Bulletproof Monk (2003)

Director:

Paul Hunter

Writers (WGA):

Ethan Reiff (written by) &
Cyrus Voris (written by)

Release Date:

16 April 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

A power beyond measure requires a protector without equal.

Plot:

Based on the very underground comic book, a Tibetan monk becomes a mentor to a young street kid whom he can teach to protect a scroll.

Plot Keywords:

Mountaintop Monastery | Exploding Car | Man With No Name | Monastery | Asia

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Thur. July 10	5:30 PM	FX
Fri. July 11	10:00 AM	FX

Cast

Yun-Fat Chow	...	Monk With No Name (as Chow Yun-Fat)
Seann William Scott	...	Kar
Jaime King	...	Jade
Karel Roden	...	Strucker
Victoria Smurfit	...	Nina
Marcus Jean Pirae	...	Mr. Funktastic
Mako	...	Mr. Kojima
Roger Yuan	...	Master Monk
K.C. Collins	...	Sax (as Chris Collins)
Sean Bell	...	Diesel
Kishaya Dudley	...	DV
Rob Archer	...	Buzz
Mauricio Rodas	...	Wicho
Bayo Akinfemi	...	Shade
Russell Yuen	...	Brother Tenzin

Also Known As:

Пуленепробиваемый (Russia) [ru]
Alexisfairos kalogeros (Greece) [el]
Bulletproof Monk - Der kugelsichere Mönch (Germany) [de]
Gardien du manuscrit sacré, Le (France) [fr]
Guardián, El (Argentina) [es]
Monaco, Il (Italy) [it]
Monge á Prova de Balas, O (Brazil) [pt]
Monje, El (Spain) [es]
Protector, El (Venezuela) [es]
Un moine à toute épreuve (Canada: French title) [fr]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Tibetan | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Malaysia:18SG | Iceland:14 | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:PG | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 (cut) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38899)

Filming Locations:

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Cub Five Productions

Trivia:

The visual effects for this film was handled by "Boy Wonder Visual Effects", a company headed by Burt Ward.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The train that passes by in the scene in the in the subway tunnel, clearly says Kipling, which is a station in the Toronto, Canada subway system, and is not the city in which the movie is set.

Quotes:

[Monk puts some ointment on Kar's hand]
Kar: Hey, I like this. It's cool. It's comfy. It's fast acting. This stuff is great. What is it?
Monk With No Name: Homemade. From my own urine.
[Kar sniffs his hand]
Kar: That's disgusting!

Movie Connections:

References Wo hu cang long (2000)

Soundtrack:

Chronopolis

Well, I liked it!

I thought it was charming. I thought it was fun. I enjoyed it a great deal. I liked the characters a lot too (especially the Monk). Now I'm looking for other movies starring Yun-Fat Chow.

I must admit that I did find the underground cavern and the mysterious mind-reading device to be rather over-the-top, but that was the only part of the movie I didn't like.

Please keep in mind that this movie _is_ based on a comic book. It's not meant to be Important, World-changing theatre. It's meant to be a fast-paced (it is), interesting (I thought so), fun-to-watch (yes) story.