Joe Bullet tells the story of a soccer team that
is harassed by a gangster who aims to make money betting on the other team in
the championship game. After Lucas, the Eagles’ trainer is murdered, the team
solicits the help of Joe Bullet (Ken Gampu) to not only train the team, but
keep the players safe and get to the bottom of the troubles. The gambler wants
the Eagles’ two best players to defect to the other team, the Falcons, and
their lives are threatened.
The murder of Lucas is handled really well. As Lucas is
signing an autograph for a child (the kid wants the trainer’s autograph to
complete his collection, apparently), he is stabbed. There is a nice shot of
blood splattering on the kid’s autograph book. There is also a great and
surprising shot when Dan Poko, the president of the Eagles club, is driving,
and someone fires at him from an approaching vehicle. Though it is weird that
he checks the car’s damage before asking his female companion in the
passenger’s seat if she’s all right. His priorities might be a bit out of
whack. In another scene, he is more concerned about the villains getting away
than in rescuing that woman from his car, even pulling Joe away from the rescue
effort in order to point out which way the villains were going.
Joe Bullet has a reputation, as the villains recognize
him immediately and are made nervous by his presence. So to take him out, they
enlist a karate expert named Spike, who apparently decides to use a bomb. But
it’s not clear how Joe developed his reputation. What exactly does he do? We
see that he’s an expert shot, and that he’s also quite good with a knife. But
does he also have a background in soccer? After all, one of the things he’s
hired to do is train the team. It would be great to have a bit of backstory for
him.
The shot of Joe removing his old man disguise goes on
much longer than necessary. And there is a somewhat pointless scene of people
dancing. But there is some really good stuff here as well. I like that after a
fight, Joe is actually tired, worn out, as he walks away. There is a realistic
grittiness to the action that I appreciate. And when Jerry (one of the targeted
players) says, “I’d rather play for the Falcons and stay alive,” well,
it’s difficult to argue with him. Joe Bullet is not a great movie, but
it’s definitely worth seeing. (Although I should point out that phones in that
part of the world have the most annoying ring sound I’ve ever heard.)
Special Features
DVD contains a fascinating commentary track by Tonie van
der Merwe, the film’s writer and producer, and Benjamin Cowley of Gravel Road
Entertainment Group, the company responsible for the restoration of the film.
The very first thing they talk about is why exactly the film was banned. One
reason is that it showed a black man handing a gun. Another is that it showed a
black man driving a sports car. Wow. Just wow. Later in the commentary they add
that the amount of violence in the film was another reason for it being banned.
The opening footage is of an actual soccer game that the filmmakers attended.
The character of Joe Bullet was imagined as a black James Bond. They also talk
about how most of the dialogue was done in post, and that it was difficult in
the restoration process to get the dialogue to sync with picture.
Interestingly, there is actually a sequel to this film. Titled Bullet On The
Run, it was made approximately a decade after Joe Bullet, and they
talk briefly about it.
The special features also include the film’s trailer and
a demonstration of the restoration process.
Joe Bullet was directed by Louis De Witt, and was
released on DVD on February 21, 2017 through The Film Detective.
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