Image: Giant Ape Media
If you want to spend an hour and a quarter watching insultingly unrealistic characters spouting corny one-liners in improbable scenarios, then watch Bullet. Among mostly terrible acting, confusing and nauseating editing and blatant social stereotypes, even its more ‘redeeming’ features go no way towards making this film worth watching.
Danny Trejo (Desperado, Machete) stars as Frank ‘Bullet’ Marasco, a cop whose grandson is kidnapped. The kidnapper, Carlito Kane, played by Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad) aims to coerce Bullet into helping with the release of his son, Kane Cartel, whom is soon to be executed, having been arrested by Bullet.
The clichéd dialogue and characters are not tongue-in-cheek, but lazy and uninspired racial stereotypes. Hooded, foul-mouthed latinos team up with a scar-faced über-villain and a sadistic, long-haired German against a maverick cop with a mysterious past. The villains and Bullet parade around in a 4×4 and a black, American muscle car respectively. These dull elements, along with persistent unimaginative dialogue, would make for another forgettable action movie if it wasn’t for the disquieting way in which the film has been edited.
Extremely short shots, overly dramatic music and often inappropriate use of dizzying film techniques make for an uneasy experience. As a result, Bullet does not even suffice as a mindless action film to watch in a tired state, and is only bearable once you allow yourself to see the funny side of its banality, not to mention the editing mistake in which orange smoke mysteriously takes the place of a bullet as it reaches its victims jumper, which shows no sign of damage.
Despite Robert Rodriguez’s credentials as a director, having directed such notable films as El Mariachi, Desperado, Once Upon A Time In Mexico, Sin City, Planet Terror and Machete, none of his film-making prowess seems to have shown itself through his role as producer of Bullet. Bullet is a film not worth the effort it takes to watch – which isn’t much effort at all.
Tom MacPherson