A common complaint these days in the film industry is the lack of original content. There are tons of remakes and sequels that have been released in recent years; but what happens when instead of merely copying or remaking a movie you ghetto gangsterize it? You get Bad Ass.
Frank Vega (Danny Trejo) is an old honored Vietnam vet that unfortunately never caught a break in his life. He ends up protecting another elderly gentleman on the bus and suddenly becomes famous. Just as things are starting to finally look up for him in his life, he experiences two tragedies. The second tragedy is the murder of his good friend. This turns him into a vigilante hell bent on finding the killer and reason behind it. As expected, Vega leaves a huge path of destruction and death behind. Along the way he unwinds a plot that’s much bigger than just the death of his friend at the hands of some gang bangers. Oh and of course along the way there is a touching love story thrown in as well; which results in one of the most awkward looking on screen families I’ve ever seen in my life.
The story has been done hundreds of times over and I’ve likely seen most of those, however, this is by far the most gangsterific version. It’s almost so ghetto gangsterized that the movie becomes original, the key word there being almost. Without giving too much away the movie takes place in a neighborhood where gang violence is a normal occurrence and the police never show up when called. The family next store to Vega has deep issues, including abuse (not that this can’t occur anywhere). All in all, it’s a very stereotypical representation of the hood, that when combined with the aforementioned family problems that border on racism in my mind but at the same time add to the ghettoness, it’s a fine line.
The special features on this Blu-ray are definitely limited. They include audio commentary from writer-director Craig Moss, a featurette called “Birth a Bad Ass” which is a mix of interviews, behind the scenes footage, and film clips. If you enjoyed the movie they are worth a watch, otherwise skip them as there isn’t anything too interesting here to see.
Rating: Watch if you like Danny Trejo beating people up (5.5/10)
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