Bulletproof Monk [Blu-ray]

Director: Paul Hunter Paul Hunter

Overview

A monk and a pickpocket become unlikely allies in this action adventure story. Sixty years ago, a nameless monk (Chow Yun-Fat) was appointed the guardian of a mysterious scroll that grants remarkable powers to those who possess it. After six decades of traveling the world to protect the scroll, the monk must find someone new to assume the responsibility, but as fate would have it, the new caretaker turns out to be Kar (Seann William Scott), a scruffy and distinctly non-enlightened petty thief living in San Francisco. As the monk attempts to educate Kar in the powers and responsibilities of the scroll and the ways of a monk's life, they discover they have a rival for the possession of the valuable scroll. As Kar and the monk fend off their mysterious adversary, they are aided by Bad Girl (Jaime King), a beautiful Russian mob affiliate with amazing martial arts skills and a vested interest in keeping the scroll in virtuous hands. Bulletproof Monk was based a comic book series published in 1999; Chow Yun-Fat's frequent collaborators John Woo and Terence Chang produced.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/18/2023
UPC:	0850035985335
Original Release:	2003
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Sandpiper Pictures
Language:	English
Time:	1:44:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Chow Yun-Fat	Monk with No Name
Seann William Scott	Kar
Jaime King	Jade/Bad Girl
Karel Roden	Strucker
Victoria Smurfit	Nina
Marcus Jean Pirae	Mr. Funktastic
MAKO	Mr. Kojima
Roger Yuan	Master Monk
Chris Collins	Sax
Sean Bell	Diesel
Kishaya Dudley	DV
Rob Archer	Buzz
Mauricio Rodas	Wicho
Robert Archer	Buzz
Bayo Akinfemi	Shade
Russell Yuen	Brother Tenzin
Albert Chung	Young Monk
Karis Han	Boy Monk
Angela Seto	Old Sho Girl
Paul Fauteux	Subway Cop
Raven Dauda	Young Mother
Isys McKoy	Little Girl
Peter Snider	Three Piece Suit
Suresh John	Cabbie
Geoff Williams	Breathless Cop
Michael Yanover	Hotdog Vendor
Chad Camileri	Merc
Steve Lucescu	Merc
James Acheson	Merc
John MacDonald	Merc
Michael Gow	Monastery Monk,Monastery Monk
Danny Lima	Merc
Robert Racki	Merc
Kevin Rushton	Merc
Hadley Sandiford	Merc
Brian Jagersky	Merc
Matt Birman	Merc
Blair Johannes	Merc
Regan Moore	Kommando
Patrick Mark	Kommando
Barry Oliver	Kommando
Bryan Thomas	Kommando
Joel Harris	Kommando
Henry Korhonen	Kommando
Neil Davison	Kommando
Christopher McGuire	Kommando
Lloyd Adams	Transit Cop
Christopher D. Amos	Transit Cop
Billy Oliver	Kommando
Murray R. Croft	Transit Cop
Phil Chiu	Monastery Monk
Allen Keng	Monastery Monk
Tommy Chang	Temple Monk
Fabian Choe	Temple Monk
Mike Chow	Temple Monk
James Kim	Temple Monk
Alan Tang	Wu Shu Monk
Nathan Lam	Wu Shu Monk
Peter Wong	Wu Shu Monk
Feng Jun Wei	Wu Shu Monk
Lin Yi-Sheng	Wu Shu Monk
Éric Serra	Composer
Isys Alexis	Little Girl
Chad Camilleri	Merc

Technical Credits

Ethan Reiff

Cyrus Voris

Paul Hunter	Director
Terence Chang	Producer
Gotham Chopra	Executive Producer,Producer
Tony Kenny	Special Effects
Caroline Macaulay	Executive Producer,Producer
Mindy Marin	Casting
Guy Leslie Norris	Stunts
Branko Racki	Stunts
Charles Roven	Producer
John Woo	Producer
Douglas Segal	Producer
Kelley Smith-Wait	Executive Producer,Producer
John Stoneham Jr.	Stunts
John E. Sullivan	Special Effects
Michael Yanover	Executive Producer,Producer
Ethan Reiff	Screenwriter
Cyrus Voris	Screenwriter
Alan Glazer	Producer
Brent O'Connor	Producer
Mark Paniccia	Producer
Joseph Bailey	Special Effects
Paul Aulicino	Sound Effects
Bob Beher	Sound Effects
Patrick Cicero	Sound Effects
Marc Deschaine	Sound Effects
Jennifer Vey	Stunts
Dan Belley	Stunts
John Stoneham Sr.	Stunts
Robert Reese	Stunts
Darren McGuire	Stunts

Editorial Reviews

Chow Yun-Fat fans take note: this is not the one you've been waiting for. That said, taken as what it is (a fairly generic urban actioner that stands slightly apart from the pack due to it's mystic slant), Bulletproof Monk is still a moderately entertaining effort that will no doubt entertain the less demanding action fan. The thing that American directors seem to keep forgetting (Anna and the King director Andy Tenant aside) is that Chow can actually act -- despite the fact that he still looks really cool jumping and flipping while firing duel 9mms. Only a fraction of Chow's Hong Kong efforts were action movies (curious casual fans should seek out All About Ah-Long for a taste of his more tender side), and despite the fact that a handful of those efforts were indeed genre-defining, he simply hasn't been utilized to full effect in American cinema. Though after The Replacement Killers and The Corrupter it is nice to see Chow in a fairly good-humored role, one still gets the feeling that if his stateside performances continue in such a generic fashion that he'll never get the international attention that he truly deserves. Director Paul Hunter does an adequate job of creating his own unique visual scheme due to strong use of color, and his action directing is also fairly assured. Likewise, Seann William Scott makes for a fairly charming street thief, and his easygoing nature makes the fact that his character is essentially a good person at heart relatively believable. Supporting performances are fairly strong across the board, though it's painfully obvious (especially during the final confrontation) that many of villainous Nazi Strucker's (Karel Roden) more comic character components were sadly left on the cutting room floor given that the other humorous elements of the film are so blatant. Though those unfamiliar with Chow aren't likely to be quite as demanding of this effort (and should definitely seek out his Honk Kong actioners to see how it's really done), Bulletproof Monk is just entertaining enough to tide over hardcore Chow fans until inevitable reteaming with longtime collaborator John Woo.