“Bulletproof Monk” (front-end actors: C. Yun-Fat, Sh. W. Scott, D. King, C. Roden) is a movie comic full of martial arts. During the adaptation for the Russian audience, the fantastic action movie Paul Hunter lost the second word from the name, therefore, he walked triumphantly on Russian screens in 2003, “Bulletproof”. This is not an ordinary action movie about yet another showdown of mafia structures, but an attempt to mix the “American adult fairy tale” with the traditional Asian picture of martial arts.
Plot. Tie
High in the mountains, the peaks of which go to heaven, reliably hidden from human sight, is the mysterious monastery Temple of the Supreme Force. For many centuries, monks have kept within its walls a priceless relic - a magic scroll, the writings of which are the key to unlimited power and power. Many greedy and evil people, led by a thirst for possession of the secret of immortality, hidden in the lines of scripture, during this time they tried to take possession of the shrine. But every 60 years, the former keeper of the artifact is replaced by a new one, which is determined by an ancient prophecy. Three cherished conditions must be fulfilled by a new carrier of great mystery, but who he is is unknown to anyone. Such is the intrigue of the action movie "Bulletproof Monk." The actors who took part in the filming were fascinated by the eastern exoticism of the project.
Meet the protagonist
A young guy named Kar works as an ordinary cameraman in a movie theater. However, his main income is street thefts and petty theft, in the skill of which he achieved considerable success. During the next occupation of the thieves' craft with Kar, an accident occurs, as a result of which he meets a mysterious nameless monk. From that moment, pickpocket life is changing dramatically. No matter how he tries to get rid of the annoying, arrogant new acquaintance, nothing comes of it. Meanwhile, the whirlpool of mystical events taking place around, according to the idea of ​​the creators of the film “Bulletproof Monk” (the actors were often surprised by the director’s enviable imagination), continues to grow. He is increasingly absorbing into his abyss a strange monk and an unsuspecting simple street thief, while far from realizing his true destiny.
Almost the climax. No spoiler
The obsession with owning a powerful scroll has haunted Mr. Strakker, a German officer who longs for power over the world and reveals a recipe for eternal youth. In the hunt for the artifact, he is ready to use both the highest power structures of power and the latest technical developments. But the ancient prophecy about the appearance of the next guardian of unlimited power has already begun to come true. Can it prevent the fanatical Nazi from plunging the world into darkness and chaos? The answer to this question can be found by watching the movie "Bulletproof Monk." Actors predict the viewer an unpredictable denouement.
Creative Union - the highlight of the picture
First of all, the brainchild of Paul Hunter is remembered for his chic acting duet - Chow YunFat and Seann William Scott. Each of these artists elegantly fits into the image of his character. Each hero performed by stage masters is very colorful, has his own character and abilities. Each is unique and comic. The performers pull out the entire film on themselves, the viewer sympathizes with the heroes from the first minutes of timing, so the action movie looks easy, and 104 minutes of screen time fly unnoticed.
Chow YunFat is quite organic in the image of a Tibetan monk. The judicious and unflappable keeper of the artifact patiently teaches all the tricks of the unlucky heir. His dialogues are quite eloquent, they can be pulled into quotes and statuses for social networks. They have enough meaning and philosophical context. In a word, Chow Yun-fat, with a mysterious grin looking at the bustling young Hollywood stars, easily and without tension re-plays his colleagues in the project.
Sean William Scott looked good even in action scenes. Unfortunately, the role of Stifler in the terribly popular youth franchise American Pie almost made the actor hostage to one image. At least you expect comic from his hero, although in this film he demonstrated the potential of the hero of the militants. Moreover, the physical form of the actor has it.
Beauty
For unknown reasons, the insanely sexy actress model Jamie King in the image of Jade was like a gray mouse. The actress showed a surprisingly weak acting, which is completely unlike her. Her filmography has exceeded 30, the most famous films are: the thriller Sin City, the horror My Bloody Valentine, the comedy Wholesale Cheaper-2. Jamie King even managed to break her finger while shooting "Bulletproof", however, not during a risky stunt. The girl just tripped, talking on the phone on the stairs.
Nazi
The main antagonist of the film was the Nazi hero Strakker, played by Karel Roden - a Hollywood actor of Czech origin. After his invitation to the Dream Factory, the actor managed to play 40 roles. And he is familiar to the audience around the world as a performer of the roles of colorful supporting characters. Karel Roden in "Bulletproof" looked so villainous that instantly aroused the hostility of the viewer. Although his character looked more appropriate in a movie like Steven Spielberg's The Lost Ark Searchers.
Background roles and their performers
Victoria Smarfit, who embodied the image of Nina, also attracted the attention of the viewer. An Irish actress, keen on social activities, the blogger most likely decided to diversify her serious filmography with a role in the comedy fantasy action movie. The actress did not receive special comments regarding the demonstrated acting gift.
Roger Yuan played the cameo role of the main monk. Although the actor was born in Illinois, he grew up in Taiwan, so he managed to study several types of martial arts. He was a student of Benny Urkides and Chuck Norris. Significant milestones in his creative career can be considered paintings: “Shanghai noon”, “Nash Bridges”, “Batman: the beginning”, “Walker”, “Deadly weapon-4”, etc.
Visual part and musical accompaniment
The film "Bulletproof Monk" was the debut in the great movie directed by Paul Hunter. Prior to that, he shot commercials and less often video clips. Both of them had an authorial style and were quite spectacular. The first film work gives the right to predict the director a successful subsequent career, as in this film there are all the necessary components: a parody shine, indefatigable directorial imagination and a lot of original non-stamped special effects. In fairness, it is worth mentioning that individual film critics reproached the creators of the picture in the absence of a cinematic style. Their accusations were groundless, as the movie was shot by one of the most striking "visionaries" of our time - cameraman Stefan Chapsky, familiar from the projects: "Ed Wood", "Batman Returns" and "Edward Scissorhands." The musical accompaniment for the picture was composed by composer Eric Serra, it does not cause any particular complaints. Almost all compositions have an exotic sound, reflecting the diversity and identity of the cultures of the East and West.