Bad Ass

Inspired by the YouTube viral video of 67-year-old Thomas Bruso, 'Bad Ass' is a brass-knuckles return to the revenge/vigilante films of yore. It doesn't quite have the kitsch or the over-indulgent exuberance of a Robert Rodriguez movie, or provide the sly adulation and witty dialogue expected of a Quentin Tarantino feature, but what it lacks in production value, and perhaps a slightly better script, it more than makes up for it in its gusto and wish to deliver a straightforward exploitation flick for a modern audience. The film comes with a facetious tone, injecting a few self-aware quips to break up the seriousness, but it doesn't make itself the butt of the joke. Its overall intent is to be enjoyed as an old-school action thriller.

The movie starts by acknowledging the story's inspiration as Danny Trejo sits quietly in the back of the city bus. It's not an exact copy of the events seen in the internet video — in fact, it's not even close — but you get the gist of it. The point is not to imitate as more importantly establish our would-be hero's celebrity status amongst the community before being forced to clean-up the streets. It's a common plot device used in the subgenre which quickly garners the character support from the locals as well win over the viewers that would normally despise such self-serving violence. Here, Trejo is seen on the worldwide web dishing out a butt-kicking to two Nazi skinheads pestering a senior citizen, which quickly earns him the nickname "Bad Ass."

Another familiar contrivance is Trejo's Frank Vega being a Vietnam Vet. He's not the disgruntled type who blames society or the government, but a decorated soldier who's been heavily marginalized and wants more than anything to live a normal, quiet life. But this wouldn't be much of a movie if it all went in that direction. Sometime after the internet video has made Frank into a recognizable face on the back of T-shirts, his best friend Klondike (Harrison Page) is murdered over a flash drive. Unable to get proper help from the police, our war hero with a heart of gold feels forced to take matters into his own hands, which is yet another quirky ploy to get the plot moving and see the untempered hand of justice wielded.

One aspect of the script from Elliot Tishman and Craig Moss, who also takes directing credits, worth admiring — and it's surprisingly not the only one — is how the story and the mystery takes its time to evolve. We travel with Frank as he questions many people from the neighborhood, man-handling a few of them because they deserve it in some form or another and simply talking with others about the violent conditions of the city. In hilarious vigilante-genre fashion, Ron Perlman and Charles S. Dutton are at the center of everything that's wrong. Along the way, we get a sweet subplot involving a wisecracking kid (John Duffy) and his mother (Joyful Drake), whose name Amber Lamps is a clever jab at the original YouTube video.

Admittedly, 'Bad Ass' is not a movie for everyone, especially when considering its low-rent, direct-to-video feel can dampen some of its potential, but there is also a good deal worth praising, coming mostly from the filmmakers' desire to bring back the old-school action thriller. Those with a familiarity of the movies it also tries to recapture will also catch the humorous nods to 'Death Wish' or the hand in the garbage disposal from 'Rolling Thunder.' But if for nothing else, this low-budget actioner is worth watching just to see Trejo and Dutton duke it out on the front lawn of someone's house. Or better yet, to see how the filmmakers hysterically repurpose the bus chase scene of 1988's 'Red Heat.'

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment brings 'Bad Ass' to Blu-ray on a Region A locked, BD25 disc inside a blue eco-vortex keepcase. The disc commences with a series of skippable trailers before switching over to the standard main menu option with full-motion clips and music.