Bullet to the Head Review

Warner Bros. Pictures

Bullet to the Head Review

2013, 91 minutes

Rated R for strong violence, bloody images, language, some nudity, and brief drug use

Bullet to the Head is a disposable shoot-em-up, but is a pretty damn fun one.  Directed by Walter Hill (The Warriors) Bullet to the Head has nothing noteworthy about it.  Is it worth paying to see it in the theater?  No.  Is it worth a rental?  If you want a movie that's pure fun, yes.  I won't even give a plot synopsis because it doesn't matter.  There is a plot, but what plot there is is explained in a few five-minute exposition scenes to make way for the action.  

The film stars Sylvester Stallone and at 66 years old, he still has what it takes to be a fun action hero.  He is still muscular, completely able to do insane action scenes, and deliver action-hero lines better than ever.  As Jimmy Bobo, Stallone is simply a blast to watch.  

The supporting cast isn't good.  This is truly a film where the lead was the most important role to be cast and the support seemed to fall by the wayside.  I'm not saying that the supporting cast is a group of bad actors.  I'm simply saying that they don't act well in here and are far overshadowed by Stallone.

As mentioned, the screenplay isn't good.  It has quite a few amusing lines and jokes, but there isn't much story.  What story there is is too generic and complicated.  It would be completely possible to understand the movie if the sound was turned off.  It's obvious who's good and who's bad.

The photography is slick and the editing is quick which makes the movie enjoyable and fast-paced.  The action scenes in here are solid, nothing special.  The violence, however, is something that needs to be noted.  While I completely expected this movie to be insanely violent (and it was), violence in films such as this is typically enjoyable.  However, the violence in this film is brutal and, while entertaining, shocking.  At random, someone would be shot in the head casually, or someone would be beaten then shot multiple times.  I don't have anything against film violence.  I am just noting that this film's violence is sometimes more shocking than entertaining.

Overall, Bullet to the Head is not a great film, but is very fun to watch.  If you want a piece of pure entertainment that you can switch your brain off for, this is the movie for you.  Stallone is the only reason to watch this movie, as he provides the action, the star power, and the funny lines.  

2.5/4

-Joshua Handler