Bulletproof (4K UHD Review)
Director
Ernest DickersonRelease Date(s)
1996 (September 22, 2026)Studio(s)
Universal Pictures (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)- Film/Program Grade: B
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B
Review
[Editor’s Note: Dennis Seuling has written the film review and extras portions of this review, while Tim Salmons has covered the video and audio quality.]
The 1990s was a good decade for Adam Sandler and Damon Wayans. Sandler scored hits with Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, as did Wayans with Major Payne and The Last Boy Scout. In a Hollywood tradition that went back decades, producers felt casting the two stars together would result in box office gold. The resulting film, Bulletproof, drew upon buddy and road movies for its story about a good cop and a likable crook.
Moses (Sandler) and Keats (Wayans) are friends who hijack cars together. Moses persuades Keats to join him in working for major drug lord Frank Colton (James Caan). We don’t find out until about fifteen minutes into the film that Keats is actually an undercover cop using Moses to get to the real target, Colton. Moses confronts Keats when he leads the bust on Colton and his henchmen. Moses accuses Keats of betrayal as bullets fly between the criminals and the cops, and Moses accidentally shoots him in the melee.
After Keats completes a long recovery, Moses is arrested. As a makeshift bookkeeper for Colton with knowledge of all his criminal connections he agrees to testify against him in exchange for favorable treatment. It’s now Keats’ job to risk his own life transporting Moses safely to federal court as Colton sends his henchmen out to silence Moses for good. If Keats is in their way, he will be collateral damage.
The film’s strength is the chemistry between Sandler and Wayans. Sandler bounces one-liners off Wayans, the nominal straight man, who has plenty of witty responses up his sleeve. Sandler steps up his acting game from the childlike persona he’d been known for to the more challenging role of Moses. When Moses learns that Keats is really a cop, he’s incensed that the man he regarded as his best friend and confidante has been using him in an undercover sting. Keats repeatedly tells him, “I was only doing my job,” and he’s all business as he pulls a gun on Moses and tells him he’s under arrest. Sandler’s look of shock when he discovers Keats is a cop seems genuine. His realization is reflected in a look of wide-eyed disbelief and an expression that communicates the schoolboy protest, “It’s not fair.”
Wayans has the more subdued role. Quietly observant, he’s laid-back and low key unless his pal gets into trouble. His performance remains on the same level throughout. As the straight man, he has the job of acting seriously in order to get laughs... think of Bud Abbott of Abbott & Costello. The more frustrated or confused Costello became, Abbott was always the voice of sanity. Wayans is restrained from overplaying by director Ernest Dickerson (Juice, Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight), who allows Sandler and the chemistry between the two men to generate most of the laughs.
Bulletproof plays off the template of films like 48 Hours, Bad Boys, and Rush Hour. Even when we know Keats is a cop, a different sort of buddy film emerges. There’s a love-hate relationship between the two men. When many cops are assigned to the sting operation and there will likely be gunplay, Keats asks his superior to make sure Moses isn’t hurt. He will make the arrest. He’s grown to like Moses, yet he must divorce his personal feelings from his professional responsibility. As far as Moses is concerned, he can’t believe Keats blindsided him so completely. During a brush with would-be assassins on the way to the courthouse, they bicker, make excuses, and exchange insults, all while being forced to protect each other.
Director Ernest Dickerson creates some exciting action sequences which help to keep the pace brisk. A big shoot out, a car chase, and motorcycle stunts add production value. But Bulletproof never completely satisfies. Sandler is hard to accept as a career criminal involved in stolen cars and drug dealing. The script is also not as sharp as it could have been. Some jokes land, but others fall flat, and some of the dialogue might make you cringe because of the targets of certain gags. Wayans does a good job, while James Caan is great as the villainous Colton. With touches of his Sonny Corleone character, he’s convincing as a drug kingpin who doesn’t think twice about snuffing out anyone who threatens his business. It’s just a shame that he doesn’t have more screen time.
A highlight of the film involves nerdy motel manager Charles (Mark Roberts). In granny spectacles and a furry hat with earflaps, he steals his scenes from the leads with blank stares and monosyllabic answers to questions. When he later jumps into action, it becomes one of the picture’s best comic set pieces.
At a modest 84 minutes, Bulletproof blends a police procedural with comedy in a buddy flick format. That’s a lot to juggle and though Ernest Dickerson puts in a good effort, the film comes off more as a big-budget B picture. This was a transitional film in Adam Sandler’s career. He’s neither the goofy guy from SNL nor the polished actor of Uncut Gems or Jay Kelly. There are hints in his performance of an actor of depth, but his biggest successes would lie ahead. Bulletproof is an example of many fine elements that somehow never gel into a great movie.
Cinematographer Steven Bernstein shot Bulletproof on Super 35mm film (Eastman) with Panavision cameras and lenses. The results were finished photochemically and framed theatrically at the aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Kino Lorber Studio Classics debuts the film on Ultra HD with a 4K scan of the original camera negative, which has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and encoded to a triple-layered BD-100 disc. Due to how short the running time is, the black bars at the top and bottom of the frame, and the lack of extras, this really could have been a dual-layered BD-66 disc with a more aggressive encode. Bitrates here run at a nearly rock-solid 75 to 80Mbps, and with the extra disc space at hand, it gives the presentation an enormous amount of room to breathe, perhaps too much. Regardless, it’s still a very handsome UHD master with only occasionally faint lines and some minor speckling. The image is sharp with more precise detail, while the HDR grades iron out the contrast, showcasing some deep blacks. Saturation is good, although reds tend to be overcooked, but there’s more consistency to flesh tones and other hues. The overall image is stable and healthy, making for a strong presentation and a definite upgrade from 1080p.
Audio is included in English 2.0 and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. The film was released theatrically in DTS and DTS Stereo, and the stereo track presented here appears to be an approximation of that, with the 5.1 being a more spacious container. They’re very similar mixes when it comes to steering and placement, but the stereo track has a bit more bite to it sonically. Dialogue exchanges are solid, while plenty of low end is given to the film’s score and soundtrack selection, as well as some explosive sound effects when the action scenes heat up. Both are fine options since they have plenty of aural muscle to them.
The Kino Lorber Studio Classics 2-Disc 4K Ultra HD release of Bulletproof sits in black Amaray case alongside a 1080p Blu-ray that’s identical to Blu-ray released separately. The insert and slipcover both feature the original theatrical poster artwork, which has also been the film’s home video artwork since it first arrived on the scene. The following extras are included on each disc:
DISC ONE (UHD)
- Audio Commentary by Ernest Dickerson, Bryan Reesman, and Max Evry
- Audio Commentary by Mike Leeder
DISC TWO (BD)
- Audio Commentary by Ernest Dickerson, Bryan Reesman, and Max Evry
- Audio Commentary by Mike Leeder
- A Character That Helps to Tell the Story (HD – 18:51)
- Deleted Scenes (Upscaled SD and HD – 2 in all – 7:36)
- Trailers:
- Bulletproof (HD – 2:19)
- Happy Gilmore (HD – 2:23)
- Billy Madison (HD – 2:00)
- Half Baked (SD – 1:54)
- Major Payne (HD – 2:05)
Audio Commentary #1 – Director Ernest Dickerson and entertainment journalists/authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry share this commentary. Dickerson was a cinematographer and director of feature films and television. He was offered Bulletproof, a film intended to elevate Adam Sandler from starring in dumb comedies to dramatic thrillers. Patterned after 48 Hours, the budget was $18 million. Dickerson met with Sandler and Wayans to discuss his approach. He brought in top cinematographer Steven Bernstein. Together, they “put the film on its feet.” It was shot over a two-month period and released four months after filming was completed. Sandler and Wayans established a “really great rapport.” James Caan, who had played many movie heavies, told great stories about show business. The Malibu house standing in for Colton’s home was used in other movies and TV shows. There was occasional improvisation. Dickerson encouraged this so that actors could immerse themselves in their roles and add some of their own personality. Locations gave Dickerson additional ideas for an action sequence. The scene of Moses and Keats with bodyguards walking to the plane was storyboarded, so that every angle was planned and filming could progress quickly.
Audio Commentary #2 – Action film historian Mike Leeder says that Adam Sandler had been on Saturday Night Live and done the feature Happy Gilmore. Wayans was in the cast of TV’s In Living Color and starred in the feature Major Payne. Leeder speaks about earlier films that relied on the buddy formula in which there’s a clash that eventually leads to bonding. The Defiant Ones and Rush Hour are examples. Bulletproof was disappointing at the box office, earning only $22.5 million worldwide. Critics weren’t kind to the film, though Leeder refers to it as a “cool action movie.” The interplay between Wayans and Sandler works. The film presented an Adam Sandler never seen before in a more serious action/comedy. A sequel, Bulletproof 2, was a direct-to-video 2020 release that did not feature the original stars. Apart from several personal observations, Leeder doesn’t provide much background information on the making of the film, production details, or casting.
A Character That Helps to Tell the Story – In this interview, actor Xander Berkeley, who plays one of Colton’s henchmen in Bulletproof, talks about the value of character actors to help tell a story. He speaks about his childhood influences. As an adult working in theater he would create a look for each role. Make-up and costumes complete a character role. Film cultivates nuances rather than relying on broad strokes as in the theater. Berkeley was reticent about pursuing fame. Being a character actor allows him a degree of anonymity and privacy that he values. For auditions, he would rely on his acting “bag of tricks” to make an impression. Often, a producer will see in an actor only the roles he’s played. He took the role in Bulletproof because he’d heard good things about director Ernest Dickerson. Multiple takes give the director and editor many choices of how the final scene will look. Berkeley speculates as to why Bulletproof never clicked with the public.
Deleted Scenes – Two deleted scenes provided by director Ernest Dickerson from a VHS workprint are shown: Alternate Opening and Back From the Dead.
The only item not carried over is a set of production notes from the original DVD release in 1998.
Not being a fan of Adam Sandler’s earlier movies, I was pleasantly surprised by his performance in Bulletproof. He’s reigned in from his childlike persona. We may have trouble accepting him as a car thief and heroin dealer, but he avoids burlesquing the character and displays some serious acting chops. Buddy films tend to please audiences as long as there’s a fast pace, charismatic actors, good characters, and plenty of action. Bulletproof has all four.
- Dennis Seuling and Tim Salmons
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