Bullet to the Head [2012]

June 5, 2013

Violent and stylish, Bullet to the Head feels like a fun homage to all those seventies and eighties revenge movies. The accent is on the fun part as the movie lacks the dark atmosphere of those movies. It also marks the return of the soldier. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Walter Hill is back! It has been ten years since his last movie Undisputed, that didn’t really resonate with me, but still was a good movie. A man who had his elongated skull wrapped in the entire Alien quadrilogy, decided, after a few discussions, to direct this movie. A movie based on a graphic novel Du plomb dans la tête by Alexis Nolent.

Starring aging, well, not exactly aging as much as aged, Sylvester Stallone and young Jason Momoa, Bullet to the Head is exactly that, with the addition of viewers before head. Thomas Jane, a guy known for an obsession with noir movies was also involved, adding even more flavor. So, we’ve got a gritty and experienced hitman, resembling Mr. Hartigan from Sin City and a good guy detective joining forces. Joining forces to bring to justice a very evil and twisted man. What a cliché.

Then again, I am ready to watch it again and again (well, not that much). Blood, gore and interesting ways to kill someone – check. Hot, tattooed chick that someone falls in love with – check. Partners who hate each other but work together – check. Fantastic fighting scenes – check and I could go on and on (pretty much like the trailer for Machete). However, I do think that the lighting could be better. The whole movie is more visually darker than it ought to be.

Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good! Two hitmen Louis Blanchard (Jon Seda) and James Bonomo (Sylvester Stallone) successfully finished their last job of killing a corrupt policeman named Greely. What they didn’t know is that someone has by sent to finish them, a grizzly-looking mercenary Keegan (Jason Momoa). And while Keegan managed to kill Louis, Bonomo AKA Bobo proved to be a tough nut to crack. Soon detective Taylor Kwon (Sung Kang) arrives in New Orleans to investigate Greely’s death but uncovers a much larger conspiracy. As the story unfolds, Kwon and Bobo realize that they must join forces if they want to get to the bottom of this mess.

By now, I think you got a pretty good picture about Bullet to the Head. It’s an old school, eighties style, manliness-fest and if you’re into this, you must check it out. To say that this is a perfect movie would be a mistake, sure they could’ve made a more intimidating main bad guy. Momoa is threatening, but he’s just a tool in hands of the main evil mastermind. Also, a better-structured ladder of villains would be a welcome addition. Same as nudity, that’s relatively scarce in Bullet to the Head, that was more focused on the blood squirting that will have to do I guess.