Vinnie Jones occupies a bizarre place in the action movie ecosystem. His early star vehicles,ย Guy Ritchie‘sย Snatchย andย Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, could have launched him to the top. Instead, they provided a beautiful boost toย his costar, Jason Statham. As a perfect example, he’s the kind of guy Ritchie wouldn’t tap for his 2019 filmย The Gentlemenย but would bring in for the straight-to-streaming spin-off show. In the meantime, Jones keeps himself busy with stuff likeย Bullet Proof.
Vinnie Jones’ Bullet Proof Takes Paramount By Storm
Bullet Proof, AKAย Death Pursuit, is the passion project of one James Clayton โ because one bad title wasn’t enough. Clayton cut his teeth as an actor. In 2002, he made his cinematic debut inย K-19: The Widowmaker, where he performed without credit alongside Harrison Ford. He hadย one-off parts inย Supernatural,ย Fringe,ย andย The 100.ย Bullet Proofย is his directorial debut and his first real feature-length starring role. It follows Clayton as an unnamed thief who makes off with a bunch of gang leader Temple’s (Vinnie Jones) money. He quickly discovers he also has Temple’s unhappy wife, forcing him to turn his theft into a rescue mission.ย What follows isย a boring mess of fistfights, gunfights, and driving sequences.You’ve seen a movie just like this, and you’ve probably seen a dozen better ones. There were ways toย make it better, but this is as bog-standard as they come.
Back to Vinnieย Jones,ย becauseย I findย his careerย a lotย more compelling than James Clayton’s.ย Jones started in the English Football League, but he found his calling on the big screen through Guy Ritchie.ย Ritchie has an eye for talent thatย evidentlyย allows him to pull actors out of other careers.ย Jones got stuck in the genericย toughย guy role Ritchie put him in. That’s why the best performance Jones ever gave was inย The Midnight Meat Train. Don’t shy away from that title.ย The Midnight Meat Trainย is a hugely underrated 2008 horror film and one of theย best Clive Barker adaptationsย everย made. Its best asset is Jones as Mahogany, a solemn, contemplative walking nightmare. If you want to see Jones do something unique, watchย The Midnight Meat Train. If youย wantย to see him do much worse versions of his Ritchie routine, watchย Bullet Proof.
Bullet Proof‘s success onย Paramountย is more ofย an indictment of the streamer’s selection than a feather in the film’s cap. Is Vinnie Jones enough of a draw to bring a few million people to the service? It’s far more likely that the generic poster and title appealed to people who weren’t paying attention. If you’re looking for an action film you won’t remember during the credits, check outย Bullet Proof. Worse films exist in the genre, but most of them bother to spell their title correctly. Bulletproof is one word, and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.ย
