''Bulletproof Heart'' (also known as ''Killer'') is a 1995 independent Canadian-American
neo-noir
Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates literally to English as "black film", indicating ...
film directed by Mark Malone. It stars
Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony LaPaglia (, ; born 31 January 1959) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his role as Jack Malone in the television drama ''Without a Trace'' (2002–2009), for which he received a Golden Globe Award in 2004.
LaPaglia won a Prim ...
and
Mimi Rogers
Miriam Rogers (née Spickler; born January 27, 1956) is an American actress. Her notable film roles are ''Gung Ho'' (1986), '' Someone to Watch Over Me'' (1987), ''Desperate Hours'' (1990), and '' Full Body Massage'' (1995). She garnered the grea ...
, alongside a supporting cast featuring
Matt Craven
Matt may refer to:
*Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt
*In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance)
*Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...
,
Peter Boyle
Peter Lawrence Boyle (October 18, 1935 – December 12, 2006) was an American actor. Known as a character actor, he played Frank Barone on the CBS sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' and the comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof ''Young Fra ...
,
Monika Schnarre,
Joseph Maher
Joseph Sylvester Maher (29 December 1933 – 17 July 1998) was an Irish actor, playwright, and occasionally theatre director. He was best known for his roles in the comedies of Joe Orton. He received three Tony Award nominations for his roles in ...
, and
Mark Acheson
Mark Acheson (born September 19, 1957) is a Canadian voice, film and television actor.
Career
Acheson began studying acting at Langara College’s Studio 58 at the age of 15. He is a founding member of Janus Theatre and appeared on stage for eigh ...
.
The film first premiered at the
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...
and
Houston International Festival in 1994, and was later released to the United States and the United Kingdom in 1995.
The story concerns a professional assassin
Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony LaPaglia (, ; born 31 January 1959) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his role as Jack Malone in the television drama ''Without a Trace'' (2002–2009), for which he received a Golden Globe Award in 2004.
LaPaglia won a Prim ...
who is pressured into accepting a new assignment as a favour to his boss
Peter Boyle
Peter Lawrence Boyle (October 18, 1935 – December 12, 2006) was an American actor. Known as a character actor, he played Frank Barone on the CBS sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' and the comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof ''Young Fra ...
. He later finds himself in a dismal situation with dire consequences for everyone involved.
Cast
Plot
The events of the film take place over the course of one night. The storyline follows Mick (
Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony LaPaglia (, ; born 31 January 1959) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his role as Jack Malone in the television drama ''Without a Trace'' (2002–2009), for which he received a Golden Globe Award in 2004.
LaPaglia won a Prim ...
), a cold-blooded, disinterested,
existential
Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and value ...
hitman who is assigned the task of killing a woman that has stiffed Mick's boss George (
Peter Boyle
Peter Lawrence Boyle (October 18, 1935 – December 12, 2006) was an American actor. Known as a character actor, he played Frank Barone on the CBS sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' and the comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof ''Young Fra ...
) $650,000. At first Mick is reluctant in accepting the job, but is later assured by George that the job will be easy, as the woman has accepted her fate.
After accepting the job, Mick's friend Archie (
Matt Craven
Matt may refer to:
*Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt
*In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance)
*Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...
) begs to accompany him. Mick hesitates because Archie previously made a mistake in the last job and nearly cost George and Mick their lives. After much discussion, Mick accepts Archie's company.
When Mick arrives at the woman's house, he finds Fiona (
Mimi Rogers
Miriam Rogers (née Spickler; born January 27, 1956) is an American actress. Her notable film roles are ''Gung Ho'' (1986), '' Someone to Watch Over Me'' (1987), ''Desperate Hours'' (1990), and '' Full Body Massage'' (1995). She garnered the grea ...
) is expecting him. She ushers her guests from the party she is hosting, and invites Mick inside. Fiona's cool demeanour both surprises and impresses Mick. She soon has Mick tied to her bed, where the two engage in
sadistic
Sadism may refer to:
* Sadomasochism, the giving or receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation
* Sadistic personality disorder, an obsolete term proposed for individuals who derive pleasure from the s ...
intercourse. Mick finds the pain Fiona inflicts on him arousing, and her ability to pleasure him is incomparable to other women Mick has slept with. As the two are dressing, Fiona dismisses Mick's performance, and they head downstairs to where Archie is waiting for them.
The more time they spend together, the less Mick is willing to kill Fiona. Feeling conflicted, Mick calls George demanding the severity of Fiona's crime and questioning the need for the hit. Ending his phone call with George, he returns to the car determined to finish the job, but with no rush.
Fiona suggests the three grab Chinese food, and head to the cemetery for a picnic. There, Fiona experiences a psychotic episode, and falls into a
schizophrenic
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...
state. Mick rushes Fiona to a
psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...
(
Joseph Maher
Joseph Sylvester Maher (29 December 1933 – 17 July 1998) was an Irish actor, playwright, and occasionally theatre director. He was best known for his roles in the comedies of Joe Orton. He received three Tony Award nominations for his roles in ...
), who informs Mick that Fiona has an incurable mental illness that will most certainly soon destroy her. Torn, Mick takes Fiona to the shipping docks to finish the job, but finds he cannot bring himself to carry through.
When George arrives, he and Mick begin to argue once more over the need to complete the job. As the two are arguing, Fiona convinces Archie to kill her. Mick is left devastated.
Soundtrack
# "
Love Is All Around
"Love Is All Around" is a song recorded by English rock band the Troggs, featuring a string quartet and a 'tick tock' sound on percussion, in D-major. Released as a single in October 1967, it was a top-ten hit in both the UK and US.
"Love I ...
" by Reg Preseley
# "Sanctuary" by A. Ducharme
# "Fall to Grace" by A. Ducharme and G. Coleman
Release
''Bulletproof Heart'' was selected to play in the 1994
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...
and
Houston International Festival. The film later opened to majority of the United States on March 31, 1995, and was later released to New York on April 7, 1995. The United Kingdom was the last place the movie was released to, on June 9, 1995.
In Canada, the film was distributed by Norstar Entertainment, whereas in the United States it was distributed by
Republic Pictures Home Video
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
.
Reception
Box office
''Bulletproof Heart'' opened in theatres on March 31, 1995, and left theatres on July 27, 1995.
Critical response
The film received mixed reviews. Many critics describe the film as being "well received by critics, but
ailing
Ailing may refer to:
* ailing in health, see ail (health)
* Ailing (Chinese name) (♀; given name; aka ''Ai-ling''), several Chinese female given names
* Charles Ailing Gifford (♂; 1860–1937) U.S. architect
* Ailing Dojčin (♂) culture h ...
to find the audience until it was
ater Ater (Hebrew אֲתַר) is an Old Testament male name.
#A descendant of Hezekiah, who returned from Babylon ;
#An Israelite, who subscribed to Nehemiah
Nehemiah is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work in r ...
released on video". Others describe the film as "
triking
Triking is the common name for the Triking Sports Cars, the United Kingdom based manufacturer of the 3-wheeled Triking Cyclecar, located in Hingham, Norfolk, formerly in Marlingford, Norfolk.The A-Z of Three-Wheelers A definitive reference ...
the right balance between theatrical and cinematic".
Rotten Tomatoes reports 8 users gave the film a 63% rating, with an average rating of 3/5.
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'' described ''Bulletproof Heart'' as a movie that is "thoughtful, surprising, and haunting" and rated the movie a 3/4.
''Roger Ebert''
/ref>
References
External links
*
*{{Rotten Tomatoes, bulletproof_heart
1994 thriller films
English-language Canadian films
1994 drama films
1994 films
American thriller films
Canadian thriller films
1990s English-language films
1990s American films
1990s Canadian films
English-language thriller films