BULLETPROOF HEART
A film review by Christopher Null
Copyright 1995 Christopher Null
The suave hitman Mick creeps out of a closet to finish off "the guy that got away." As Mick flexes his leather sap in preparation to beat the mark to death, the poppy strains of The Troggs' "Love Is All Around" pervade the atmosphere, RESERVOIR DOGS-style. We know we're in for something out of the ordinary.
Such is the opening of BULLETPROOF HEART, a feature finally making it to Austin after months in release. The film (originally screened as KILLER) stars Anthony LaPaglia as Mick, a hitman that can't make up his mind whether or not he wants out of his smarmy profession. Tonight's target: Fiona (Mimi Rogers), a classy lady who crossed the wrong people once too often. The movie really gets interesting when Mick is sent to finish her off, Fiona seduces him, and the two develop a profoundly strange and twisted relationship.
What results is a solid entry of the noir vein. Mick falls for the woman and can't bring himself to finish the job, but for some reason (revealed later), Fiona *wants* to die. Matt Craven plays Archie, Mick's bumbling assistant who botched the last job, and who wants to make amends with Mick by passing a self-created test of faith and courage.
BULLETPROOF HEART is a strange film. Many nice touches abound: clever photography, good attention to detail, particularly in costuming and Rogers's makeup, and hauntingly believable acting. The only real problem with the film is the talkiness. The action scenes, when they're on, are scorching, full of gritty, stomach-lurching suspense. Unfortunately, 90 percent of the film is nothing but the principals chatting--vital to the characterizations, but often lifeless and just not engaging. Still, it's interesting as a character study, but it doesn't *quite* make it as a real noir.
BULLETPROOF HEART is ultimately a solid film (although the use of title cards between sequences is very annoying). In the end, I thought the most intriguing part of the film was its title. BULLETPROOF HEART is supposed to refer to Mick, as a lead-hearted character who can't be swayed from doing his job by anything as blas as a conscience. But I feel it could refer to Fiona just as well, as a woman who can't seem to get herself killed despite all her efforts. The dichotomy between these two characters makes for some interesting investigation. I know I'll be talking about them for awhile.
RATING: ***1/2
+-------------------------------+ |* Unquestionably awful | |** Sub-par on many levels | |*** Average, hits and misses | |**** Good, memorable film | |***** Perfection | +-------------------------------+
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