NateWatchesCoolMovies Bullet is a violent cautionary tale about what it means to live a life of crime in New York City's brutal Hell's Kitchen, to live (and die) with all the baggage and tragedy that comes along with it. Mickey Rourke is excellent as Butch Stein, a pathetic yet somehow endearing Jewish American hoodlum locked in a personal war with local drug dealer and gangster Tank (Tupac Shakur). Butch still lives with his family, and spends his nights slumming about with slick wannabe wiseguy Lester (John Enos III) and his gangly brother Ruby (Adrien Brody). One gets the feeling that all of them are essentially still little kids who never learned to grow up or use their words, but the sandbox they're squabbling in now is a dangerous area of town, and their toys are heavy artillery. Butch has another brother, a reclusive weirdo played phenomenally by Ted Levine. He's distant and strange, but there's breaks of clarity that shine through, and in those moments he's pretty much the voice of reason amongst all the tomfoolery that adds to the mortality rate in their district. Levine is unique and shelters the gold in his work until right at the end, letting off an emotional stinger of a cap to his performance that is yet another testament to his skill. Rourke broods through his work with sombre self loathing and a grim resolve, dead set in his ways, perhaps unable to live his life differently, and feeling helpless at the road he's taken, a dark one that has strayed far from what might have been. Tupac's role is somewhat underwritten, which isn't quite fair to the guy, because he has more acting talent than pretty much any other rapper I've seen in film. Reduced to a mostly a jive talk sterotype gangsta antagonist, I would have liked to see them allow him to level with Rourke in a way that made their locking horns seem a little bit more than just a petty turf war. Director Julien Temple comes from a music video background, and transitions nicely into the world of the urban crime drama, shooting the seedy NYC locales with glittery precision that suggests festering rot below. It's an anti-crime film, and I'm always curious to see if such a sentiment is undone by the glorification of such a lifestyle, intentional or otherwise (it's easy to get caught up in sensation and cinematics, losing sight of what you set out to say in the first place). This one stays true to its word, showing us characters who have irreparably lost their way, and assuring bullet by bullet, death by death, that this isn't any kind of life for anyone. Searing stuff.

PeterMitchell-506-564364 I took my Mum to see this when it came out in 97. A male usher came walking over to me, and said "I don't mean to pry but why you going to see this". "It's like a private screening". One of my answers was "I like Mickey Rourke". This one that only ran a week at two Wallis Cinemas, was actually Mickey's comeback to cinema after White Sands, five years prior. Here, this film proves time and time again, why Mickey Rourke is one of the all time acting greats. You might think, oh, not another drug movie, which really it isn't. Bullet's different, as to the interesting and funny characters is Rourke's family. Rourke's just got out of prison, with his pet rat, after an 8 year stint, the rewards you reap, all for keeping your mouth shut. Already to start business again, his father starting on him at the dinner table, we see the hopelessness of this family. Rourke's character, Butch, nickname Bullet was once a prize fighter, who sports a number of trophies in his room. His younger brother (Adrien Brody) who idolizes him, is a gifted artist, friends with Rourke's best friend, Lester who drives a pink Cadillac, (this actor played the pimp in Phone Booth). Now we get to the real character of the family, the much older brother Lewis (great character Ted Levine) classic who's room like Lebanon, a war nut, a psychiatric case, who keeps two pit bulls in his room, and hardly washes his underwear. He likes stuffing cake into his mouth for dinner too, but also he's of course into guns. In one scene this grown man harps onto his mom, nagging him to buy him this new gun. When she's not really agreeing to his request, he resorts to crazy talk. Truly a funny scene. Lewis also teaches army survival skills to kids, standing on top of a mound in the district. Totally a zealous gun and army nut. It makes me laugh recalling these scenes. Another scene, while he's out at night, walking his dogs, he really gives it to these two cops, patrolling the area who have it for Bullet's family. All the while, Bullet and Lester are only a few short hundred meters, upstairs, doing over the neighbors place. Bullet is funny, sad, tragic, but different. If you watch Tupac Shakur in anything, make it this. He plays Bullet's enemy and bad guy Tank, in an impressive piece of acting, almost stealing Rourke of this movie, or surpassing his performance. Though the ending is tragic, it's act of retribution, finishes this movie perfectly. A good satisfier but very funny too, fans of drug movies will get a kick out of this one, I've viewed a few times. A little shock violence, here and there, one scene, a bloodied victim of Lewis's big army knife.

ManBehindTheMask63 I rented this film because i consider myself a Rourke fan. I've made it a goal to watch every Rourke film that COULD be good. Pretty much everything from the 80's and nothing post-'97. Out of all the movies i've seen of Rourke's, this is in my top 3 (Angel Heart and 9 1/2 weeks are the other 2). Rourke turns in a mesmerizing performance as Bullet, a heroin addict who gets released from prison after serving time for a crime he did not commit. Bullet returns to his estranged and troubled family and once again falls into a web of violence, drugs, and crime. But there is a gangster named Tank (Tupac) who has a grudge against Bullet and wants him dead. I was glad to see Tupac is only in it for maybe 20 minutes and Rourke is in the best shape of his life. There are some great performances form Ted Levine and Adrien Brody. John Enos III is pretty solid too. I was surprised that the film wasn't low-budget and had great quality. Rourke co-wrote the script and his character is an interesting and provocative one. Rourke still looks good facial wise, so i take it this was before he became some what deformed (hence why i pass on anything post-'97). I was shocked, moved, disturbed, and intrigued through the entire film. It's a gangster film with a very realistic and gritty feel. The family life and how his family all reacts to Bullet's release and his life style are fascinating and deep. Ted Levin is great as the psychotic and disillusioned older brother. This is a real treat for Rourke fans and fans of gangster dramas. One of Rourke's best films.

twilght20027 I love this movie from the first day it came out I mean I may have been young when I first saw it but Mickey Rourke is so hotttt even as a bad azzzz gangster he is hot. Plus Tupac was in it so that made the movie even hotter.The ending was great I don't want to give it away to anyone who hasn't seen it but it was a perfect ending. I watch this movie whenever it's on even if it's on 3:00 am I have to watch it. I love Adrian Brody I can never get enough of him. This movie reminds me of the dudes where I used to live I mean they came from nice home but they were all messed up in the head and they were definitely ride or die and this movie was definitely a blockbuster. Mickey R. made the movie great, as did Tupac I have to say this movie never gets old.