There are good bad guys and bad bad guys in this exciting shoot ‘em up that hits the ground running without dicking around and comes to a satisfying conclusion. Don’t ask me how many henchmen die of inconvenient gunshot wounds during then tight, 90 minute run time- I lost count.
The big, bad, bald and British Vinnie Jones (Snatch) plays Temple, a sadistic mob boss who’d (as we used to say in Texas) just as soon kill ya as look at ya. He is not to be messed with. He only has one small spot of vulnerability – his pregnant wife Mia (Lina Lecompte) is carrying his son, and he will do anything to protect her, even though she fears and loathes him. This is important.
It all starts in a junkyard full of decayed cars where a character known only as The Thief (actually the guy who stars in, wrote and directed the film, James Clayton) has just stolen a bag full of money – lots of money. It triggers an immediate gunfight within the opening minutes if the movie, and the adrenaline rush never lets up until Bullet Proof reaches the end of the road.
Grabbing an available car to escape the junkyard with his life and the loot, The Thief doesn’t get too far away before hearing a knocking sound coming from the trunk? Guess who it is? Yep, it’s pregnant and tough Mia, who is over all this crap. The Colombian national just wants a ride to a motel, with the eventual goal of escaping the country and Temple.
These two are clearly the leads of the film – this is just a little like one of those recent Bruce Willis deals where Jones is bigger on the poster than his actual role onscreen, but at least when he shows up, he makes a mark. He’s been typecast as a brawny criminal, but that’s only because he’s so damn good at it. Dude is scary.
Yes, Mia and The Thief will get into a series of misadventures, close calls, and shoot outs with henchmen, bounty hunters, and more. They’ll have close calls and find their way in and out of trouble more than once. No fair spilling the specific plot points, though.
I have always said that I don’t mind movie violence because – wait for it – it’s a movie!
And when the action/violence/chases are well done, I enjoy the ride. Literally, in this case.
Bullet Proof in Select Theaters, On Digital, and On Demand Starting Friday, August 19th From Lionsgate
