Bulletproof (1996 film)

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Bulletproof

Bulletproof poster
Directed by Ernest R. Dickerson
Produced by Bernie Brillstein
Screenplay by Joe Gayton
Lewis Colick
Story by Joe Gayton
Starring Damon Wayans
Adam Sandler
Music by Elmer Bernstein
Cinematography Steven Bernstein
Editing by George Folsey Jr.
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release dates September 6, 1996
Running time 84 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $25 million
Box office $22,611,954

Bulletproof is a 1996 American action-comedy film directed by Ernest Dickerson, and starring Damon Wayans, Adam Sandler, James Caan, and Jeep Swenson.[1]

Plot

Archie Moses (Adam Sandler) is a small time crook and a thief who lives in Los Angeles, and he is working for a local drug lord Frank Colton (James Caan). He is unaware that his best friend Rock Keats (Damon Wayans) is actually an LAPD undercover cop, with a real name being Jack Carter, who is seeking evidence against Colton, and he is only to infiltrate Colton's gang.

One night, Jack goes out with Moses and gets him drunk, and manages to get info from Moses, and he finds an address for one of Colton's fronts. During a raid on Colton's warehouse, Archie realizes that Jack is a cop, and he tries to escape the warehouse during the police raid, during which an out of control crane hits Moses in the back and he accidentally shoots Jack in the head, but he miraculously survives and makes a full recovery with the aid of his physical therapist Dr. Traci Flynn (Kristen Wilson). Moses then flees the state, and is subsequently found and arrested later on. Moses is brought into custody, and he agrees to testify against Colton, but the trial is at the other side of the country. After Jack's recovery, his superior officer Jensen (James Farentino) orders him to get Moses to transfer him personally to the courtroom.

Having been bitter about the accident, Carter harbors resentment against Moses, and problems get escalated since a simple transfer has gone awry when Colton learns through bribed federal agents and Los Angeles Police Department officers of Moses's attempt to testify against Colton. Carter and Moses slowly mend their friendship and are successful in returning to their local police department. However, Colton apparently holds Flynn hostage, and blackmails Carter into turning Moses over in order to save Flynn. Carter and Moses pretend to comply with Colton and shoot their way through Colton's guards. It is later revealed that Flynn was responsible for leaking Carter and Moses' whereabouts to Colton and was actually on Colton's payroll. Carter manages to distract Colton after Moses gets shot in the shoulder by Colton and after apprehending Flynn and Moses manages to kill Colton. Moses gives the incriminating documents on Colton to Carter, and he heads to Mexico, where he becomes a bullfighter, with Carter and Moses's mother later accompanying him.

Cast

Reception

The film received very negative reviews from critics.[2] Rotten Tomatoes gives a score 8% based on reviews from 38 critics. Adam Sandler earned a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actor for the film (also for Happy Gilmore), but lost to both Tom Arnold and Pauly Shore.

Ernest Dickerson was very critical about the movie and says: "There's a movie I did a couple years ago called Bulletproof. I'd like to just erase that whole experience. You know, I'm proud of a lot of the films I've done, but there's some situations that happened that in retrospect maybe I could have handled them a little differently if I had been a little smarter about it. But that's all second-guessing. Bulletproof was a case where we shot an R-rated film and the studio made us cut it to PG-13. So Bulletproof is a big sore point with me because it’s the only time I’ve ever kicked a hole in an editing room wall. Because of the frustration of dealing with the studios and dealing with a producer who when the studio said “Jump!” he said “How high?” You make a movie with an R-rating, and then they tell you to cut it to PG-13. So it meant butchering performances, storylines, and really simplifying the film. The story is scripted by Lewis Colick, who is much deeper. It was about the responsibilities of friendship. The relationship that Damon Wayans had with Kristen Wilson was much stronger and all that was taken out. The movie was castrated."

Box office

Bulletproof grossed $6,014,400 its opening weekend placing it at #1 at the box office.[3] By the end of its theatrical run, it pulled in $21,576,954 in North America, and $1,035,000 internationally for a worldwide total of $22,611,954, falling short of recouping its $25 million budget.[4]

Soundtrack

Main article: Bulletproof (1996 soundtrack)

A soundtrack containing mostly hip hop and R&B music was released on September 3, 1996 by MCA Records. It reached #85 on the Billboard 200 and #23 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

In addition, Varese Sarabande released an album of Elmer Bernstein's score.

  1. Buddies (:59)
  2. The Bust (3:17)
  3. Shots (1:05)
  4. Gurney (:37)
  5. Flying (2:56)
  6. In The Desert (2:18)
  7. Cliff (2:02)
  8. Phone (4:25)
  9. Darryl's Rescue (3:13)
  10. Fighting (1:06)
  11. Thugs And Hugs (1:22)
  12. Mistakes (3:36)

References

  1. ↑ Anderson, John (1996-09-06). "MOVIE REVIEW Action Film 'Bulletproof' Is Romance Riddled With Holes". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-12-30. 
  2. ↑ "Bulletproof". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. 
  3. ↑ "Bulletproof Is Tough at the Box Office". The Los Angeles Times. 1996-09-09. Retrieved 2010-12-30. 
  4. ↑ "Bulletproof (1996)". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. 

External links

Films directed by Ernest Dickerson
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