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Bullet to the Head (2013 film)

an action film directed by Walter Hill directed by Sylvester Stallone

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A Cop and a Hitman-Out for Justice

Feb 2, 2013

by woopak_the_thrill
posted in Movie Hype

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Rating:

Seems like Sylvester Stallone was starting to his game back with the successes of “Rocky Balboa“, “Rambo” (or Rambo 4) and the Expendables movie franchise. He is just one of those action stars that can go down and yet, he never seems to get kept down. Well, I am not sure exactly what Stallone wanted to do with his 2013 film “Bullet to the Head”. Directed by Walter Hill and loosely based on the French graphic novel “Du Plomb Dans la Tete”, the film feels like a noirish, raw, traditional crime drama with a very standard plot--bad guys vs. good guys where the good guy is a bad guy.

Jon Seda as Louis in "Bullet To The Head."

Jon Seda as Louis in "Bullet To The Head."

Sylvester Stallone plays Jimmy Bobo, a hitman who has a long record of arrests and an impressive military record. He also has his own sense of honor, so when a successful hit becomes something else, and his partner ends up being dead, Jimmy wants a little retribution, and joins up with a Washington D.C. police detective, Taylor Kwon (Sung Kang, Fast Five) in a high stakes investigation that leads to the back alleys of New Orleans, and all the way to the powers that be in the city. The unlikely duo must do whatever it takes to bring a sense of justice to themselves, and bring down Morel (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). But they have go through his forces and this includes Keegan (Jason Momoa, Conan the Barbarian), a hitman very much like Jimmy, when he was in his prime.

Kang Sung as Taylor Kwon and Sylvester Stallone as Jimmy in "Bullet To The Head."

Kang Sung as Taylor Kwon and Sylvester Stallone as Jimmy in "Bullet To The Head."

Sarah Shahi as Lisa and Jason Momoa as Keegan in "Bullet To The Head."

“Bullet to the Head” is a standard action film that has very little surprises. It can be seen as a “un-buddy” flick since the two protagonists played by Stallone and Kang are not friends, and yet they must learn to work with each other. The themes of the film are all about revenge, and the world they move around in has the same brand of corruption we’ve seen in other films that would allow a man like Jimmy to move around. Corruption, crooked cops and assassins with an odd sense of honor are all basic staples of the crime noir-tough guy hitman genre. The film has very little surprises, one can even say that it borrows heavily from other crime movies.

The film is almost a slow burn, and it takes a little longer to pick up. Sure, the film opens with some heavy gunfire, and it had some graphic violence to keep up the viewer’s interest. Jimmy and Taylor go about town, one uses his old-school savvy of the streets while the other uses a smart phone. I suppose it was a way for the writing to establish the old school and the new school, as they slowly move forward to take the bad guys one by one. I guess the ace on its sleeve relied heavily in the chemistry between Jimmy and Taylor. They are an odd couple, one has been tempered by the hard life of crime while the other believes in the law. They do learn from each other and their exchanges in dialogue have that straight-faced sarcasm that can be funny.

Stallone and Kang, felt more like schoolmates than actually an odd couple of a cop and a hitman. The two struggled to form a connection, and honestly too much machismo and attitude can really hamper a chemistry. Stallone is his usual self, but Kang felt more like a tag along rather than someone who is the opposite of Jimmy and gave the film its moral stances. I know, I guess the film wanted Keegan and Jimmy to connect as two men as the same, but different, rather than the killer and the cop. The other characters in the film were pretty much your run-of-the-mill bad guy, but Sarah Shahi, who plays Jimmy’s daughter gave some needed depth to Jimmy’s character and added some flavor to his relationship with Taylor.

Sarah Shahi as Lisa in "Bullet To The Head."

Sarah Shahi as Lisa in "Bullet To The Head."

Sarah Shahi as Lisa and Sylvester Stallone as Jimmy in "Bullet To The Head."

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Robert Nkomo Morel in "Bullet To The Head."

Sylvester Stallone as Jimmy and Jason Momoa as Keegan in "Bullet To The Head."

Yes, the film is pretty predictable but it does what it is supposed to do with the display of violence. Hill does capture the look and feel of a seedy, gritty and raw crime film. The film looked dirty and edgy, and the shadows gave the setting a much needed sense of atmosphere to add drama in the violence. Heads get blown away (hence the title) a lot and the direction even injects some blood and gore into the mix. I did get a little turned off by the CGI blood, this was one flick that could’ve benefited from practical effects, but unfortunately, it went the CGI route. As with most action flicks, it all leads up to the final showdown, the Stallone-Momoa rumble as the ultimate tango of experience and youth. The direction had its good touches and I certainly enjoyed the occasional inner monologue; it gave it a little more mood and toughness in its narrative.

Christian Slater as Marcus Baptiste and Sylvester Stallone as Jimmy in "Bullet To The Head."

Christian Slater as Marcus Baptiste and Sylvester Stallone as Jimmy in "Bullet To The Head."

“Bullet to the Head” is your standard action-crime flick that manages to make its gritty and seedy atmosphere part of its appeal. In this world the good guy is a bad guy with a code and only the really vile criminals get their due. There is something good with simplicity, and the film exerts such things accurately. The law of the streets meet the law of the land, a lot of violence and a good number of nudity to spare, “Bullet to the Head” may be just what some movie fans need. It isn’t necessarily a must-see, but I wouldn’t blame anyone who wanted to see it. It is worth a Rental. [3- Out of 5 Stars]

Poster art for "Bullet to the Head."

Sylvester Stallone as Jimmy in "Bullet To The Head."

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FM_ALEX February 04

My brother wants to see this so I will be checking it out later this week. Great review man.

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Madpenguin February 03

Tattoos on chicks really do turn me off.

woopak_the_thrill February 03

really? well, the actress here had a great figure and the tattoos looked good on her.

Madpenguin February 03

Call me old fashion, but I find tats on any woman deeply slutty.

woopak_the_thrill February 03

too much can make one look like a crack addict (especially when they're too skinny) well, this is what the actress looks like outside her role in this movie:

woopak_the_thrill February 03

No tats...what do you think? she is Persian.

Madpenguin February 05

Now that's a helluva lot better. Oh so the tats are fake?

woopak_the_thrill February 05

yep. she does not have tats at all.

Madpenguin February 05

hmmm nice then. Oh I decided to cave in, and post the Batman review anyway.

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More Bullet to the Head (2013 film) reviews

review by TheJohn. February 04

posted in Movie Hype

Put a nice Luger right against this head

The Post Christmas season is usually full of ineffectual movies that get shuffled to this spot cause they won't be hits or garner emmy praise. So far, I have already seen 3 movies that going in I knew wouldn't be special but had some fun seeing. Bullet to the Head was sure to be the most fun, with a trashy, grindhousy look, an unaffected hero who looked carefree, and a throwaway plot. Bullet to the Head really needed to cut loose more and have it's throwaway plot not … more

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Quick Tip by TheJohn. February 03

A Quick Tip by TheJohn

Sleazy story of a grizzled hitman and young cop forming an uneasy partnership to stop killers in Louisiana. Almost no heart in this tale of lowlifes and revenge and goes to great lengths to put focus on Stallone's character who wouldn't give a care less what spotlight is on him.

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About the reviewer

William (woopak_the_thrill)
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Please "Like" Film and Movies and Keep the Economy strong....LOL!! My Interests: Movies, Anime, History, Martial … more