Dirk V
Reviewer

      In his earlier films like “The Killer,” “Hard Boiled” and “A Better Tomorrow,” Chow Yun-Fat was a magnificent action star. With “Anna and the King” and “The Corruptor” he succeeded in drama roles. While neither were exceptional films, he gave solid performances. Perhaps his best film came in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” This film was a perfect blend of his action and drama skills. With “Bulletproof Monk,” however, he has regressed. The film lacks an awe-inspiring performance and fails to rise above becoming just another cheesy action flick.
 
      Fat plays a monk who must protect a sacred scroll from falling into evil hands. His adversary in the film is a Nazi who has tracked him for 60 years in order to obtain the power of the scroll. With the scroll, the Nazi hopes to regain his youth and conquer the world. While in present day New York, Yun-Fat teams up with the young thief Kar, played by Seann William Scott. Fat believes Kar may be his successor as the protector of the scroll. He attempts to teach and train the misguided youth. The two then attempt to protect the scroll from the Nazis for the final showdown.
 
      While the plot is not complicated, as is traditional with most action films, it still fails to be entertaining. The action in the film is poorly executed and reeks of the influences of “The Matrix” and “Crouching Tiger.” Extraordinary fight scenes were believable in those films because they were explained in a way making them believable. Although “Bulletproof Monk” offers an explanation—the power comes from the scroll—the fighting still seems ridiculous. The film comes across more as an attempt to show off wire stunts than to provide a good, believable action sequence.
 
      The dialogue in the film hurts. By watching the film, it becomes obvious the writers were trying too hard to create humorous situations. Attempts at humor are so blatant that the film is just not funny. They also tried to mix in too much philosophical monk speech. During the film, Yun-Fat would continue to utter pearls of wisdom. This did nothing to add to the action, humor or drama of the film. Dramatic dialogue is also forced. Watching Scott and Yun-Fat have serious discussions is just painful. Neither gives any life or emotion to their speeches.
 
      While not much plot or acting can usually be expected from an action film, it still should provide moments of action and humor. “Bulletproof Monk” is a film that fails to do both.