RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Bulletproof Monk
Bulletproof Monk

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Bulletproof Monk (2003)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
22 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:124

Fresh:27

Rotten:97

Average Rating:4.3/10

Consensus: Chow Yun Fat is the only saving grace in this silly action flick.

Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: BULLETPROOF MONK begins in the 1940s, as a Tibetan Buddhist monk, charged with protecting an ancient scroll, passes on his legacy to his pupil. As the student receives the power to safeguard the... BULLETPROOF MONK begins in the 1940s, as a Tibetan Buddhist monk, charged with protecting an ancient scroll, passes on his legacy to his pupil. As the student receives the power to safeguard the scroll, his aging process is halted and he gives up his name, only to be known as the Monk (Chow Yun-Fat). Suddenly, the monastery is raided by Nazis, led by the ruthless Strucker (Karl Roden). As they attempt to seize the relic, the Monk is shot and falls off a cliff, taking the scroll with him. However, six decades later, the Monk appears in America and crosses paths with Kar (Seann William Scott), a tough city kid with a talent for picking pockets. Together the unlikely duo must contend with the forces of the now-elderly Strucker, still determined to possess the mystical scroll. As Strucker's granddaughter, Nina (Victoria Smurfit), leads his thugs to track down Kar and the Monk, the two heroes receive help from the mysterious Jade (Jamie King). Based on the comic book of the same name, BULLETPROOF MONK is a lively action film that features elements of Buddhist philosophy and Hong Kong cinema. The movie allows the typically goofy Scott (star of the AMERICAN PIE films and DUDE, WHERE'S MY CAR?) to try out a more straightforward hero role. Meanwhile, Yun-Fat (CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON) shines as the nameless monk, exuding the same effortless charisma that made him a superstar in Asia. A fun buddy romp filled with martial arts, BULLETPROOF MONK joins the ranks of RUSH HOUR as an entertaining East-meets-West adventure. [More]

Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Seann William Scott, Jaime King, Karel Roden

Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Seann William Scott, Jaime King, Karel Roden, Victoria Smurfit, Marcus J. Pirae

Director: Paul Hunter

Director: Paul Hunter
Screenwriter: Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris
Producer: Charles Roven, Terence Chang, John Woo
Composer: Eric Serra
Studio: MGM/UA

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 5 of 21

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for Bulletproof Monk

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

It's painful to watch.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Chow was never a martial arts star back home, but he's a good enough actor -- and an engaging enough personality -- to pass for one here.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

After the terrific opening sequence it's downhill all the way.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
05/20/03
Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross
Daily Mirror [UK]

Reliable low-expectation entertainment lifted by the charismatic Chow Yun-Fat.

Full Review Source: FilmFour.com | comment Comment
04/21/03
Daniel Etherington
Daniel Etherington
FilmFour.com

Great title, but this martial-arts comedy doesn't quite live up to it.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
04/20/03
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's no mean feat to make a film this smart look so fluffy and stupid!

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
04/20/03
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Great title, disappointing movie.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
04/19/03
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Truly naff, but endearingly silly.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/15/03
Jamie Russell
Jamie Russell
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

The fight scenes are routine, the humor juvenile, and the Toronto locales rendered drab through muddy cinematography.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
05/03/07
Bill Stamets
Bill Stamets
Chicago Reader

… bringing music-video director Paul Hunter was a good move for pacing, but he could use a few lessons in filming fight scenes.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas CityLife | comment Comment
04/21/04
Matt Kelemen
Matt Kelemen
Las Vegas CityLife

The bottom line is, this qualifies as a guilty pleasure.

Full Review Source: Atlantic City Weekly | comment Comment
02/12/04
Lori Hoffman
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly

very childish, and just a little trashy.

Full Review Source: Three Movie Buffs | comment Comment
09/27/03
Scott Nash
Scott Nash
Three Movie Buffs

Chow Yun-Fat delivers stylish action and finally shows American audiences a sense of humor, but watching Stifler get his kung fu on is just a little too hard to swallow.

Full Review Source: Radio Free Entertainment | comment Comment
09/09/03
Andrew Manning
Andrew Manning
Radio Free Entertainment

An uneasy combination of self-help bromides, poorly edited fight sequences and music video-style flash.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
09/06/03
Josh Bell
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

...nonstop fighting, kicking, punching, and killing, with a dollop of juvenile humor thrown in.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
08/26/03
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

If you're a fan of martial arts, and fancy an alternative to the heavy going comic adaptations ahead, then this is your bag.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
07/31/03
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Film Threat
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
07/02/03
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
all

Latest News for Bulletproof Monk

April 05, 2006: Stifler Becomes "Gary the Tennis Coach"
Seann William Scott, best known for playing horny goofball Steve Stifler in the American Pie series, will soon play a janitor who becomes an inspiriational tennis coach in ...... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
25% 25% Four Christmases
68% 68% Funny People
95% 95% Star Trek
14% 14% The Ugly Truth

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
86% 86% A Christmas Tale
60% 60% Paper Heart

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Spielberg Hops Away from Harvey Source: Variety
20
  • Tarantino Could Have Directed Green Lantern Source: MTV
24
  • Will Duvall be Gilliam's Don Quixote? Source: Collider.com
26
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
22
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
42
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
2
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
159
  • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
56
  • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
14
  • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
18
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
69
  • Critics Consensus: Everybody's Fine Is Just OK
48
  • Five Favorite Films with Jason Reitman
47
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
45
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
42
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
39
  • Sundance 2010: RT's 10 Most Anticipated Movies
34
  • Weekly Ketchup: Tron Team to Remake The Black Hole
29
  • Awards Tour: National Board of Review Winners List!
26
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
22
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
22
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Bulletproof Monk at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Bulletproof Monk at IGN
  • Bulletproof Monk at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.