version of the comic book. The blurbs in various magazines said it was an interesting fusion of styles. ‘Interesting’ it certainly was. It involves a Tibetan monk (Yun Fat Chow) who has inherited the task of protecting a powerful scroll, being forced to flee his homeland after nasty enemies destroy his peaceful monastery in search of the scroll. He then ends up finding and training a young streetwise kid (Seann William Scott) to take over his task.
Before the movie my boyfriend and I had been discussing whether martial arts experts such as Jackie Chan are actually any good at acting, and whether we liked East meets West buddy movies. We had watched Shanghai Knights and Rush Hour and felt that maybe Mr Chan would be better off kicking and punching and keeping his mouth shut! This unfortunately seems to go for this movie too – Yun-Fat Chow certainly does the kung-fu stuff well enough, and has a nice knack for using his body language and facial expressions very well for comic timing, but as soon as he starts to speak everything seems very stilted as if he is reading an autocue. At least in Crouching Tiger he was speaking his own language and it flowed so much better! Seann William Scott has a harder job as he is more famous for his slapstick turns in teen comedies, rather than being an action hero, as this role demands. He does do reasonably well, though his habit of gurning while speaking does not complement him well, and he sometimes looks a little awkward during the action scenes.
Basically this movie seems to be a teen kung fu with a SF element (Matrix-style fighting and the powers of the scroll) thrown in to add interest. The background characters have no real development, and serve as punch bags and scenery more than anything. Up and coming actress Jaime King plays the girlfriend of the baddie ringleader but she is rather wasted here.
There is certainly a feast for the eyes for the martial arts fan, but even they, I feel, may find it a bit of a stretch to call this a good movie. Clichés abound, from the typical Tibetan monastery at the start, to the seen-before action settings. Maybe I am being a bit harsh but I found the acting dire, and the script clunky.
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Martial Arts - Director: Prachya Pinkaew - Original Language: English\Vietnamese\Thai\Mandarin - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Tony Jaa, Bongkoj Khongmalai, Petchtai Wongkamlao
Production Year: 1991 - Martial Arts - Director: Tsui Hark - Original Language: Cantonese - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Donnie Yen, Jet Lee, Rosamund Kwan, Yuen Biao, Mok Sui Chung
Martial Arts - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Bruce Lee, Sho Kosugi, James Ryan, Jim Kelly, Jimmy Wang Yu, Bolo Yeung, Christopher Lee
The tremendous charisma of Chow Yun-Fat anchors this entertaining comic-book ... more
romp.Bulletproof Monkcentres around a monk with no name (Chow) dedicated to protecting a sacred scroll that can give world-manipulating power to anyone who reads it. A hidden ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
He has no game. He protects a powerful secret. Now to fulfil an ancient prophecy, he has ... more
found the one who's supposed to take his place-and it's the most unlikely candidate of all.In this dazzling action adventure, the Monk (Chow yun-Fat, Crouching Tig...
The tremendous charisma of Chow Yun-Fat anchors this entertaining comic-book ... more
romp.Bulletproof Monkcentres around a monk with no name (Chow) dedicated to protecting a sacred scroll that can give world-manipulating power to anyone who reads it. A hidden ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Bulletproof Monk' begins in the 1940s as a Tibetan Buddhist monk charged with protecting ... more
an ancient scroll passes on his legacy to his pupil. As the student receives the power to safeguard the scroll his aging process is halted and he gives up his ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: a good family film, fighting a few jokes but good entertainment, Disadvantages: more character interaction especially the main characters, maonk jade kar may be teaching tricks.
![Bulletproof Monk [DVD] [2003]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78519031.jpg "Bulletproof Monk [DVD] [2003]")
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