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[tab title="Movie Review"]
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Aging Bad Ass Frank Vega (Danny Trejo) returns to protect his Los Angeles neighborhood from the villains, the heathens, and the drug lords that surround his boxing community center. But this time he has help from a local bodega owner Bernie Pope (Danny Glover). Yes, Bad Ass 2 is a “two-for-the-price-of-one” type of flick. Unfortunately, the inspiration starts and stops there.
Also returning to the Bad Ass fold is director Craig Moss whose script – featuring the murder of a promising young fighter Manny Parkes (Jeremy Ray Valdez) and a love interest for Vega in the role of Manny’s widowed mother (Jacqueline Obradors) – has little of the charm that made the original flick so interesting. This is still a low budget affair but the acting has also diminished.
Completely predictable, Bad Ass 2 fails to even suggest danger – especially when an ice pick is jammed completely into the right eye of one character and it only blinds him. Bodies are discovered mutilated but no one seems to care. Apartments are blown up with little impact to the characters. This seems to be a quick cash grab from Moss, who seems to know the whole Bad Ass impact of the first one is already disappearing.
This is low brow comic book stuff; without wit; without purpose. And don’t get me started on the dumb banter between Trejo and Glover. Lethal Weapon this isn’t and yet it tries to play-up the fact that hush-voiced Glover is Vega’s buddy. He wears a lime green running suit and, standing next to Trejo’s plaid shirt, makes a decent – if not ludicrous – visual joke.
The flick is just so disposable in attitude and in spirit that – even for 90 minutes – it is a bit of chore. Nothing resonates within the LA street culture or within the parody of an old guy taking it to the thugs and young turks in the street. If Craig Moss does indeed think he’s being funny then he needs a second opinion because the joke is over.
Bad Ass 2 is a better idea on paper then on screen and our stars – without much threat or fear – simply walk through this production carrying hockey sticks and a baseball bat.
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[tab title="Film Details"]
MPAA Rating: R for violence, language, some sexuality/nudity and drug use.
Runtime: 91 mins
Director: Craig Moss
Writer: Craig Moss
Cast: Danny Trejo, Danny Glover, Andrew Divoff
Genre: Drama | Action
Tagline: Bad Asses.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Didn't anybody teach you to respect your elders?"
Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Official Site: https://www.facebook.com/TheyAreBadAss
Release Date: No theatrical release
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: April 8, 2014
Synopsis:
The action-packed follow-up to the 2012 cult hit Bad Ass. Vietnam veteran Frank Vega (Danny Trejo) returns with a new partner in Bernie (Danny Glover) as they clean up the streets and take the law into their own hands.
Since we last saw Frank, he followed his dream and opened a Community Center in East Los Angeles where he mentors young boxers, not only in the ring, but in life. When his prized student, Manny, gets in over his head with a bad crowd and winds up dead, Frank and Bernie team up, finding themselves ensnared in one life threatening predicament after another. Forced to escape using the only weapons they have their wits and their fists they must survive the onslaught of fury that is brought upon them and Franks new found love from a high powered, politically connected foe, Leandro (Andrew Divoff).
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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
Blu-ray Details:
Available on Blu-ray - April 8, 2014
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: 25GB Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD); UV digital copy; Digital copy (as download)
Region Encoding: A
The made-for-home video film is framed at 1.78:1 and is presented in 1080p resolution using the AVC codec. Picture quality is astonishingly terrific with crisp sharpness, vibrant color (and very believable skin tones), and contrast dialed in to perfection throughout. The budget may have been small for this enterprise, but the picture quality could not have been bettered. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix offers a perfectly decent but not exemplary audio experience. Dialogue has been well recorded and has been placed in the center channel.
Supplements:
Commentary:
- None
Special Features:
The only feature is a 10-minute look at the making of the film. Danny Glover and Trejo describe their characters, director-writer Craig Moss explains the plot, and actors Jacqueline Obradors, Ignacio Serricchio, and Jeremy Ray Valdez praise the director and one another for their expertise and professionalism. Basic stuff and definitely not worth the price of admission.
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[tab title="Trailer"]
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