“Bulletproof Monk” has one of those titles that make you take pause. You wonder what you might be in for if you take the chance to watch it. “What could it possibly be about,” you may wonder. Well, I can give you a little bit o’ the plot to whet your appetite. The movie is based on a popular underground comic book, and centers around a Tibetan Monk (Wow, there’s a Monk in it?), who is the protector of an ancient scroll. The scroll needs to be protected, by the way because it holds the power to unleash heaven and hell on Earth. In order to keep the scroll safe, it seems that our Monk (played by Chow Yun-Fat, by the way) can do really nifty things, like dodge bullets. He has to keep the scroll from falling into the hands of evil-doers (and as it also seems to have the power to keep him young, the Oil of Olay people). As the story progresses, our Monk mistakes a young street punk for his replacement (Seann William Scott) and of course, complications arise.

The first thing you need to realize about “Bulletproof Monk” is that it’s not a movie to be taken seriously. It’s kind of an action flick, with a touch of comedy, and though it has all the makings of what should be a fairly bad movie… it isn’t.

Director Paul Hunter cut his teeth as making music videos, and it shows in his first outing as a feature film director. The pacing is swift, and the camera work is well planned. Even the acting isn’t half-bad. Hey, Chow Yun-Fat is an action movie star in his own right, and he has some fun with this role. The interesting casting here is Seann William Scott. This guy has been in numerous comedies (“American Pie”), but I believe this is his first action ‘buddy’ flick. Scott is by no means a great actor, but he has one of those personalities that you either love or hate. This is what ultimately decides if you’ll like the film or not. You like Scott, you like the movie. You don’t like him… well I think you get the picture.

The film is pretty much equal parts good and bad. Some of the jokes work, while other fall flat. In spite of this irregularity, the only real complaint I have is with some of the editing used in the fight scenes. Too often they are over-edited with lightning fast cuts, which diminishes the impact of the fight while making it seem energetic.

The MGM DVD release included a larger number of extras than I expected. There are two commentaries, the first being by the writers. The second features the director and the producers. Both are pretty interesting as far as commentaries go, but if you only have the inclination to catch one, I recommend the latter. There are also several behind the scenes featurettes, which are just long enough to give you a taste of what went into the production without lingering too long. The deleted scenes and the alternate ending include commentary, but it’s pretty evident why they didn’t make the final cut.

“Bulletproof Monk” isn’t a great flick by any means, but it is at least good enough to offer up a fairly entertaining evening in front of the tube.

Directed by: Paul Hunter
Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Seann William Scott, Jaimie King, Karel Roden, Victoria Smurfit
Extras: Deleted Scenes Commentary by Editor Robert K. Hunter, Alternate Ending Commentary by Editor Robert K. Hunter, “The Tao of Monk” – Five Behind the Scenes Featurettes, “The Monk Unrobed” Featurette, Audio Commentary by the Writers, Audio Commentary by the Director and Producers Charles Roven and Douglas Siegel, Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery
Specifications: Widescreen (2.35:1) Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions,Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: MGM
Release Date: 9/2/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (For Violence, Language and Some Sexual Content
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We'll give Bulletproof Monk a C+.