Bullet is a 1996 crime drama film directed by Julien Temple and starring Mickey Rourke as Butch "Bullet" Stein, who's just gotten out of jail. Moving back in with his Dysfunctional Family, he finds himself being drawn back to drugs and crime.
The movie was not widely released or considered particularly ground-breaking, but the plot, tone and performances were spoken well of by some critics. Also appearing are Ted Levine and Adrien Brody as Bullet's brothers Louis and Ruby, Matthew Powers as his friend Paddy, Donnie Wahlberg as Paddy's sidekick Big Balls, Tupac Shakur—who died before the film came out—as Tank, the Big Bad, and Peter Dinklage in a cameo as a building manager.
Unrelated to the old video game.
Tropes:
- Beware the Silly Ones: Louis is treated as a somewhat clownish character, but in the final scene he avenges Bullet by infiltrating Tank's house in commando gear and slitting his throat.
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: Bullet is a former sports player and junkie. His brothers are a graffiti artist and a shell-shocked veteran, his dad sees all of them as disappointments and his mother is a somewhat fraught peacemaker.
- Death Seeker: In the climax, Bullet refuses several efforts of Paddy, Ruby and Big Balls to try and save him from Tank.
- Descent into Addiction: Bullet has a lot of track marks on his arm, and clearly hates it but can't stop using.
- Eccentric Artist: Downplayed with Ruby, who has a lot of talent but chooses to paint elaborate grafitti murals instead of anything on a canvas.
- Eye Scream: Tank has it out for Bullet because Bullet stabbed out his eye while they were in jail together.
- A Lighter Shade of Black: Paddy and his two henchmen in their turf war with Tank, especially since Tank wants Bullet dead while they like him.
- Mistaken for Gay: Probably. Bullet speculates his friend Lester might be gay due to his flashy dressing and some psychological factors (the loss of his parents) in his upbringing believed to contribute to homosexuality in the past. Lester gets a prolonged sex scene with a woman, although that might have just been trying to compensate over Bullet's claims.
- Murder by Mistake: Tank poisons a package of drugs that Lester buys (knowing it's meant for Bullet) but another junkie takes it and dies instead.
- Naked People Are Funny: When Bullet and Lester rob a couple of young yuppie drug dealers and strip them naked the scene is Played for Laughs.
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Tank wants to be the one to kill Bullet.
- Pet the Dog: Tank doesn't kill Ruby despite his role as a witness to Bullet's murder.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Louis is a Vietnam veteran, likely having served while in his late teens given his actors age. note He goes around at night in his old gear, walks around in his underwear during the day (while he's at the house anyway) and trains the local kids in survival techniques at the park.
- Taking the Heat: Bullet has spent eight years in prison for a robbery really committed by his friend Paddy, who feels bad about this and tries to help him out as a result.
