For a clichéd piece of fluff, because that's clearly what BULLETPROOF MONK is, it's a far better film than you might imagine. Much of that likability rests on whether you like or loathe Seann William Scott, the actor best known for his goofy roles like Stifler in the American PIE films. I have to say, I love his acting and I find him a very funny person, probably the only person in Hollywood today who can bring a smile to my face. So much of my entertainment in this film came from his appearance, playing a thief turned hero.

Elsewhere, this is the kind of bogus mystical flick that gets churned out regularly by studios. It's very similar to THE MEDALLION, with Jackie Chan, which came out in the same year, and I enjoyed it equally as much as that movie. One thing you have to remember is that these are lightly plotted bits of nonsense, heavily clichéd throughout and displaying the kind of wirework I usually loathe. BULLETPROOF MONK is a silly film, sometimes completely stupid – like the villain's lair, for instance – but it's hard to dislike as a buddy-buddy type comedy.

Chow Yun-Fat is the straight man, used to doing this kind of noble hero stuff in his sleep, and the film just kind of takes place around him. Scott supplies the comedy, I'm not sure what Jaime King is around for other than to look very pretty, and Karel Roden is a Nazi villain who seems to have come straight out of HELLBOY. There are some other amusing bit parts, like the appearance of Mako in one of his last roles, plus British television actress Victoria Smurfit playing another villain with a stiff-upper-lip accent.

The action isn't great, but it has a nicely violent edge for what is essentially a kid's film. I didn't care for the wirework, but the straightforward fighting scenes are good. They rip off Jackie Chan films pretty heavily for the style, choreography and reliance on props, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Special effects are decent and the film has a good pace. While the dialogue isn't entirely credible and some of the minor characters/situations completely laughable, and not in a good way, for the most part BULLETPROOF MONK is amiable tosh and a film I got a lot of enjoyment from.

The Monk With No Name (Yun-Fat Chow) takes over guarding a sacred scroll that if read out loud will give unlimited powers. He is tasked to protect the scroll from anybody reading for the next 60 years. On the first day, the Nazis under Strucker attack the monastery massacring the monks. The Monk is shot with the scroll falling off a cliff. 60 years later, the Monk is in the modern world still running from the bad guys and petty thief Kar (Seann William Scott) is running from the cops. They both jump in to rescue a kid from the subway train tracks. Kar steals the scroll from the Monk and he runs into a gang of subway thugs. Jade (Jaime King) is the leader's girl and has an eye on the charming Kar.

This comic book concept could work. It just needs to be either less campy or a whole lot more campy. Maybe it needs to be both. The subway gang looks really really really stupid. SWS needs more jokes and he's capable of being funnier. Chow Yun Fat sort of works as the wise monk. The duo has some good chemistry and is probably the best thing about this movie. The camera style isn't the best and looks a lot like 80s Toronto-for-NYC movies. Music video director Paul Hunter just doesn't have the skills. Also Jaime King looks a lot better as a blonde. She could be a great comic book character. It's too silly to be thrilling but not silly enough to be funny.

In 1943, in Tibet, a monk (Yun-Fat Chow) renounces his name and becomes the new guardian of a powerful scroll. Meanwhile, a troop of Nazis leaded by a sick commander invades the monastery and kills the other monks, trying to steal the scroll. The monk without name spends the next sixty years protecting the scroll and looking for his successor, who shall be a person who fulfills three prophecies. In USA, he meets the lonely pickpocket Kar (Seann William Scott),and he believes that Kar may be the next protector of the scroll. Kar stays with the monk and falls in love with the beautiful Jade (Jaime King),while the monk is chased by a gang leaded by the former nazi commander and his daughter Nina. I found this film a good entertainment. There are lots of action, funny moments and in the end, it is a good action movie. The beauty of the unknown Jaime King is very impressive. I really did not understand why the scroll is not simply destroyed, since neither the guardians nor the monks use its power except for keeping the youth of the protector for sixty years. Further, the motives for the parallel life of Jade are simply ridiculous. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): 'O Monge à Prova de Balas' ('The Bulletproof Monk')