This non-stop action adventure is based on The Flypaper Press comic book.
Chow Yun-Fat is the "Monk with No Name" who protects an ancient scroll. Anyone who possesses and recites the scroll can harness unlimited power, utilizing it for either good or evil. The scroll-keeper has the advantage of not aging and not being able to be physically harmed. The Monk has been on the run from would be rulers of the universe for 60 years when he finally runs into a potential new scroll-keeper as promised by prophecies while at the same time being chased by a group of neo-Nazis.
Seann William Scott is Kar, a street kid who has a flair for kung fu, which he picked up by endlessly watching and emulating Asian films at the theater where he lives and works as the projectionist. He has even more of flair as pick pocket and The Monk runs into him while both are on the run.
The Monk is able to defy gravity, move fast enough that he seems to predict his opponent's moves at every turn and dodge bullets. Troy Liddell also choreographs some parts of fight scenes more traditionally, with Yun-Fat performing something very similar to aikido - he primarily yields instead of blocking or countering and uses his opponent's moves against themselves.
Fun, lighthearted and entertaining at every turn – one for the whole family to enjoy – more than once.
FAMOUS QUOTES
Strucker: You may be good but you’re not bulletproof.
The Nameless Monk: Every man’s life concerns every other man, especially if he is on the noble path to true enlightenment.
The Nameless Monk: He will defeat an army of enemies while a flock of cranes circles above.
Mr. Kojima: You have two choices Kar, you can sit on your but and do nothing or fly like a phoenix from the ashes of your pathetic life.
The Nameless Monk: An enlightened man would offer a humble traveler shelter for the night and share a quiet conversation over a bowl of coco puffs.
The Nameless Monk: Why do hot dogs come in packages of 10 while hot dog buns come in packages of 8?
The Nameless Monk: It’s not about anger, it’s about peace, it’s not about power it’s about grace, it’s not about knowing your enemy, it’s about knowing yourself.
GOOFS AND BLUNDERS
While Monk and Kar are on the boat at night, the Toronto, Ontario, Canada CN Tower is visible in the background.
When Jade opens her hand to reveal the bullet she caught, it is a shell casing, not a bullet.
REVIEWS
It has a life and style that other buddy action movies lack. Reviewed by Mick LaSalle of The San Francisco Chronicle.
Too much seriousness can be fatal to a picture like this one, since it impedes the efficient delivery of dumb laughter and easy thrills. Reviewed by: Dana Stevens of The New York Times.
The fight scenes in Bulletproof Monk are not as inventive as some I've seen (although the opening fight on a rope bridge is so well done that it raises expectations it cannot fulfill). Reviewed by: Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times.
The story's entire foundation is based upon a plot hole so gargantuan that anyone not suffering a brain cramp will identify it at once. Reviewed by: James Berardinelli of Reel Views.
A plot so preposterous it could only have emerged from the underground comic world. Reviewed by: Liam Lacey of The Globe and Mail (Toronto).
Parents need to know that this movie is very violent, though not as graphic as many PG-13s. Characters are killed, including one who is impaled. There is brief strong language. There are some sexual references, though it is very clear that the "bad girl" is, as far as sex goes, a "good girl." Reviewed by: Common Sense Media.
