Bulletproof: A Hugely Obscure Adam Sandler Action Flick Is Coming to 4K

A few days ago, I wrote about how 48 Hrs. was the most influential action movie of its era. It redefined the buddy action movie, and its influence is still felt to this day. One movie that really tried to recreate its formula was 1996’s Bulletproof, which teamed Adam Sandler with Damon Wayans.

While a box office flop, Bulletproof developed a bit of a cult following once it hit VHS, but it’s rarely discussed when talk turns to Sandler’s filmography. Kino Lorber seems poised to change that, with a 4K 30th anniversary edition of the movie slated for release later this year, with full specs still to be revealed.

How Bulletproof Recreates the 48 Hrs Formula

The influence of 48 Hrs. on Bulletproof is striking, as it tries to recreate the earlier film’s formula almost ingredient by ingredient. You’ve got the black/white buddy duo, with one as a cop and the other as a crook. The main twist is that the black character, played by Wayans, is the cop this time, while the white character, played by Sandler, is the criminal.

Given how much Eddie Murphy’s run on Saturday Night Live helped boost 48 Hrs. at the box office, it’s also notable that both leads here are SNL veterans—although Wayans’ tenure on the show was famously short-lived.

A Personal Rewatch… or Not?

I remember seeing Bulletproof in theaters with my father and enjoying it. I even owned a VHS copy, though I haven’t seen the movie in probably 25 years, so who knows how well it holds up. I do remember it having a surprisingly solid supporting cast, with James Caan playing the villain, but I also recall Sandler being a little hard to take seriously in the action scenes—while Damon Wayans handled them much better.

Ernest Dickerson’s Complicated Legacy with the Film

Bulletproof was directed by Ernest Dickerson, who also helmed several ‘90s classics, including Juice, Demon Knight, and Tales from the Hood. Apparently, he doesn’t have fond memories of the experience, saying in an interview:

“There’s a movie I did a couple years ago called Bulletproof. I’d like to just erase that whole experience… I’m proud of a lot of the films I’ve done, but there’s some situations that happened that in retrospect maybe I could have handled them a little differently.”

Is Bulletproof Worth Buying on 4K?

Will you be picking up Bulletproof on 4K? I’m not convinced it’s worth a full-price disc purchase—but it does feel like exactly the kind of movie I’d buy on a whim if it popped up in the $4.99 section on iTunes.

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