Review of Bullet to the Head (2012) by Matt L — 02 Jun 2013

For the longest time, Hollywood writers have adapted novels to film - the writings of Nicholas Sparks, Michael Crichton, and J.K. Rowling - just to name a few, have all seen their characters go from pen to page to big screen. However, it's a rarity for a film to do a book proper justice - unless the books are about a ring and hobbits. Currently, Hollywood is getting in the habit of not only adapting novels, but also graphic novels, which you may know as comic books. Now, when someone says comic books, you'll most likely think Superman or The Avengers - but they aren't the only guys (and gals) in town. With the success of major comic book characters, the smaller, lesser known characters are also becoming all the rage. Recently, films including Dredd, Cowboys & Aliens, and The Watchmen, have all gone from comic book pages to the big screen, mostly in a poor representation of the medium in which they came from. Now, we have a new edition to that club - Bullet to the Head.

Adapted from a French graphic novel, Bullet to the Head stars Sylvester Stallone as Jimmy Bobo, a contracted hit-man. After taking out their mark (victim), Bobo and his partner Louis (Jon Seda), are double-crossed and are also ordered to be executed - by the very same people that hired them. Looking to exact revenge, Bobo crosses paths with a police detective (Sung Kang), who happens to be looking for the same people Bobo has set out to kill. The ambitious detective and the gun-for-hire agree to team-up, despite their regard/disregard for the law. Jason Momoa, Christian Slater, and Sarah Shahi also star in supporting roles.

To be honest, it's difficult to keep writing reviews about Stallone films - simply because very little changes from film-to-film. He typically plays some form of a renegade/bounty hunter with absolutely no regard for the law - characters that wouldn't last more than a matter of minutes in the real world. Not only that, but you can only say how great this 66-year-old action star looks for his age before you just feel like you can't say it anymore. Well - what the heck - what's once more going hurt? Stallone looks bigger and better than ever. The believability of his character in Bullet stems from the superb shape he's in - so it's still conceivable for a man with his physic to take down guys half his age. Even though he's visibly slowing down and doesn't move like he used to, he's still able to play these action hero roles as the proverbial tough-as-nails bad@$$ that lives by his own rules. At least he's taking on new characters and not beating the Rambo or Rocky characters like a dead horse.

Once you get past the size of Stallone's muscles, it leaves nothing more than a watered-down plot that feels like a mix between the Fast & Furious films (minus the car chases) and Commando. Kill the bad guys, rescue the daughter, kill the villain, etc - and for those wondering, it's nothing like the comic book. Other than Christian Slater, there are very few recognizable faces in Bullet - meaning this film lives and dies with Stallone. However, Jason Momoa does a standout job in his role as the film's villain, which also happens to be his first role since staring as Conan in Conan the Barbarian in 2011. Momoa sprouts charisma and is surprisingly likeable as a low-budget villain. He'll remind you of Chris Hemsworth prior to being cast in Thor - so don't be surprised to see more of him in the future as his stock is most certainly on the rise.

Overall, Bullet to the Head is predictably mediocre without any real surprises to note, yet still entertaining - which is usually the case with most of Sly's films. Stallone's hit-man calling card in this film is executing his victims by - you guessed it - a bullet to the head. Can you guess how many times a bad guy gets in the temple? If you want to know bad enough, you'll just have to make your prediction and go see the film.