Product Description

Bullet Mickey Rourke and rap music star Tupac Shakur, in one of his final film roles, star in this gritty urban thriller about what it takes to survive on the street. Also starring Ted Levine, it's a stylish mix of brutality and revenge, it journeys into the dark and underground world of two men who share a bitter hatred and grudging respect. Like Pulp Fiction it is one of the new breed of action films-powerful, violent and real.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5987 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2003-01-14
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 96 minutes

Amazon.com
Mickey Rourke is Butch "Bullet" Stein and the late Tupac Shakur is Tank in this stylish, Julien Temple-directed crime drama. Narrative is secondary to atmosphere in the violent, yet sensitive tale of an ex-con (Rourke) attempting to adjust to life on the outside. The minute Bullet emerges from the pen, however, the blood and profanity begin to flow just as freely as the references to Dali and Picasso (his younger brother is an artist). His drug problem is bad enough, but the biggest threat comes from the Kangol-sporting, eye-patched Tank, who intends to get his revenge for the eye Bullet took from him. Classical music and opera, meanwhile, bump up against hip-hop and Barry White. Despite the billing, this is Rourke's show all the way and Tupac's part is quite small in comparison. Ted Levine (The Silence of the Lambs) and Adrien Brody (The Pianist) star as Bullet's eccentric brothers. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews

criterion quality, all priceless
An important and contemporary film about street life to be sure, but there's something magical about Bullet. First of all, you'll never see anything like this again, Tupac: gone, Mickey: just different these days, and Wahlberg played "Big Balls". You can tell, that things just came together to make an incredible film. Little details of realism and humble, masterful performances. For example, even character interaction with "Big Balls" is given careful attention. Bullet says in a caring way "how you doin Big Balls?". He treats Balls with respect because Balls says exactly what he feels (and is not afraid - hence "Big Balls"). Even after Balls says "none of this ...happened until this crazy ... showed up" Bullet is calm and doesn't take it as a personal attack, he just sits there and let's them yell it out. Bullet is afraid of no-one. Neither is "Tank" (Tupac), and "men love to hate". So the story goes. It's not just drama, (I hate drama) it's priceless nuance and good filmaking. If you enjoyed New Jack, Menace2 or Sugar Hill, Bullet will blow em away. You'll be touched, but don't let that stop you. Don't miss Bullet.

As for the storyline: Bullet (Mickey Rourke) gets out of prison and the very same day, exacts revenge on Tank (Tupac) by robbing some of his smack customers and stabbing one his dealers in the eye. From there, we go through family and interpersonal dysfunctions of Bullet and his foemen. There is more tragedy than optimism, so be warned. One thing fer sure, you'll never shoot smack.

Not A Cookie Cutter Action Flick
This is a straight to video classic that I rented several years ago. It's good to rediscover it on DVD. If you're not a big fan of Hip Hop, don't let Tupac's presence in the film scare you off. There's plenty of dark humor and macho fight scenes to appeal to a broader demographic than just rap enthusiasts. Most of the dark humor is supplied by Ted Levine who portrays one of film's craziest Vietnam War veterans since Robert Deniro's Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver. Fans of Silence of the Lambs will remember Ted Levine's performance as that loveable genital tucking women suit making serial killer who was always making people rub the lotion on the skin. Ted is equally crazy in this film and will have you laughing at his lunacy. When you throw in a midget, a character named Franky Eyelashes, and some great Barry White tunes, you got yourself a great original guy flick to watch with your buddies. The DVD is lean on extras but includes wide/full screen and unrated/rated R versions of the film. There are some behind the scenes interviews with Mickey Rourke, Tupac, and recent oscar winner Adrien Brody.

Wow..
Well first off, i must correct Amazon's Plot Synopsis...Butch does not Snort coke....he's just an H Junkie. Anyways, this is a great movie that shows how lawless and rough street life can be. Very violent, but that's kinda what you have to expect from a movie called "Bullet". Tupac's role isn't as prominent as i expected..but Mickey Rourke does an excellent job of carrying the movie. Unless you're offended by Violence, Drugs, and lots of F-Bombs, i'de definitely recommend this.