5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.7 |
Small time crook Archie Moses considers Rock Keats his best buddy, until Moses graciously brings Keats on a big-time drug score and is horrified to discover that his trusted friend is actually an undercover cop. When a gunfight breaks out, Keats is accidentally shot in the head by Moses in the ensuing melee. After recovering, Keats returns to work only to find that his first assignment is to escort his ex-best friend back home from Arizona, so Moses can turn state's evidence against the ruthless drug king pin he was working for. Hardly a happy traveling duo, they soon discover that there's a mole revealing their every move and that they are neither safe from the police, the FBI nor the drug thugs hot on their trail. Although they hate each other now, they soon realize that with their lives at stake, the original ties that bind are still strong--especially if it means surviving.
Starring: Damon Wayans, Adam Sandler, James Caan, Jeep Swenson, James FarentinoComedy | 100% |
Crime | 26% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
D-Box
Mobile features
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Adam Sandler knows how to play comedy as a team sport. On film he's paired off effectively with co-stars as diverse as Jack Nicholson (Anger Management), Seth Rogen (Funny People), Drew Barrymore (The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates) and Kevin James (I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry). In 1996's Bulletproof, Sandler co-starred with Damon Wayans at a point when their film careers had opposite trajectories. Sandler was on the cusp of mainstream box office success, while Wayans, after a mixed track record in the early Nineties, hasn't starred in a studio project since Bulletproof. The film is a trifle, but Sandler and Wayans have a loose, lively rapport, and the director, Ernest Dickerson, keeps a firm grasp on the underlying crime story so that the comedy enlivens but never overwhelms it. The reliable James Caan supplies the right degree of menace as a vicious drug lord so that the threat facing the heroes always feels real.
It makes little sense that Universal issued an 84-minute film on a featureless BD-50 (especially since they've crammed much more demanding material onto BD-25s), but the result is a pleasing, VC-1-encoded Blu-ray with zero artifacts or other compression-related issues. The cinematographer, Steven Bernstein (Monster), is best known for his work in independent film, and he delivers a detailed image without the overlit "pop" that lets you know you're in Tinseltown's world. Blacks are black, colors are natural, and you can always see what's happening, even in shadows. There's nothing in this image that will make you gasp and go "wow!", but there's nothing to fault either (and these days that's what makes me go "wow!").
The 5.1 track, presented here in DTS lossless, makes full use of the surround speakers, but not as
you might expect. There are any number of sequences involving such things as gunplay, cars and
aircraft where a typical action film would have sounds panning from rear to front and left to
right, but in Bulletproof they almost never do. This appears to be one of those tracks where the
director told his sound designers that he didn't want viewers' attention distracted from the
screen. (Yes, there are such directors, even today.) Instead the surrounds are used subtly to shift
the entire atmosphere of the soundscape to indicate a change in mood or scene. The most
frequent example is the memorable hook from Salt N' Pepa's "Champagne", which, at least
initially, is synonymous with Keats's undercover alter ego. In a properly balanced sound system,
that urban rhythm should detach itself and float above the rest of the soundtrack, supported by an
extra boost from the LFE. When the same bit of music returns later in the film, it's like a piece of
Keats' former life returning to him - rap as leitmotiv.
Ambient atmospheric sounds also appear in the surrounds, but the musical score is the most
important element of the 5.1 mix. Original underscoring is credited to Elmer Bernstein, but by far
more memorable are the hip-hop selections, concluding with "The 2 of Us" by DTTX, which
plays over the closing credits.
Universal has continued its unfortunate habit (and it's not alone here) of omitting the film's
trailer from the extras, even though it was included on the 2001 DVD. The trailer was especially
well done, contained footage that didn't make the final cut, and it routinely cracked up audiences in
theaters.
By my reckoning, the Blu-ray has no features, and the score so indicates. However, Universal
considers the following to be "extras":
Released as part of Universal's "early Sandler" Blu-ray wave, Bulletproof is worth a look if
you're a Sandler fan, a Wayans fan, or just a fan of "buddy" comedies. But given the lack of
features, I recommend either waiting for a bargain price or renting.
2016
2001
Rock Out with Your Glock Out Edition
2010
2012
2014
2-Disc Special Edition
2008
2014
1997
2013
Collector's Edition
1987
2016
2011
2015
Unrated
2011
1987
The Rougher Morning Edition
2017
2000
2020
Warner Archive Collection
1997
2016