Bullet Proof Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Bullet Proof Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 28, 2022

When was the last time you can remember a villain being featured as the "star" character in a film, other than, say, horror franchises like Halloween or A Nightmare on Elm Street, which virtually depend on a recurring bad guy, since the (relatively?) good guys are regularly slaughtered? But in terms of an actor playing a non-franchise non-horror role, one of the few ways Bullet Proof may offer a bit of interest is that it features Vinnie Jones rather than co-writer / director / star James C. Clayton on its cover (and with Jones' name over the title, for what that's worth). This is the kind of adrenaline packed but still dumbed down enterprise where our hero (that would be Clayton, portraying a character known only as The Thief) marauds through a junked car lot in search of some kind of booty, all with a ski mask on, until for absolutely no reason other than that the opening credits are imminent, removes it as the camera tracks in to a close-up of his face. The "plot", for what that's worth, involves The Thief finding out he has a stowaway of sorts hiding in the trunk of the car he makes his hasty exit from the car lot in. That unexpected passenger is Mia (Lina Lecompte), who is revealed to be the estranged wife of the film's aforementioned villain, Temple (Vinnie Jones).

That said, one of the issues with Bullet Proof is it may have too many villains, and in fact the story tends to dart between a number of bad guy types doing horrifying things to each other. What may be even stranger is the character of Temple himself. This is a supposed ruthless mob boss who for want of a better term comes across as seriously whiny, maybe even whipped, when he's in the presence of Mia, although the film also wants to make him a blustering bully that Mia understandably wants to get away from.

Of course The Thief and Mia need to overcome interpersonal differences to team together to defeat Temple and his henchmen, and if things go pretty much exactly as you'd expect, Clayton actually invests the action sequences with quite a bit of energy, and he is an appealing enough on screen presence as well. This is a film that doesn't have outsized ambitions and which achieves them pretty easily, for better or worse.

Bullet Proof Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Bullet Proof is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.00:1. The closing credits roll doesn't offer a camera logo, and I haven't been able to track down any authoritative technical information, but this is a generally great looking digital capture that I'm assuming had a 2K DI. Clayton keeps his camera moving quite a bit of the time, with a surplus of fancy crane and aerial shots, but when things settle down and the frame is stable for a moment or two, detail levels are typically quite impressive, and the palette pops with some considerable energy, especially in some of the cooler blue and teal tones. A few heavily graded scenes (typically though not always toward yellow or yellow-orange) probably don't have quite the same fine detail levels as the bulk of the presentation.

Bullet Proof Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Bullet Proof offers a rambunctious DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that derives a lot of surround activity courtesy of things like cars careening through the countryside, as well as the occasional gunshot and the like. The whole chase scenario provides ample opportunities for nicely rendered panning effects and sudden bursts of LFE, and the outdoor material has consistent engagement of the side and rear channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout.

Bullet Proof Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (HD; 1:59)

Additionally, a digital copy is included and packaging features a slipcover.

Bullet Proof Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sometimes taking the time to peruse the "fine print" of a film's credits can provide an eye opening moment or two, as in the spate of "Covid nurse" and the like related credits that have been promulgating over the past couple of years (and which this film also has), but the one that really caught my eye was for James C. Clayton's "spiritual advisor". One assumes given this film's butt kicking proclivities that this advisor was not an adherent of non-violence. You've seen this film a hundred (maybe a thousand) times before, but this has a certain amount of production finesse that makes it an okay time killer. Technical merits are solid for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.