Bulletproof Monk [Blu-ray]

Chow Yun-Fat (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and Seann William Scott (the American Pie films) star in this heart-pumping action-adventure that bristles with "acrobatic battles [and] solid visual effects" (The Hollywood Reporter)! For 60 years, a mysterious monk has protected an ancient scroll that holds the key to unlimited power. But when a streetwise punk named Kar saves him from capture, the monk thinks he's found a replacement protector for the scroll. Now Kar, under the tutelage of the monk, must unleash his potential as one gravity-defying, sword-wielding,butt-kicking warrior to save the world from the scroll's most avid pursuer.

The tremendous charisma of Chow Yun-fat anchors this entertaining comic-book romp. Bulletproof Monk centers around a monk with no name (Chow) dedicated to protecting a sacred scroll that can give world-manipulating power to anyone who reads it. A hidden Nazi has been pursuing the scroll for 60 years and has finally caught up with the monk in present-day New York City; meanwhile, the monk suspects he may have found a disciple in a petty thief (Seann William Scott, Dude, Where's My Car?, American Pie) who's learned kung fu from watching double-feature chopsocky flicks. Don't let the presence of Chow Yun-fat lead you to expect much substance--this doesn't have the emotional scope of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or the visual panache of Hard-Boiled. But Bulletproof Monk is a cheerful, tightly edited, unpretentious action flick with flashes of humor, good for a mindless evening's entertainment. Also featuring Jaime (a.k.a. James) King (Blow). --Bret Fetzer