Bulletproof Monk

As Sheila and I prepared dinner and discussed what movie we wanted to watch last night, another friend of ours spoke up and said "not a chick flick, please!" Poor guy, it's hard when you're outnumbered. But, not wanting to make him suffer too much, I picked "Bulletproof Monk" which is a great combination of comedy and action with just a touch of romance.


Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation
Running Time: 1 hour, 43 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for violence, language, and some sexual content
Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Seann William Scott, Karel Roden, Jaime King, Victoria Smurfit
Synopsis: The Monk is a Zen-calm martial arts master whose duty has been to protect a powerful ancient scroll. Faced with finding the scroll's next guardian, the Monk's quest brings him to New York City where--to his disbelief--it appears his successor is a smart-mouthed pickpocket named Kar. Kar's a charming, street-tough wild card who enjoys his life of no responsibility. As the Monk instructs Kar, the unlikely duo become partners in protecting the scroll from a power-monger who's been chasing it for sixty years. Amidst high-flying acrobatics and martial arts action, this comical odd couple has to work together to keep the scroll--and mankind--safe.


Now, I know what some of you are thinking...of course this movie has religious connotations...it's about a Buddhist monk! Very true, there are definitely Buddhist undertones to this movie....but I'm not talking about "religion" in movies....I'm talking about seeing movies through Christian eyes...

So what can we learn from a movie with a Buddhist monk as it's main character? Let's break it down...we have four main characters: the Monk, Kar, Jade, and the scroll. The scroll?!?! You're probably wondering...and yes, objects can be main characters and in this case the scroll is most definitely a main character, because without it you wouldn't have a story.


Scroll: ancient legend says that anyone who reads the entire scroll aloud will receive ultimate power and can use it for either good or evil. As an old monk says at the beginning of the movie: "the world isn't ready for that kind of power."

Monk: has been protecting the scroll for 60 years, traveling the earth, evading the clutches of a Nazi who is seeking the scroll. Although the man chasing him would not hesitate to kill him, the Monk reveres life above all things.

Kar: a young pickpocket who likes the martial arts, but has no concept of the deeper meaning behind the art. He lives for the day and for himself.

Jade: heiress by day, street rat by night. Caught in the shadow of her father's reputation, she is seeking to find herself in the madness she sees as her life.

Throw all four of these characters into a pot and what do you get? A recipe for a classic Good vs. Evil, fulfilling an inner potential, movie. It's so hard not to see the great controversy between good & evil (God & Satan) in most of the movies that come out of Hollywood. But has that in any way desensitized us to the importance of that controversy?

One of the things I love about this movie is the recurring line "he has potential." Didn't Christ come because we all had "potential"? I also find it interesting how much the Buddhist monk is a Christ-like figure. a) By  protecting the scroll, he is protecting humanity. b) Although most people don't see Kar's potential, the Monk meets him where he is and grooms him to becoming the next guardian - instead of waiting for him to meet the high standards first. c) The Monk believes in peace rather than anger or revenge, although he fights, it is always in self-defense or defense of those weaker than himself, and it is never fatal.

But what stands out to me the most...the final thought that I want to leave with you...it is through meeting the Monk that Kar and Jade discover the purpose and that their lives are changed. Sound familiar?