Eliminate the laws of gravity, the laws of geriatrics and the penal laws of guns being fired in the streets, or subways and you have a movie based on an underground comic book dealing with a scroll of infinite power and Tibetan Monks.  Bulletproof Monk is a campy action film that is not only predictable, but it contradicts itself. Chow Yun-Fat (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) is a monk that gives up his name after fulfilling three prophecies. His mentor passes on the responsibility of protecting the scroll for the next 60 years and in return the scroll will protect him from disease and aging. Now, the defying gravity is the Monk’s theory that if you believe hard enough that gravity doesn’t exist, then it doesn’t, so you can use air to your advantage.

Bulletproof Monk opens in Tibet 1943 with the Mentor and the Monk fighting on a bridge. The Monk defeats his mentor, so he is ready for the next step. They enter the temple and a scroll is passed to the Monk along with its power. The Master immediately ages 60 years. Nazis enter the temple and kill everyone, but the Monk escapes off the side of a cliff after being shot. Cut to New York 2003 and that same Nazi, Strucker (Karel Roden, Blade II) is still pursuing the monk for the scroll. Yeah, so he looks like he is 100, but come on, with his lifestyle alone he should have died years ago. At the same time a pickpocket, Kar (Seann William Scott, Old School) is trolling the subway and attracts the attention of the Monk, who sees the potential in him.

This movie relies on the martial arts special effects that makes it appear that the characters defy gravity so the action sequences are okay, but we have seen this effect overused (The Matrix). I found the interaction between Yun-Fat and Scott a little forced. Some of the contradictions are the reading of the scroll. Someone has read most of the scroll in order to transfer it to a tattoo, yet the power was not transferred, but when Strucker reads as much, he regains his youth and tremendous strength so this weakens the plausibility of the film. And if reading that much of the scroll returns your youth, how much youth is being returned? For the Nazi it was 60 years, but what if a 40-year-old was the one obtaining the ultimate power, would this return him to the zygote stage? The movie also lags at time, so for an action film it certainly lacks any real action. Also appearing in this Paul Hunter directed film were, Jamie King, Victoria Smurfit, Mike Dopud, Patrick Hargarty, and Marcus Pirae as Mr. Funktastic. Overall this film could have really stunk, but I was slightly entertained even though the most skin revealed was a chest. So I give Bulletproof Monk a six on the About-Movies.com scale.

Last updated: Thursday, March 20, 2008 02:46:08 AM

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