Bullet to the Head (2013)

Bullet to the Head (2013)

4/10

Starring

Sylvester Stallone

Sung Kang

Directed by Walter Hill

Here is another addition to the trend of old guys trying so hard to relive their glory days. This trend is becoming boring and hard to swallow. The Expendables, on the other hand, was enjoyable. The Last Stand (2013, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger) was a little shaky, but we managed. Then movie producers went ahead and made Bullet to the Head (this movie), whose story is as light as a feather. Everything about the movie can be summed up in one sentence: “Revenge, by Sylvester Stallone.”

The name of the movie itself is old-school, the action and plot are old-school, and for the first time in years, old-school looked whacked. This movie is not a must-watch. Its plot and screenplay are so lame that they make The Last Stand look like an Oscar contender.

The movie is based on Alexis Nolent's French graphic novel Du Plomb Dans La Tête, translated as Bullet to the Head. The screenplay was written by Alessandro Camon, whose producing credits include Thank You for Smoking (which was cool) and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010, starring Michael Douglas and Shia LaBeouf). This movie is neither as dull as Wall Street nor as intuitive as Thank You for Smoking. It stands on its own as one of those movies that make you wonder why stars like Stallone bother starring in them.

The plot is about two men: a hitman, James Bonomo (Sylvester Stallone), and a detective, Taylor Kwon (Sung Kang), who form an alliance to take down a mobster responsible for killing both their partners.

Bullet to the Head is directed by well-known action movie director Walter Hill (Aliens, Alien 3, and Predator). His idea and touch here are about as lucrative as trying to sell a freezer in Antarctica—it was a waste of time.

The last showdown between the good guy and the bad guy reminded me of Jack Reacher, where Reacher decided to show the villain who’s boss when it comes to a fistfight. Here, the villain decided to make the offer, forgetting the old tale… bad guys always die.

I’ve gone through The Last Stand and Bullet to the Head. Now, all that’s left (I think) is Die Hard 5. I just hope it won’t be as disappointing as this flick because Die Hard 4 was a masterpiece. All these bringing back the old action heroes to try and prove they can just be as good as the new ones is failing to make an impact.