Bullet to the Head (2012)
Bullet to the Head is a gritty, fast-paced action thriller directed by Walter Hill and starring Sylvester Stallone as a hardened New Orleans hitman who finds himself forced into an uneasy alliance with a cop to seek vengeance for the murder of his partner. The film is based on the French graphic novel Du plomb dans la tête (Headshot) by Alexis Nolent.
The story begins in the murky underworld of New Orleans, where veteran hitman James “Jimmy Bobo” Bonomo (Sylvester Stallone) and his partner Louis Blanchard (Jon Seda) are hired to eliminate a corrupt ex-cop. After completing the job, Jimmy meets his client’s liaison, Keegan (Jason Momoa), who double-crosses them and kills Louis in cold blood. Enraged and betrayed, Jimmy vows to hunt down the man responsible, even as his criminal activities draw the attention of law enforcement.
Enter Detective Taylor Kwon (Sung Kang), a straight-laced Washington D.C. cop who arrives in New Orleans to investigate the same murder case. Kwon quickly realizes that Jimmy and Louis were involved, but before he can arrest Jimmy, the two men find themselves targeted by the same criminal organization — led by ruthless businessman Robert Morel (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and his icy lawyer Marcus Baptiste (Christian Slater). Realizing they’re after the same people for different reasons, the cop and the hitman reluctantly team up to uncover the conspiracy.
Their investigation reveals a web of political corruption, property schemes, and assassination contracts that tie directly to Morel’s real estate empire. Jimmy and Kwon’s partnership is full of tension — Kwon believes in law and order, while Jimmy lives by his own brutal code of vengeance. Despite their differences, they gradually form a grudging respect as they fight their way through ambushes, betrayals, and hired killers.
The action escalates toward a bloody showdown. Jimmy’s daughter, Lisa (Sarah Shahi), a tattoo artist who has long resented her father’s criminal lifestyle, becomes a target when Keegan kidnaps her to lure Jimmy into a trap. In the film’s climactic sequence, Jimmy confronts Keegan in an abandoned warehouse. What follows is an intense, bare-knuckle fight between two seasoned killers — a brutal duel fought with axes, fists, and raw fury. In the end, Jimmy triumphs, killing Keegan and rescuing his daughter.
Despite Kwon’s efforts to bring Jimmy to justice, the hitman refuses to surrender. Aware that he cannot escape his violent past, Jimmy accepts his fate and disappears back into the shadows of New Orleans, leaving Kwon to file his report alone.
Bullet to the Head blends the style of classic ’80s action films with modern grit, delivering explosive fight choreography, dry humor, and the kind of stoic heroism that defines Stallone’s on-screen persona. Beneath its violent exterior lies a story about loyalty, corruption, and the thin line between justice and vengeance — a world where bullets and betrayal often go hand in hand.
