Asia Africa Intelligence Wire (September 11, 2002)

BANKING ON THE MONK

(From Malay Mail) 

By: Rizal Solomon 

WITH Spider-Man and Road to Perdition, 2002 was a good year for comic book 
adaptations. 

2003 teases us with the promise that it is going to get better. We have 
Daredevil, Hulk, X2 and, in between all that Marvel muscle, The Bulletproof 
Monk. The comic, a cult hit, has been described as a Hong Kong action movie on 
paper. Well, to be sure, it does pack the requisite amounts of honour, loyalty, 
betrayal and loss that Hong Kong cinema is famous for, wrapped up tight with 
enough bone crunching martial arts. But the book also smartly marries that to 
the larger than life superhero genre. The movie is produced by John Woo and 
Terence Chang, with their old buddy Chow Yun-Fat taking on the lead as the 
Bulletproof Monk. Sean William Scott plays Kar, the young potential Martial Arts 
master whom the Monk guides, while James King and the always reliable Mako 
rounds out the cast. The project does sound promising doesn't it? But picking up 
the original 3 issue limited series, now re-released as a complete 
tradepaperback, and Chow Yun-Fat fans might be in for a little surprise. The 
comic is largely more about Kar, a Chinese immigrant making his way in the US, 
than it is about the Monk. 

The Monk is more of a mythical figure, an elusive story that has profound impact 
on the life of Kar. 

Kar is attempting to track down the Monk, but the struggles of assimilating into 
America distracts him, and, when the story opens, we find that he has lost his 
way in his spiritual search. 

He is still a formidable martial artist, but his immediate concerns about 
finding acceptance with local gangs have nothing to do with the Monk. 

But destiny has a way of playing havoc with what you want. The book has more 
emotional bite and motivation that the standard martial arts comic, and that is 
its strong points. 

Kar struggles with memories of his life in Hong Kong, memories that clash with 
his life in America. Bulletproof Monk, the comic, is largely Kar's story of 
discovery. The movie, however, will be rather different from the comic. Fans of 
Micheal Avon Oeming may be a little disappointed too. For here, we have an 
Oeming that isn't at the top of his game just yet, he's still growing as an 
artist, and there are some parts of the action sequences that leaves something 
to be desired. 

It is still pleasing to the eye, but bear in mind when this book was first 
published and you will see the transition of a very interesting artist. This 
collection features an introduction by John Woo, and we can see the themes that 
drew the cinema legend to this project. Early word on the movie goes something 
like this ... 

for 60 years, a mysterious monk with no name (Chow Yun-Fat) has traversed the 
globe to protect an ancient scroll - a scroll that holds the key to unlimited 
power. 

Now the Monk must look for a new scrollkeeper. 

Kar (Scott, yeah of American Pie fame) is an unlikely candidate, a streetwise 
young man who only cares about himself. 

But when he inadvertently saves the Bulletproof Monk from capture, the two 
become partners in a scheme to save the world from the scroll's most avid 
pursuer. The Monk, Kar and a sexy Russian mob princess called Bad Girl must 
struggle to find, face and fight the ultimate enemy. Of course, the ideal would 
have the project be directed by John Woo, but we're willing to give newcomer 
Paul Hunter a chance to deliver. If everything clicks right with this project, 
we could have a sleeper hit. 

What remains to be seen now if the deep spiritual core of Kar's journey in the 
book, is retained in one form or another in the upcoming movie.