"A MONK. A punk. A chick. In a kick-ass flick." The snappy advertising slogan for Paul Hunter's martial arts adventure says it all.
Bulletproof Monk is a light-hearted romp aimed squarely at a youth audience with an attractive cast of bright young things and fantastical aerial acrobatics.
A mystical Tibetan warrior, known only as The Monk (Chow Yun-Fat), assumes the mantle of sole protector of the Scroll of the Ultimate. The ancient artefact, when read aloud, bestows the bearer with eternal youth and unlimited power. Should the scroll fall into the wrong hands, the repercussions would be catastrophic.
After 60 years of loyal service, The Monk is obliged to find and tutor a successor, and he chooses cocky martial arts fanatic Kar (Seann William Scott) to take his place.
The youngster is an unlikely choice - he works as a projectionist in a run down cinema and picks pockets for a living - but The Monk sees untapped potential.
For 60 years, The Monk selflessly protects the artefact from Nazi officer Strucker (Karel Roden) and his henchmen.
Kar begins his arduous apprenticeship and he is soon in the thick of the action when Nazi officer Strucker and his niece Nina steal the scroll for their own nefarious purposes.
So The Monk, his gung-ho protege and a beautiful street kid named Bad Girl (James King) 'unite to maintain the fragile balance of power'.
Bulletproof Monk is larger than life in every sense from the pantomime performances and corny dialogue to the outrageous fight sequences which borrow liberally from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix.
There's a pleasing camaraderie between Yun-Fat and Scott in their roles as mentor and karate kid.
Devotees of hardcore martial arts films and Yun-Fat's previous work should steer well clear: the film barely draws blood. An acquired taste.
Rating: 5/10
DAMON SMITH
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