Love and a Bullet

Starring:Anthony 'Treach' Criss, Kent Masters King, Charles Guardino, Shireen Crutchfield, Sam Scarber, Walter Jones, James Black (II), Parris Washington, Mark Hicks, Marlon Young, Hakeem Dunn, Freez Luv, Derek Mears, Mushond Lee, Tren'l, Bud Sabatino, Greg Lewis, Nicholas Hill, Ben Bray, Roger Wells
Director: Kantz, Ben Ramsey
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Love and a Bullet has a sly satirical tone that lifts it above the common herd of would-be Quentin Tarantino movies. Rap star Treach plays Bishop, a hit man who declares, "The world is full of people that, quite frankly, we all could do without." But his rationalizations start to fall apart when he's assigned to kill a woman who, in his eyes, deserves to live. Plus, he suspects that his boss--who runs an elite team of assassins--may have killed Bishop's own lover, a beautiful government agent. Naturally it's all building up to a typical spectacle of over-the-top violence with some gratuitous skin along the way (including full-frontal nudity from the very buff leading man), but what makes Love and a Bullet work is that the filmmakers use its absurd reality to make sneaky comments about race relations and job satisfaction. --Bret Fetzer

Average customer rating:

Comedy-action

MUCH BETTER THAN I ANTICIPATED!!

fight scene rip off

Not bad.

loved the frontal

Love and a Bullet
Starring: Anthony 'Treach' Criss , Kent Masters King , Charles Guardino , Shireen Crutchfield , and Sam Scarber
Director: Ben Ramsey , and Kantz
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Hill, Nicholas | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Jones, Walter | ( J ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Lee, Mushond | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Luv, Freez | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00006LPC3
Release Date: 2002-11-26

Amazon.com

Love and a Bullet has a sly satirical tone that lifts it above the common herd of would-be Quentin Tarantino movies. Rap star Treach plays Bishop, a hit man who declares, "The world is full of people that, quite frankly, we all could do without." But his rationalizations start to fall apart when he's assigned to kill a woman who, in his eyes, deserves to live. Plus, he suspects that his boss--who runs an elite team of assassins--may have killed Bishop's own lover, a beautiful government agent. Naturally it's all building up to a typical spectacle of over-the-top violence with some gratuitous skin along the way (including full-frontal nudity from the very buff leading man), but what makes Love and a Bullet work is that the filmmakers use its absurd reality to make sneaky comments about race relations and job satisfaction. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Comedy-action.......2007-06-19

A noteworthy entry into the 'action-comedy' genre, of which there are few laudable examples. Though not one of the best, this movie, which at times includes some of the best, is fun enough to enjoy.

More comedy than action, and a genuine twist near the end of the movie. An excellent way to spend an afternoon.

MUCH BETTER THAN I ANTICIPATED!!.......2006-11-24

I thought this action-packed film was quite good. I've read quite a few reviews on this film over the years and I'm still not understanding all of the over-analyses over whether the script is racist in its treatment of African-Americans as killers. I've never been a fan of what used to be called "blaxploitation" movies. I came of age during the initial release of such films as "Super Fly", "Foxy Brown", and "Sweet Sweetback's Badaass Song". I missed them all and haven't seen too many of their contemporary counterparts and I don't think that I am any better or any worse for the experience (although I strongly believe that "blaxploitation" was then, and is now, a misnomer). However, when I accidently came across this movie on cable late one night, I was hooked!! I always thought Treach was sexy, but he laid it down in this flick! His portrayal of Malik Bishop, a hit man with a heart, is rivoting. What some people refer to what they call stilted acting by all the actors, I found it to be merely tongue-in-cheek camp satire. Although violent at times, none of the scenes are gratuitous or out-of-context. After all, the film IS about a contract killer with a conscience who is looking for the love of a good woman. So what if she's at the "executive level of execution" while he's still a "murderous mailboy"? She handles an assault weapon in her 4" Manolo Blahniks while carrying a back-up rocket launcher tucked away in the zippered compartment of her Birkin bag. Her hits exhibit much better strategic planning than those of her "future baby daddy". But don't most females take the lead in traditionally male-dominated positions? Isn't it the same in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith"? With the exception of the races of the killer couples, weren't the story lines similar? Yet, no one had anything fundamentally negative to say about the "Brangelina" film. Both contain bullets, big guns, buffed bods, and big lips. However, one film is a hit while the other goes straight to video. If you watch this film while keeping in mind that nothing in it is meant to be serious, then you will find "Love and a Bullet" to be a film rich in satirical black comedy (and I'm referring to the literary genre, not race). The film only fails with some of the principle characters. Kent Masters King was horribly miscast as a kept woman. She is just not sexy enough in this role to be believable as the potential victim of a jealous rich lover. Even her clothes were frumpy. Kelly McGillis was hotter as an Amish woman in "Witness"!! Why waste a hit man of Bishop's caliber on this woman when Shug Knight is out of a job right now? Now let's talk about what's really going on - the MALE NUDITY, albeit brief. Wow, it is refreshing to see a man "drop trou" for a change - and Treach IS the man for full-frontal nudity. Is that your gun, Mr. Treach or are you just happy to see EVERYONE?!? I burned my DVD player up, rewinding and freeze-framing his ripped abs and everything "South of the Border". Yeah, I'm down for "O.P.P."! You know me!!

fight scene rip off.......2005-11-13

No complaints here, save for the fight scene with the martial arts hitman...I'd say about 90% of the action footage is directly taken from Jackie Chan's "Legend Of Drunken Master".

Not bad........2005-02-14

You really don't expect much
from movies where rappers receive
top billing, but this movie
manages to stand apart from the genre.
Not only is this a fantastic action film,
but it also successfully combines
elements of comedy, social satire,
and blatant stereotype.
The absolute best thing about this movie
is the script. Eloquent, funny, intelligent,
and full of surprises.

Since I'm a person with an overactive mind
and short attention span, I'm always quick
to note which movies are able to maintain my
interest throughout the entire film. This film
does that and never disappoints.

I highly recommend this movie for purchase or rental.

Above all, I'm glad at least ONE rapper has turned out
to be a good actor.

loved the frontal.......2004-06-12

This movie was good. Worth watching. Worth buying. Decent acting and actors. The plot a little far fetched but still good.

Amazon.com

The 1990 film Bullet in the Head engages at every turn. At once a political epic, a story about childhood friends and loyalty, as well as a tale of corruption and war, John Woo's action-packed face-off contrasts '60s idealism--the Beatles and Elvis--against the shifting tide in the East. It's plain that Woo has pulled his trio of heroes straight from Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America as well as Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter, but there are bits of Nicholas Ray's Rebel Without a Cause tossed in for good measure. The old Chinese way of life is fading in the face of the emergent Vietnam War and Chairman Mao's Red Army, and Hong Kong struggles under archaic British rule. Three friends--Ben (Tony Leung), Frank (Jacky Cheung), and Paul (Waise Lee)--rub up against gang warfare, capitalism, and opportunism in a life that is strongly tinged by Western culture. Ben falls in love and wants to marry Jane (Fennie Yuen). Frank has borrowed money from a warlord to pay for his pal's bridal bash but a rival group, led by Ringo and his thugs, are hell-bent on keeping loose-cannon Frank from keeping his promise. The boys kill Ringo in a face-off and the cops come looking for them, separating Ben and Jane. The trio escapes to exploited luck-of-the-draw Saigon to make their fortunes. Luck, however, isn't with them. In a violent, balletic dance to honor, greed, and a teenage pledge that is challenged with adulthood, Bullet in the Head is sentimental despite its exquisitely choreographed blood bath; it's steeped in the kind of code-of-ethics morality that has been the glue of buddy films since the beginning of cinematic time. Bullet in the Head is a tale of love and betrayal played out against a backdrop of wartime chaos, and while Woo had made other vital and vibrant movies--The Killer, Hard Boiled, and A Better Tomorrow--none were as impassioned as Bullet in the Head. That it retains its innocence at all is a tribute to this Hong Kong action auteur, who brands his movies with visual flair as well as a palette splattered with blood. --Paula Nechak

Customer Reviews:

I hope this one is picked up by Dragon Dynasty for release.......2007-07-04

This movie was amazing. The character development was superb, coupled with excellent acting. The story follows three young friends through their young life as friends through a journey that none will forget. The action is amazing, and in many ways some scenes are almost too intense to take. I loved the movie, seeing what happened to each character, and the way some peoples lives end up far different than expected. See this movie if you love movies, you will not be disapointed.

Sometimes brilliant, sometimes painfully obvious..........2007-01-15

I saw the director's cut of this film a number of years back when John Woo was "hot" in Hollywood terms. It was, for the most part, pretty good, but it's not a perfect film. The relationship between the 3 men is done in a very heavy handed, obvious way (they constantly, and I mean constantly, say "we're buddies, we're supposed to stick together"), Waise Lee's character is very poorly written, and it's hard to believe in the usual "lost innocence" plot line when these guys are having gang fights at 15, and we're supposed to believe that life as smugglers in Vietnam made them hard boiled (so to speak). Aside from that, the film has great setpieces (especially a shootout in a bar), the ending has a great shootout (even though thematically it's pretty obvious where it's heading) and the rapport of Simon Yam (who gives a good performance) and the 3 main characters is surprisingly believable. As one reviewer has already said, Woo is erratic, even in his Hong Kong days. Anyone who has seen Once a Thief or Just Heroes will attest to that. Here, he's intermittenly brilliant and obvious, sometimes in the same scene. It's worth watching if you're a Woo fan. If not, you can probably skip the film.

Not the best of Woo but still a worth while watch.......2006-12-18

Jacky Cheung, Tony Leung, and Waise Lee are friends growing up in Hong Kong 1967. When trouble arises they decide to leave for Vietnam to become smugglers. Wlile the story doesn't ever really settle on anything and you don't know exactly where the movie is going to go, John Woo manages to bring us the bloodshed and and tragic friendships that he is best known for. Tony Leung does fine in his role, Jacky Cheung is outstanding, and then Waise Lee is the ony person I questioned. Simon Yam gives his usual average performance with above average moments. The movie of course comes down to the end. Don't expect a great movie like 'Better Tomorrow' or 'The Killer' but one that is different and is worth a watch for any Woo fan.

Your basic waste of time.......2006-08-13

This might be the perfect flick for a fourteen year-old who aspires to be a mass murderer. There is little to recommend it apart from the technical perfection of some of the cinematography and the staging of the scenes of mass destruction of people and property. Even these scenes have none of the balletic grace of Tarantino's "Kill Bill" films, his salute to the genre, or "Reservoir Dogs," which has a mystery at its core and some fine acting and dialogue that temper the violence.
"Bullet ..." is little more than two hours of broken glass, fire, blood squirts, amputation, beatings and explosions. This makes Gladiator look like a Sunday school picnic. The characters are totally flat, one-dimensional. There is virtually no plot aside from excuses generated to wreak havoc. The acting is weak, static, despite the fact that I don't understand a word of Cantonese. We are presented with a series of stereotypes (the hooker with a heart of gold, the good friend, the crazy friend and the bad friend).
Unfortunately the American stereotype of the Viet Cong as madmen -- and Saigon as hopelessly corrupt -- is reiterated here to the detriment of any understanding of Viet Nam during the American occupation. The worst thing is that -- because they are so shallow and undeveloped -- you don't care what happens to the characters. So I'll tell you and then you won't have to finish watching the film: they kill each other.
My advice-- skip it.

John Woo loses the plot.......2006-02-25

It's a common belief that John Woo lost his way when he moved to Hollywood, but in truth his career was always highly erratic even in his Hong Kong days. For every Better Tomorrow or The Killer on his resume there's at least one disappointment on the level of Bullet in the head.

On paper Bullet in the Head looks like John Woo's most ambitious and under-rated film, but sadly it turns out to be an entirely derivative and largely ineffective shoot-em-up that blows its few good ideas in all the overkill. There's the germ of a good idea in its sprawling tale of three friends who skip the rioting Hong Kong of 1967 to make their fortune in the chaos of Vietnam, but it's quickly lost amid the cartoon carnage - this is the kind of film where Woo will add a bomb disposal man having his arms blown off to the background of a romantic parting, and that's one of the more subtle scenes. Clunking construction and wild leaps of logic abound (it's hard to take Jacky Cheung's cries of "Don't make me commit murder!" seriously after we've just seen him gun down thirty people) and the tragedy of Vietnam is reduced to the level of a video game in several over the top and largely uninvolving action scenes.

There are a few mildly effective moments, such as Simon Yam's memorable introduction, but the lasting impression is of a hack who has seen The Deer Hunter and The Killing Fields several times without ever really understanding them. Horrendously disappointing. No misjudged underappreciated lost masterpiece, just a mess.

Average customer rating:

Comedy-action
MUCH BETTER THAN I ANTICIPATED!!
fight scene rip off
Not bad.
loved the frontal

Love and a Bullet [Region 2]
Starring: Anthony 'Treach' Criss , Kent Masters King , Charles Guardino , Shireen Crutchfield , and Sam Scarber
Director: Ben Ramsey , and Kantz
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Motives
The Wood
Book of Love: The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs
Bluehill Avenue
The Brothers

ASIN: B00007855B

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Comedy-action.......2007-06-19

MUCH BETTER THAN I ANTICIPATED!!.......2006-11-24

fight scene rip off.......2005-11-13

No complaints here, save for the fight scene with the martial arts hitman...I'd say about 90% of the action footage is directly taken from Jackie Chan's "Legend Of Drunken Master".

Not bad........2005-02-14

loved the frontal.......2004-06-12

This movie was good. Worth watching. Worth buying. Decent acting and actors. The plot a little far fetched but still good.

Ladies definite plus was the FULL FRONTAL nude, strip scene with Treach. Too bad is wasn't longer and closer. The scene that is!!

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