5 out of 10
 

In a Monastery high in the mountains of Tibet there is a scroll with the power to shape the world in the image of the reader. The Master Monk is looking for the one that will carry on the task of protecting the scroll from those that would abuse it. Chow Yun Fat plays the role of the inheritor of the power. Whoever has the power of the scroll is also protected form aging so they can properly protect it. Soon after being entrusted with this task, the Nazis attack and one of the commanders wishes to have the scroll for the glory of the Third Reich. The Monk escapes and the commander is left empty handed.

Skip ahead 60 years to New York and The Monk has yet to age and he is looking for the one like him who will carry on. He finds potential in a young pick pocket named Kar, played by Seann William Scott. Of course, the Nazi has not died in these 60 years, he is an old man, and the only thing that keeps him going is trying to get his hands on the scroll, with the help of his equally twisted granddaughter. Throw in a love interest for Kar named Jade, who happens to be the daughter of a Russian Mafia boss, and you have yourself the basic plot right there.

What really bothers me about these types of movies is the always present Artifact of Ultimate Power that must be protected by a lone warrior. I mean, who the hell made this thing and why was it not just destroyed? Perhaps the aesthetics hoped one day the world would be ready for such power and would not jump at the opportunity to abuse it. Whatever the reasons, I still find it fairly ludicrous. There is of course a required prophecy with three parts foretelling the one and how to identify him or her. Also the big bad old Nazi has some weird contraption that can sift through your mind, and his base of operations is hidden in the first place I would think to look, the Human Rights Organization.

Despite all the flaws, it is still fun if you just turn your brain off and enjoy some of the fight scenes and I will admit that the humour is actually funny, especially the pearls of monkly wisdom The Monk recites, while Kar often makes fun of them or takes his own twist on them.