Film Reviews

Bulletproof Monk

• Rating:
• Director: Paul Hunter
• Starring: Chow Yun Fat
• Details: US / 90 minutes / (12PG).

Chow Yun Fat plays the nameless Monk, the protector of an ancient scroll which gives eternal life to those who carry it. For the last sixty-odd years he's been pursued by a Nazi called Strucker (Roden) who is desperate to restore himself to the foibles of youth and - oh yes! - take over the world. Soon after the Monk arrives in San Francisco, he finds himself under attack from the Nazi's cronies. A street punk (the utterly gormless Scott), who has schooled himself in the martial arts thanks to his love of Bruce Lee movies, helps save the Monk. (Honestly, you couldn't make this up. Wait there's more!) Realising that the young man has potential, the Monk decides to oversee the punk's development. And let's not even mention the subplot involving the daughter of Russian Mafia boss.
Less a movie and more a ramshackle collection of every buddy movie cliche of the last twenty years, by way of some sub Matrix style special effects, Bulletproof Monk is a pretty nonsensical excursion. To be fair, Chow Yun Fat seems to realise that he's in the mother of all turkeys and at least tries to play along accordingly. It's just a shame he didn't inform his co-stars or anyone else in the production. Avoid.

Review by Garreth Murphy