Frank Vega (Danny Trejo) is a seemingly docile AARP aged member of Los Angeles. His back story traces him to a “classic” upbringing on a farm in California, where he lived the prototypical football star/beautiful girlfriend status in high school. But instead of “staying put,” he enlisted for the U.S. Armed Services during the Vietnam war. After spending seven years as a G.I. and one year in a P.O.W camp, he returned home and received the Purple Heart. When he got back on his feet, he sought after the only thing that kept him going, his Lindsay (Jillian Murray). But when he payed her the much anticipated visit, her life had moved on without him; children in tow. Heartbroken, he went looking for employment, but was not given a chance. The determined Frank opened up a hot dog stand to build up enough resources to make his own way. Unfortunately, this subsistence has tuned out to be Vega’s “lot in life.” That is until fate pushed him up.
One day on the city bus, minding his own, two miscreants attempt to assault an elderly gentleman. Frank comes to the rescue and stops a fist mid flight. They don’t take too kindly to the resistance and start a fight with him. Wrong move. The videos of him layin’ the smack down go viral, and Vega becomes an overnight colloquial hero. His new found fame affords him police “ride alongs” and morning show appearances. But hard times come back just a few months later, when his mother passes. She leaves him her house in the heart of an L.A. “hood,” where he allows life friend Klondike (Harrison Page) to move in. But the very first night in the new domicile, Klondike is shot and killed. And while Mayor Williams (Ron Perlman) has made promises to “clean up the streets,” crime still lingers heavily over Vega’s life and community. This prompts the old vet to take matters into his own hands and bring Klondike’s killers to justice. Problem is he may be in a bit over his head when he starts kicking down the right doors and the wrong people start taking notice.
To understand the appeal of this movie, one only needs to look at what it’s based upon. In case you missed it, there was an incident a few years back called the AC Transit Bus fight that involved a physical spat between two men. A younger black guy only known as Michael overheard a conversation between an unnamed party and an older man named Thomas “Tom Slick” Bruso. The linked article says any and all thing about the altercation, but the point is that the whole thing is just kind of silly. To which can be used to describe Bad Ass to a tee. The premise is simple, at best, and the budget is lacking. All of that is clear. And Craig Moss headed up co-writing and directing duties. This “limited” set up will inevitably produce a b-movie. I mean, it was “straight-to-disc” even!
But this film never takes itself too seriously, and that’s what makes it work. Humor is every where to be found, and saves many a scene. Vulgarity flows out of almost every character without restraint, no matter the setting. The action sequences are decent, but even these carry with them a “laughing with, not at” mentality. Trejo puts in the usual Trejo work. Soft spoken in that unnerving “oh s***, this guy is about to lose it” sensibility. And when he has to apply foot firmly to bee-hind, it’s more than believable. And even though Perlman has “second billing” he’s in this only fleetingly. The real co-star is Charles S. Dutton. The gangster he plays is the appropriate comically insane criminal that echoes in harmony with Danny.
And we have now reached the pros and cons portion of today’s program. Pros: the presentation is uncannily strong considering the “size” of the film. The HD resolution is just as good as most other Blu-Rays I’ve seen. And the 5.1 DTS-HD Master track sounds great. Cons: the extras depth plainly sucks. Two pieces, that’s it.
-“Birth of a Bad Ass”: Shows how the video of Tom Slick inspired director Craig Moss and Danny Trejo in their attempt to build this cinematic piece.
There is also Commentary with Moss.