It’s strange that, after so many years in the wilderness,
Stallone found prosperity in the form of previous success. By returning to his
roots he was able to rekindle the magic of old, thrusting himself back into the
limelight with films like Rocky Balboa, Rambo and The Expendables. Stranger
still, The Expendables proved that Stallone was able to laugh at his own
preposterous image. Like so many of his contemporaries, he seemed willing to
accept that no matter how many times you save the world, the inevitability of
age will not be defeated.
Which makes his decision to team up with Walter Hill (48
Hrs) an odd one, even if they do have something in common. Hill has been out of
the spotlight for over a decade now, shying away from true success since the
mid 80’s. Bullet to the Head, however, is a throwback to the worst of 80’s
cinema; the type of lug-headed action movie that killed Stallone’s career in
the first place. He plays Jimmy Bobo, a jaded hit man who forms an alliance with
a cop in order to exact revenge on the mercenary who murdered their respective
partners. Not even Jason Momoa (Conan The Barbarian, Game of Thrones) and
Christian Slater (True Romance) can make amends.
Buckling under the weight of cringe-worthy banter, terrible
dialogue and generic plotting, Bullet to the Head is a disappointment from
start to finish. At least the latest Die Hard movie had some decent – if not
ridiculous – action to fall back on. The best that Bullet can muster is a
closing axe-battle between Stallone and Momoa, but even that falls short of
entertaining. After watching Bullet to the Head it’s clear to me that a bullet
to the kneecap is a quicker – and more humane – way to die. AW
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