Review: Bad Ass

68 year-old Danny Trejo stars as 60ish Vietnam veteran Frank Vega, who has found employment opportunities limited and has mostly worked as a hot dog vendor. However, he at least becomes a YouTube sensation when he decides to bring the pain to a couple of dopey skinheads on a bus, which is filmed by another passenger. Sadly, that same day his best buddy (Harrison Page) is murdered, and decides to do something about it, since the cops don’t seem to be getting anywhere. The trail leads to a gangster named Panther (Charles S. Dutton, of all people), who is in cahoots with the town’s corrupt mayor (Ron Perlman, much easier to believe). Meanwhile, Frank also gets involved with a young boy (John Duffy, in an amateurish turn) and his mother (Joyful Drake), who has a douchebag husband.

 

Although the title and star Danny Trejo suggest a “Machete”-esque arse-kicking action movie, this 2012 film from director/co-writer Craig Moss (who mostly works in the field of parodies like the mostly laugh-free “41-Year Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall And Felt Superbad About It”) is more of a late 70s/early 80s style trashy vigilante movie. Or perhaps a Mexican version of a blaxploitation movie with more emphasis on drama inspired by a true story. You’ve seen it all before, but you haven’t seen it with Danny Trejo, and that makes for some difference. In fact, this is like the kinder, gentler side of Danny Trejo...except for the parts when he’s beating people up. Still, Frank’s a flesh-and-blood, relatable human being, not a hulking Mexican bad ass (if you’ll pardon the pun) mofo.

 

It’s not exactly a good movie, and not schlocky enough, either, but I kinda liked it in a poor man’s “Gran Torino” sort of way. I just wish the action were more in the “Machete” mould, instead of the urban vigilante mould, though Trejo is certainly preferable to a latter day Charles Bronson. Unlike most 60ish actors, formerly incarcerated Trejo is one guy I really wouldn’t try my luck with in a fight. Trejo is solid and perfectly cast (his kick-arse theme music is awesome too, much as I hate hippity hop), but the rest of the cast is a mixed bag. “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” and “Wrong Bet” co-star Harrison Page is good fun and makes for a good buddy relationship with Trejo, but he leaves the film far too early. Meanwhile, Ron Perlman is appallingly wasted and who shockingly never gets to interact with Trejo, despite basically being the main villain. That puts a helluva lot of weight on the broad shoulders of character actor Charles S. Dutton (like Trejo, an ex-con in real life and in his 60s), dressed like Cee-Lo Green, and seemingly having a lot of fun playing the bad guy for a change. I’m not sure it’s a change I terribly like, but he’s certainly lively, if unthreatening. He’s certainly a better class of actor than you normally find in this sort of thing. Aside from a great cameo by Mickey from “Seinfeld”, all of the other actors are nondescript and underwhelming, although I did like the character of the local cop who looks out for Frank, clearly knowing that he has a habit of getting into trouble.

 

I have to say that the film features the worst CG flames you’ll ever see in your life. My Lord are they godawful fake. Apparently the film is loosely based on real events (the real-life character was apparently more of a loudmouth arsehole), but it’s standard urban violence stuff for the most part, and needn’t have been tied to anything factual.

 

It’s not a great film, but it’s a watchable one that will especially please fans of Trejo, who is perfect here. It’s certainly more enjoyable than “Harry Brown” or “Death Wish”. Terrifically nasty bit with a garbage disposal unit, too. Ouch.

 

Rating: B-