Up until he unexpectedly became a James Gunn regular with appearances in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and The Suicide Squad, Sylvester Stallone’s track record in the comic book genre wasn’t exactly stellar, with 2012’s forgotten flop Bullet to the Head existing on the same unwanted pedestal as the infamous Judge Dredd.
Adapted from the French graphic novel Du plomb dans la tĂȘte, there were plenty of reasons to be excited heading into the hard-hitting action thriller’s release, not least of all the prospect of seeing a legend like Sly partnering up with the equally iconic Walter Hill to tackle a project that was comfortably within each of their respective wheelhouses. On paper, at least.
Unfortunately, the long-awaited collaboration between the Rambo and Cobra star and the filmmaker behind The Warriors and Red Heat arrived two decades too late, with Bullet to the Head finding itself widely panned by critics and audiences alike as it limped towards an embarrassing box office tally of just $22 million – not even half of the estimated production budget.
The formulaic story finds Stallone’s veteran hitman forging a tenuous alliance with Sung Kang’s cop on an effort to take down a shared nemesis, who in this case happens to be Jason Momoa’s ex-mercenary. Even though Bullet to the Head features two genre titans engaging in an axe battle, it still wasn’t enough to save the film from disaster.
That being said, A-to-B actioners always find a way of gathering newfound momentum on streaming, with FlixPatrol outing the dismal dud as one of the most-watched features on Netflix to underline that a new member has been welcomed into the club.