It’s always disappointing to see a movie that could be good, that you want to be good, but somehow it just isn’t. Such is the case with “Bulletproof Monk.”
This latest entry into the Jackie Chan-dominated comedy-buddy-karate film genre certainly has all the right components. Adapted from the 1999 indie comic series of the same name, “Bulletproof Monk” has the producing clout of action film director John Woo behind it and ultra-cool Chow Yun-Fat (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) in the title role.
The film opens to the tranquility of a Buddist monastery high in the Tibetan mountains. A mystical ceremony has transferred the guardianship of the Scroll of the Ultimate, an ancient text said to hold the key to unlimited power, to Yun-Fat’s now nameless monk. But it’s 1943, and the calm is quickly shattered by the arrival of the Nazi Struker (Karel Roden), intent on claiming the powerful scroll for his own diabolical purposes. In the ensuing carnage, we learn the scroll bestows its guardian with the power of invincibility — hence the “bulletproof” moniker.
Fast forward 60 years to present day New York City, and we find the proverb-spouting Monk on a quest to find the scroll’s next guardian. Simultaneously, he’s being pursued by a new crop of bad guys — hired by a now-decrepit Struker and his uber-Aryan grand-daughter, Nina (Victoria Smurfit). At the tail end of a subway chase sequence, the monk literally collides with the squirrely pickpocket Kar (Seann William Scott); together, they rescue a young girl who had fallen on the tracks. Apparently, the monk sees potential in the misguided lad, and watches him battle a gang of thugs — though Kar is ultimately rescued from the fray by the mysterious Jade (Jaime King).
The film continues with a series of prerequisite gravity-defying fight sequences, the suggestion of romance between Jade and Kar, and the monk’s dawning realization that the scruffy, ill-mannered Kar might actually be the scroll’s next guardian. These are all the right devices to appeal to the film’s intended young adult audience, but none of these elements is really given much development — even the fight/flight scenes seem rote and lackluster. Bulletproof Monk wants to be an homage to the Hong Kong chop-socky action genre. It wants to grasp the more esoteric moments of the 1970s “Kung Fu” television show. But ultimately, the desire to pander to demographic overcomes this film.
First time film director Paul Hunter has made a name for himself creating memorable music videos for the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Marilyn Manson, but he’s obviously not comfortable with the long-form concept of filmmaking. Likewise, the scriptwriting team of Cy Voris and Ethan Reiff — most noted for penning “Demon Knight: Tales From the Crypt” — have difficulty giving any life to the dialogue. Seann William Scott might as well be the same character he’s played in his previous films, “American Pie” and “Dude, Where’s My Car?”
The saving grace of this film, however, is the always sublime Chow Yun-Fat. His talents are sadly wasted here. A veteran of the Hong Kong action genre himself, he knows how this monk should be portrayed — but without the plot and characters to support him, he seems lost.
One consolation: If you want to see how the original story was conceived, the comic book series has been re-released in conjunction with the film’s opening. The brooding, muted atmosphere created by writers Brett Lewis and RA Jones is contrasted by the bold coloring of artist Michael Avon Oeming. You might find yourself more satisfied paying the $9.95 for the book than a full price ticket to the film “adaptation.”
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