Bulletproof Monk (2003) - Rating: 1.5/5

Forced to watch whilst munching lunch... Whilst me and my sister differ in movie taste, I have more recently been the one imposing episodes of Sopranos during mealtimes as a happy medium or compromise. Would have loved to have put something new on that we haven't seen before (Serpico, Bonnie and Clyde, In the Line of Fire, Master and Commander, and Casino are on my immediate next to watch list with company) - but I know that those rare occasions for other people to be receptive to that come few and far between, if at all...

Since she's taken the prerogative to put this on (before I prepped some food), she was obviously feeling more for it. And who am I to take that away, selfishly to accommodate my taste?

Reluctantly sat through it.

Something I liked and enjoyed several years ago, but in comparison to my recent diet of movies, doesn't rest too well with the palate... Briefly looked up Empire's quite damning verdict of it on my iPhone. Whilst I was quite amused with the use of the phrase 'mystical bollocks', and agree with much of what was said, I thought the reviewer rather unkind in his conclusion, and lacking any sense of appreciation for the effort (for there was some sort of effort) put into the movie!

Sure enough, it's no Shakespeare and the dialogue is pretty self-explanatory. It's obviously capitalising on the Crouching Tiger/Matrix wave, with its use of Chow Yun Fat, the ridiculous wire-work, the suited-up baddies chasing down the goodies. That's not necessarily a bad thing though is it?... (Consider Zhang Yimou's trilogy: Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower; or Christian Bale's Equilibrium, and Jet Li's The One). The fantasy element is highly contrived, the set-pieces ridiculously unrealistic, it's truly cinema at it's most unchallenging - but it was meant to be that way. Whilst alluding to The Karate Kid, and Yoda, the film doesn't aspire to be more than what it is, and has no pretentions to that end. Given these limitations and constraints from the offset, one has to consider that it's essentially a Hollywood-style martial arts action movie. And typical to the genre, must by default have a poo story (there are obvious exceptions to this rule).

To see Sean William Scott kung-fu kicking Nazis and underground mob youths (convincingly, I might add!), is surprisingly enjoyable, though gratuitously mind-numbing. It was sure to appeal to that niche market.

As someone who is a fan of the martial arts genre, the movie is a guilty pleasure (for all the wrong reasons), but recognise whole heartedly that from a wider perspective, it's a bit of an insult to the art of cinema, and a negligible contribution to the genre.