Bulletproof Monk
Encyclopedia
Bulletproof Monk is a 2003 action film starring Chow Yun-fat
, Seann William Scott
and Jaime King
. The film was directed by Paul Hunter
. It is loosely based on the comic book
by Michael Avon Oeming
.
The film was shot in Toronto, Ontario, and Hamilton, Ontario
, Canada
and other locations that look closely like New York City.
monk, is informed that he has fulfilled the prophecies made of him - he has fought an army of enemies while a flock of cranes circled above; fought for love at the palace of Jade
; saved brothers whom he did not know from a family he never had; and forsook his name. He is then entrusted by his master with the protection of a Scroll which contains knowledge by which the reader becomes the most powerful of living things - a protection that will keep him youthful and immunize him to injury until, at the close of 60 years, he must pass the knowledge to an heir. The master, who has formerly been the guardian of this Scroll, is killed by German soldiers shortly after the transfer. His pupil, the now nameless Monk, escapes despite the Nazi commander's expectations.
60 years later, a young pickpocket named Kar (Seann William Scott
) robs a police officer in a subway station. He is arrested, but frees himself and chains the police officer, only to flee some of the latter's colleagues. Above in the street, the Nameless Monk is reading a newspaper when he notices several men attempting to capture him. The Nameless Monk attempts to escape by running into the subway, whereupon he and Kar collide, causing a young girl to fall into the path of an oncoming train. Kar and the Nameless Monk rescue the girl, whereupon the three escape, leaving Kar's bag of stolen goods in the station.
Having escaped, the Nameless Monk and Kar introduce themselves to each other, whereupon Kar steals the Scroll from the Nameless Monk and runs away. Thereafter, wherever Kar goes he is chased by the Nameless Monk, who suspects that Kar may be a suitable successor as guardian of the Scroll. When fighting underground against a minor crime lord called Mister Funktastic (Marcus Jean Pirae), Kar meets a young woman named Jade, with whom he falls in love
. The Nameless Monk then follows Kar home and watches him at home practicing Kung-fu
by watching Chinese martial arts movies. The next day, Jade meets with Nina at the opening of the exhibit by the Human Rights Organization - Conscience of Humanity. Later, they meet again during the next day and are conversing when Jade walks up to them and asks Kar to return her necklace, which he had apparently stolen on purpose in order to return to Jade so as to earn her esteem. She is interrupted by a group of mercenaries whose quarry is the Nameless Monk - their intended target flees with Kar in his company.
The Nameless Monk and Kar escape by hiding beneath an Asian laundromat, wherein are several monks of the lead character's order. The Nameless Monk then takes refuge in a nearby building where he shows Kar several advanced combat techniques, including a demonstration of the art of dodging bullets. They are attacked and the Scroll is taken to the employer of the mercenary forces - a crime lord named Strucker. It is revealed that Strucker is in fact the Nazi commander who fought with the Nameless Monk (and had his predecessor murdered) 60 years ago in Tibet. Strucker desires to use the power of the Scroll as a means of world domination
. Upon reading the Scroll, Strucker finds that it contains a recipe for noodle soup
, whereas it is later revealed that the true secret of power is tattooed on the Nameless Monk's torso. The Nameless Monk and Kar return home to find that Kar's employer, Mr. Kojima, has been murdered by Strucker's granddaughter, who happens to be Nina. They flee to the Asian laundromat but are betrayed by an ambitious monk who desires the power conferred by the scroll - however, all parties are taken to Strucker's center of operation and tortured.
The Nameless Monk and Kar seek the help of Jade, whom they learn is the daughter of a currently imprisoned Russian crime lord. Their meeting is interrupted by Nina, who has Jade and Kar beaten and the Nameless Monk captured. Later, Jade and Kar infiltrate Strucker's headquarters, where they are separated as Strucker prepares to scan the Nameless Monk's brain. Jade fights Nina and defeats her, and Kar finds the Nameless Monk. By now, Strucker has regained his youth by reading the text of the Scroll, but he is unable to obtain the content of the last line, which is written nowhere and present only in the Nameless Monk's memory. Strucker attempts to scan the Nameless Monk's brain, but is prevented by Kar himself. The fight ensues, which takes to the roof of the building. In the end, Strucker is thrown onto electric cables; however, Strucker is preserved from death by the power conferred to him by his use of the Scroll.
While Jade frees the other monks, the Nameless Monk transfers what is revealed to be only part of the Scroll's content, and the task of protecting it for 60 years, to Kar. When Strucker attempts to kill Kar, but is killed himself, it is revealed that Jade has also received a part of the Scroll and shares with him the task of protecting it and all the effects thereof. The Nameless Monk then tells them that they both passed the three prophecies (Kar battled enemies beneath circling cranes while jade fought Kar while surrounded, both 'fought for love at the palace of jade', Jade was the one who had saved brothers she never knew while Kar saved the nameless monk) and the final test. The next day, the now aged Nameless Monk meets Kar and Jade, to whom he reveals the final line of the Scroll and whom he now deems inseparable. He then departs, lighthearted.
gave the film a score of 21% based on 126 reviews. The film received mostly negative reviews from film critics, who cited poor and predictable character development and less than stellar performances by the cast. There were also complaints that the fight scenes were not as well choreographed or directed as those in similar movies such as The Matrix
and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
and also that the alternating comedic and action scenes were jarring.
Chow Yun-Fat
Chow Yun-fat, SBS is an actor from Hong Kong. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...
, Seann William Scott
Seann William Scott
Seann William Scott is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Steve Stifler in the American Pie film series...
and Jaime King
Jaime King
Jaime King is an American actress and model. In her modeling career and early film roles, she used the names Jamie King and James King, which was a childhood nickname given to King by her parents, because her agency already represented another Jaime — the older, then more famous model Jaime...
. The film was directed by Paul Hunter
Paul Hunter (director)
Paul Hunter is a music video director known for his high-budget, visually distinctive videos for popular music singles. He has directed over 100 music videos, many television advertisements and was nominated for an Emmy for Nike's Freestyle commercial...
. It is loosely based on the comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
by Michael Avon Oeming
Michael Avon Oeming
Michael Avon Oeming is an American comic book creator, both as an artist and writer. He is known for using a stark art style to tell stories with sophisticated and mature subject matter.-Career:...
.
The film was shot in Toronto, Ontario, and Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and other locations that look closely like New York City.
Plot
The storyline opens in Tibet in the year 1943, wherein one of its protagonists, a TibetanTibetan people
The Tibetan people are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet, which is mostly in the People's Republic of China. They number 5.4 million and are the 10th largest ethnic group in the country. Significant Tibetan minorities also live in India, Nepal, and Bhutan...
monk, is informed that he has fulfilled the prophecies made of him - he has fought an army of enemies while a flock of cranes circled above; fought for love at the palace of Jade
Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
; saved brothers whom he did not know from a family he never had; and forsook his name. He is then entrusted by his master with the protection of a Scroll which contains knowledge by which the reader becomes the most powerful of living things - a protection that will keep him youthful and immunize him to injury until, at the close of 60 years, he must pass the knowledge to an heir. The master, who has formerly been the guardian of this Scroll, is killed by German soldiers shortly after the transfer. His pupil, the now nameless Monk, escapes despite the Nazi commander's expectations.
60 years later, a young pickpocket named Kar (Seann William Scott
Seann William Scott
Seann William Scott is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Steve Stifler in the American Pie film series...
) robs a police officer in a subway station. He is arrested, but frees himself and chains the police officer, only to flee some of the latter's colleagues. Above in the street, the Nameless Monk is reading a newspaper when he notices several men attempting to capture him. The Nameless Monk attempts to escape by running into the subway, whereupon he and Kar collide, causing a young girl to fall into the path of an oncoming train. Kar and the Nameless Monk rescue the girl, whereupon the three escape, leaving Kar's bag of stolen goods in the station.
Having escaped, the Nameless Monk and Kar introduce themselves to each other, whereupon Kar steals the Scroll from the Nameless Monk and runs away. Thereafter, wherever Kar goes he is chased by the Nameless Monk, who suspects that Kar may be a suitable successor as guardian of the Scroll. When fighting underground against a minor crime lord called Mister Funktastic (Marcus Jean Pirae), Kar meets a young woman named Jade, with whom he falls in love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
. The Nameless Monk then follows Kar home and watches him at home practicing Kung-fu
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...
by watching Chinese martial arts movies. The next day, Jade meets with Nina at the opening of the exhibit by the Human Rights Organization - Conscience of Humanity. Later, they meet again during the next day and are conversing when Jade walks up to them and asks Kar to return her necklace, which he had apparently stolen on purpose in order to return to Jade so as to earn her esteem. She is interrupted by a group of mercenaries whose quarry is the Nameless Monk - their intended target flees with Kar in his company.
The Nameless Monk and Kar escape by hiding beneath an Asian laundromat, wherein are several monks of the lead character's order. The Nameless Monk then takes refuge in a nearby building where he shows Kar several advanced combat techniques, including a demonstration of the art of dodging bullets. They are attacked and the Scroll is taken to the employer of the mercenary forces - a crime lord named Strucker. It is revealed that Strucker is in fact the Nazi commander who fought with the Nameless Monk (and had his predecessor murdered) 60 years ago in Tibet. Strucker desires to use the power of the Scroll as a means of world domination
Hegemony
Hegemony is an indirect form of imperial dominance in which the hegemon rules sub-ordinate states by the implied means of power rather than direct military force. In Ancient Greece , hegemony denoted the politico–military dominance of a city-state over other city-states...
. Upon reading the Scroll, Strucker finds that it contains a recipe for noodle soup
Noodle soup
Noodle soup refers to a variety of soups with noodles and other ingredients served in a light broth. Noodle soup is an East and Southeast Asian staple. Less well known, a form of fresh noodle is used in soup in certain parts of Europe , and in northern China; usually, it is served for breakfast...
, whereas it is later revealed that the true secret of power is tattooed on the Nameless Monk's torso. The Nameless Monk and Kar return home to find that Kar's employer, Mr. Kojima, has been murdered by Strucker's granddaughter, who happens to be Nina. They flee to the Asian laundromat but are betrayed by an ambitious monk who desires the power conferred by the scroll - however, all parties are taken to Strucker's center of operation and tortured.
The Nameless Monk and Kar seek the help of Jade, whom they learn is the daughter of a currently imprisoned Russian crime lord. Their meeting is interrupted by Nina, who has Jade and Kar beaten and the Nameless Monk captured. Later, Jade and Kar infiltrate Strucker's headquarters, where they are separated as Strucker prepares to scan the Nameless Monk's brain. Jade fights Nina and defeats her, and Kar finds the Nameless Monk. By now, Strucker has regained his youth by reading the text of the Scroll, but he is unable to obtain the content of the last line, which is written nowhere and present only in the Nameless Monk's memory. Strucker attempts to scan the Nameless Monk's brain, but is prevented by Kar himself. The fight ensues, which takes to the roof of the building. In the end, Strucker is thrown onto electric cables; however, Strucker is preserved from death by the power conferred to him by his use of the Scroll.
While Jade frees the other monks, the Nameless Monk transfers what is revealed to be only part of the Scroll's content, and the task of protecting it for 60 years, to Kar. When Strucker attempts to kill Kar, but is killed himself, it is revealed that Jade has also received a part of the Scroll and shares with him the task of protecting it and all the effects thereof. The Nameless Monk then tells them that they both passed the three prophecies (Kar battled enemies beneath circling cranes while jade fought Kar while surrounded, both 'fought for love at the palace of jade', Jade was the one who had saved brothers she never knew while Kar saved the nameless monk) and the final test. The next day, the now aged Nameless Monk meets Kar and Jade, to whom he reveals the final line of the Scroll and whom he now deems inseparable. He then departs, lighthearted.
Cast
- Chow Yun-fatChow Yun-FatChow Yun-fat, SBS is an actor from Hong Kong. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...
as The Nameless Monk - Seann William ScottSeann William ScottSeann William Scott is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Steve Stifler in the American Pie film series...
as Kar - Jaime KingJaime KingJaime King is an American actress and model. In her modeling career and early film roles, she used the names Jamie King and James King, which was a childhood nickname given to King by her parents, because her agency already represented another Jaime — the older, then more famous model Jaime...
as Jade/"Bad Girl" - Karel RodenKarel RodenKarel Roden is a Czech actor, known for his roles in Hellboy and The Bourne Supremacy.Roden's father and grandfather were also actors. After studying theatrical art in Prague he has played many roles in theatres and movies. First, he graduated school of ceramic, then he was admitted to the Academy...
as Strucker - Victoria SmurfitVictoria Smurfit-Early life:She is part of the Smurfit family, one of the richest in Ireland. The family, headed by Victoria's uncle Michael Smurfit, sponsor a number of sporting events including the Smurfit European Open and the Champion Hurdle. The family is also associated with Smurfit Business School in U.C.D....
as Nina - Roger Yuan as Master Monk
- Mako Iwamatsu as Mr. Kojima
- Marcus Jean Pirae as Mister Funktastic
- Mike DopudMike DopudMike Dopud is a Canadian-born film actor, television actor, voice actor, stuntman, stage actor and athlete. He is best known for playing Detective Smits in White Noise the 2005 action-horror film, Agent Turner in Alone In The Dark a 2005 action-horror film, playing Vic Hadfield in the Canadian...
as Mercenary #1 (uncredited)
Critical response
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gave the film a score of 21% based on 126 reviews. The film received mostly negative reviews from film critics, who cited poor and predictable character development and less than stellar performances by the cast. There were also complaints that the fight scenes were not as well choreographed or directed as those in similar movies such as The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a 2000 wuxia film. An American-Chinese-Hong Kong-Taiwanese co-production, the film was directed by Ang Lee and featured an international cast of ethnic Chinese actors, including Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, and Chang Chen...
and also that the alternating comedic and action scenes were jarring.