‘Bullet Head’ (2017) Movie Review

It’s always fascinating to me to see what actors do in the latter parts of their careers, after they’ve made those two or three movies that cemented them as legends; do they go for the quick-and-dirty cash grab that they know will probably help pay for the next couple years’ mortgage (I’ll still never wrap my head around how Kevin Spacey could’ve agreed to an abomination like Nine Lives for any other reason), do they go underground and work the art house circuit, or do they rest on the laurels of their legacy and hang out with their families until the inevitable awards show gigs start to pop up?

In Bullet Head, the newest film from Paul Solet (who also directed 2009’s Grace), we find a number of well-known actors, including Adrian Brody, Antonio Banderas, and John Malkovich, all in later parts of their careers, flying completely under the radar in an outwardly unassuming crime thriller. Brody and Malkovich are two career criminals in it for that “one last job”; predictably, it goes horribly wrong, and the pair (along with their younger partner Gage, played by Rory Culkin) have to figure out how to escape the massive warehouse that they’ve found themselves in. Along the way, Antonio Banderas shows up to oppose them, and thus the wheels are set in motion for the action.

Oh, and there are dogs. Lots of dogs. And one, in particular, is ready to tear a new one out of anyone who happens to cross it. Sounds like fun, right?

Now, after reading that synopsis, you may be asking yourself: what would compel such huge-name-actors to take on a film like this? It’s not to say that the setup itself is bad, simply that it seems fairly… simple. To the point. You’d think that with careers that span movies such as The Pianist, Being John Malkovich, and Philadelphia, there would be something else going on here, something else that would bring not only one of these guys to the film but all three of them. It’s a marvel in of itself.

Whatever convinced the three actors to be in this movie, I’m not going to question it, because really, this is a movie for them. The action is awesome, and the sequencing is tight and constantly moving. But this is a character-driven movie first and foremost, and in order for any of the craziness that ensues to be at all impactful, there have to be actors behind these roles who are willing to commit to them and the hard-boiled dialogue that comes with them. Naturally, throw in three of the best character actors in the business, at the latter part of their careers, and you’re going to be in for a good time, regardless of the setup.

Banderas and Culkin are solid in their roles (even if they’re a bit one-note), but it’s really Brody and Malkovich that sold the movie for me. Malkovich particularly, who seems to have only gone more over-the-top as his career has progressed, dials the energy back for the hardened career criminal at the end of his journey, ready to call it good and walk away but forced back in for survival. And Brody, whose facial features have always been fantastically expressive, even in the most ludicrous of roles (remember The Village?) has a great emotional center to play off of in Bullet Head. I was genuinely feeling for the characters at several points in this film, something that I didn’t expect at all from the outset.

Of course, the movie isn’t without its flaws – trying to make a case for the ethical treatment of animals in a film that employs a pretty graphic level of animal violence is a bit hard to stomach, and a lot of the themes the film employs to this message seem pretty forced. Additionally, the quality of the dialogue is… inconsistent, to say the least. Again, if it was anyone else in these roles, some of the lines in this film would elicit more of a chortle than a thoughtful response. However, all things considered, the final product is wildly different than what I imagined it would be. And that’s for the film’s benefit.

Conclusion

A by-the-books heist-gone-wrong film with an additional animal element thrown in the mix, Bullet Head is an otherwise simple crime thriller elevated by its awesome cast and fun action sequences. Adrian Brody and John Malkovich especially pick up the slack when the dialogue and plot of the film become lacking. If you have an aversion to animal violence, you may want to skip this one; for all other interested parties, you’ll most likely find something to enjoy about Bullet Head.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPnLQzE6W2k