Bullet

I like a lot of direct to DVD movies, and I also happen to like Danny Trejo, so I thought that I would enjoy "Bullet". But it turned out to be one of the worst movies I've seen for quite some time. The signs of a troubled production are quickly made evident by the opening credits, which list five (!) writers - too many cooks spoil the broth, and too many writers result in the movie having a lot of moments that are somewhat unclear or don't make the least amount of sense. The low budget also hurts the movie at times. While there are some bits that look very slick despite the low budget, often the movie looks underlit or has rotten photography. Also, the decision to use CGI for bullet wounds just doesn't work, with the splatter looking really phony. The movie is also directed with low energy, with the action mostly coming across as flat and not the least bit exciting. The low energy behind the camera may also explain why Trejo seems to be phoning his performance in instead of going all out. In short, this is pretty lame stuff.

I bought the blu ray because it was cheap and the tagline is one of the most awesome and hilarious i've ever read - "They tried to stop him....they died".

Based on that and Danny Trejo's legendary cult movie status i was expecting a hard as nails, over the top action movie. What i got though was a pretty unexciting movie with flat dialogue and performances and ropey action scenes. Trejo is a legend who has appeared in so many great movies and he still looks awesome with his leathery face, moustache and tattoos. He's great as a support character or an evil henchman but he isn't a leading man. Jonathan Banks from Breaking bad plays the bad guy which was pretty cool.

Not the worst thing ever but i wouldn't watch it again.

Having seen many Trejo movies, and having loved many of them (not all mind you, just many), I was disappointed with this one.

In order to make a old man into a larger than life figure, you need to pull off a small miracle. You need to bend and direct the audience's perception juuuuust right. Machete pulled it off, but Bullet simply does not. Danny does not truly appear as a larger than life character who takes charge and lives life dangerously, but instead as a nearly retired cop who has too many problems. I confess that I don't have the technical movie knowledge to adequately explain what I'm trying to say.

I can only say that the movie felt.. like the illusion was empty.

Trejo's movies are usually somewhat outlandish, heavy on the "grindhouse" style, and inventive. This film has none of that. It seems that the director decided to try making it more dramatic instead. The fun and vivacious extremity I was expecting was instead replaced with old cop movie clichés.

The acting was poor because it tried too hard, the execution was plodding and halting. The special effects were disappointingly poor. It seems the director and editor had no concept of what I like to call "vicinity errors". These occur when the objects being used in the scene do not correctly stay in their places from scene to scene, or their behavior defies the common sense expectations of the viewers. Essentially, the area around the actors isn't correctly used. Bullets hitting their targets too long after being fired, objects being there one second and gone the next, or a character taking his hat off twice in the same scene without putting it back on in between.. These are vicinity errors and are usually are the result of bad editing. This movie has too many of them.

It was not a bad film. It just simply didn't shine with any of the usual Trejo brilliance.

BRIEF BLU-RAY REVIEW: Whatever shortcomings the film may have, the Blu-ray will blow your frigg'n PANTS off!

It's very interesting that another reviewer here mentions a completely different Director's Version distributed by another company. I don't personally know anything about that, but I DID just finish watching the U.S. release and I can kind of see what he means.

Without knowing that there is another version, my first thought also was that the directing or something was a little off... But, maybe it might have been the USUAL producers meddling with it in post-production. But, it still is a fun enough 80 minutes or so. A bit of a shame too... Because with sharper editing or better scene choices I think the film could have been much more effective. They should have just left the Director's original intention alone (as usual...)

Trejo does his usual Kick@ss job, and a few of his lines are great. My favourite was the one he said after dealing with the French lawyer. Pretty funny. And, OF COURSE, Jonathan Banks is ALWAYS awesome.

Bloody BEAUTIFUL car too! (and I have a Classic 1969 Mustang, but even so...)

There is some fun to be had here. Just try your best to overlook whatever studio meddling was done and enjoy it for the CHEEEEEEEEEZ that it is. Sit back and relish Jonathan Banks and Danny Trejo's Bad@ssedness, and you should have a fun ride...

So the movie is not a blockbuster, but its not a crappy B-movie either. It fit's somewhere in between. It's a flick for guys with a few laughs thrown in amid gritty action scenes, we even get a few 'bullet' time shootouts that are pretty nicely done.

Danny Trejo is Danny Trejo. What else can you say? That stoic face delivers good lines and those hammer-fists deliver country-boy style beat-downs.

Jonathan Banks works nicely opposite Trejo delivering a performance just as edgy as he gave in Breaking Bad. These two together on screen just doesn't get any better in my humble opinion.

You can just tell these two guys, along with the rest of the cast, had a boatload of fun making this action packed film and prove once again that producers don't necessarily have to use high-end special effects and martial arts to make a great action flick. Give me a good story and some solid acting like this film delivers.

Like a fine wine, Trejo and Banks only get better with age. I look forward to seeing these two in a film together soon.