DVD
Review | Bulletproof Monk
Written by: Kage
Alan
The problem with Hollywood trying to incorporate
both Asian cinema techniques AND Asian culture into their own films is
that they can never quite get it to look and feel natural. Believe it
or not, there is such a thing as too many special effects.
Fortunately, if there’s engaging enough action and actors to push the
shortcomings to the back, things can still turn out okay.
Sixty years ago, the Monk (Chow Yun-Fat, “Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon”) inherited the powers of an ancient scroll giving
the power of youth and the ability to heal so that he can guard its
secrets from evil elements in the world. Unfortunately, he’s
relentlessly pursued for the next sixty years by a German officer (Karel
Roden, “15 Minutes”) who is intent on possessing those secrets so that
he can do whatever he wants in the world with nobody able to stop him.
Enter Kar (Seann William Scott, “American Pie”), a young pickpocket by
day and projectionist at a Chinese theatre by night. It’s through
watching so many old Chinese films that he’s trained himself in martial
arts. Okay…it could happen.
When the Monk begins to realize that, based on a
prophesy, Kar might just be the next protector of the scroll, the two
team up in an effort to keep the power away from the one man who would
use its secrets for evil. Helping them along the way is Jade (Jaimie
King, “Slackers”), a rich girl who hangs out with lower social elements
and who knows how to take care of herself. There are some pretty fine
action sequences along the way. There’s really also only one sequence
where the Monk uses a gun, but that’s homage to Producer John Woo and
it’s not repeated again. Only the villains use guns while the heroes
resort to marital arts. The final battle is fairly zesty.
There were some rumblings about the casting of
Seann William Scott as one of the leads due to his slapstick and
somewhat vulgar previous roles, but I feel that this was a much-needed
change of pace for his career. It showed that he’s willing to try new
things, new genres and give it the best shot he can. Unfortunately,
this feels like a step backward for Chow Yun-Fat after “Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon”. His role, while showing both humor and serious sides,
is written rather flat and uninspired, something that the actor is the
exact opposite of. Hollywood is really squandering the man’s talents
and I hope he returns to Hong Kong to continue his career there soon.
As for Jaime King, I hope to see much more of her in the future. She’s
terrific!
MGM has released “Bulletproof Monk” in a sharp
looking Widescreen transfer. Colors are vibrant, there’s little grain
and the audio is nicely dynamic. While the film may not have done as
well as it could or should have at the box office, MGM has seen fit to
load this with some hefty extras. First up are two audio commentaries,
the first with Director Paul Hunter and Producers Charles Roven and
Douglas Segal and the second with Writers Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris.
Honestly, the producers and director commentary is rather dull and
perfunctory. If you want something with some life to it, listen to the
writers! Next up is a section called “The Tao of Monk” with five
behind-the-scenes featurettes (“Fist of Fury” (7min), the standout
“Enter the Monk” (20min), “Zen Palette” (10min), “Smoke & Mirrors”
(8min) and “The Art of Score” (10 ½ min)), another featurette titled
“The Monk Unrobed” (7min) discussing the comic and the film, a series of
5 deleted scenes with optional commentary, an alternate ending with
optional commentary, a behind-the-scenes photo gallery and a series of
trailers.
When all is said and done, “Bulletproof Monk” is an
entertaining film that doesn’t require any deep thought. It’s visually
entertaining, but it won’t change your mind about the world at all. Is
that a bad thing? Considering movies are made for us to escape from our
daily troubles, perhaps not. There were definitely higher aspirations
for it, only the translation to the screen doesn’t quite get it right.
Film Rating:
B-
DVD Special Features: A-
|
