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BY TOM MEEK
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Nazis as baddies and monk mentorship à la kung fu are back in style in this chopsocky adventure/comedy from Paul Hunter. Here the always graceful Chow Yun-fat plays a nameless Tibetan monk whose 60-year task is to guard the Scroll of the Ultimate, which possesses unlimited power. He’s ageless and almost invincible in combat, but a persistent Nazi (Karel Roden) pursues him and his treasure across time. In the hip-hop present, the Monk enlists the aid of a two-bit pickpocket named Kar (Seann William Scott, of Dude Where’s My Car and American Pie). This slack, smart-alecky punk has a few kung fu moves of his own, and he may just fulfill the prophecy and become the next bearer of the scroll. The odd-couple chemistry between Chow and Scott carries the film until the unimaginative buddy formula wears thin and the Nazi becomes a shameless stereotype of evil. High-kicking babes Jaime King as Kar’s brassy love interest and Victoria Smurfit as a neo-Nazi bitch add sass, but though the gravity-defying wire stunts do impress, this is still just a warm up for The Matrix Reloaded. (103 minutes)
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