Bullet to the Head (Warner Bros.)

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Already riding high on his career resurgence with the two Expendables movies, Sylvester Stallone stars in another ode to the action films of the 1980s with "Bullet to the Head."

Directed by Walter Hill, this film will satisfy those who look for the fluffiest of action movies.

Stallone plays Jimmy “Jimbo” Bobo, a New Orleans hit man working with his partner Louis (Jon Seda) to complete an assignment to take out a druggie. But when it leads to Jimbo’s partner’s death, detective Taylor Kwon (Sung Kang) arrives to find out that the druggie was his ex-partner.

Soon, Jimbo and Kwon are working together to find out who is selling the drugs to corrupt cops and politicians.

The trail leads them to a crooked lawyer (Christian Slater), who reveals to them that the leader of the drug ring is an ex-African warlord (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje).

Now, Jimbo and Kwon have to find a way to locate the warlord despite not trusting each other. Just then, the tough Keegan (Game of Thrones’ Jason Momoa) kidnaps Jimbo’s daughter Lisa (Sarah Shahi), which puts him on a personal mission.

Describing Stallone’s character in the movie, he’s like if Rocky Balboa transformed into John Rambo before working as Marion “Cobra” Cobretti. It may not be original, but it’s the kind of character the actor wonderfully embodies.

The conflict between Jimbo and Kwon is what drives the story. Sure the dialogue could’ve used more polishing, but the actors tried their best to keep things interesting with Stallone at the forefront, as always.

The film’s weakest point is the villains being one-dimensional. They’re not as interesting as the villains Eric Roberts and Jean-Claude Van Damme played in the two Expendables films. 

The only one to give any kind of credibility is Momoa and his tough-guy persona that makes for a far more intimidating opponent for Stallone than the actual villains. The climatic ax-fight between the two is the film’s highlight and it’s one of the most satisfying fight scenes in Stallone’s films. 

As with any Stallone film, you can expect a big body count and bombastic explosions.

But if you still expect a movie like this to have any message, please look elsewhere because it’s meant to be a fun throwback to the action movies of the past.

"Bullet to the Head" is recommended to anyone who wants to spend more than an hour-and-a-half watching Stallone in action. If you can get past any of the film’s misgivings, it can be a fun ride.

THE MOVIE’S RATING: R (for strong violence, bloody images, language, some nudity and brief drug use)

THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3 Stars (Out of Four)