An email hit my inbox this week to inform me that Danny Trejo and Danny Glover have wrapped production on BAD ASS 3: BAD ASSES IN THE BAYOU. I didn’t know that a third film was in production, and I haven’t seen 2012’s BAD ASS. But then I recalled another email – a link to a digital screener of BAD ASS 2: BAD ASSES, which is scheduled to hit Blu-ray and DVD on April 8th. With my family in bed and I settling in for another night of work in my office here at Rock Father HQ, I fired up Computer #2 and loaded-up BAD ASSES, fully expecting it to be filler. Much to my surprise, I can now blame it for delaying my work by an hour-and-a-half… It’s actually an entertaining and fun little action flick, with a few really great performances thrown in.
The basic gist is that Danny Trejo plays Frank Vega, the owner of a local boxing center where he trains at-risk youngsters. Then we’ve got Danny Glover as Bernie Pope, proprietor of a convenience store where Vega tends to shop. The two old-timers trade verbal jabs once in awhile, but they don’t really team-up until the BAD ASS (Trejo) needs another Bad Ass (Glover) to save him from the hands of some thugs who’ve come back for another round, having already been whooped once before, and it’s all because Frank’s favorite student met his demise after getting involved with some folks that were peddling dope. If it sounds like something from an 80s/early 90s action film, you’re not far off, because it carries much of that feel – and charm – and nothing locks that in better than the arrival of the one and only, Andrew Divoff as Leondro Herrara.
You know Divoff, as he usually plays a villain, and was great in LOST, TOY SOLIDERS (1991), AIR FORCE ONE and WISHMASTER. A friend of mine, Robert Kurtzman, actually directed the latter, along with a 2007 film that Divoff starred in called THE RAGE. Fun fact: A concrete life mask of Andrew Divoff as Dr. Viktor Vasilienko from that film is hanging in my garage right now as I type this. I didn’t know that Divoff was in BAD ASSES, and it just made the film even better… and yes, he’s the bad guy.
{source}{/source}
As the two Danny’s head out for justice, there’s some great moments between Trejo and a little girl named Julia, played by actress Melany Ochoa. I know it’s because I’m in-tune to it now being a parent and running this site, but there’s a definite connection between the two, and Trejo is pretty convincing as he plays Barbie with this little one… and builds a secret hideaway for her. It’s very sweet, and Ochoa is good.
There’s some fun action sequences, good use of an oscillating fan (against Jonathan Lipnicki, no less – the kid from JERRY MAGUIRE), great use of an ice pick, and some of the finest green-screen driving I’ve seen since DUKES OF HAZZARD.
Since we know there’s a BAD ASS 3 on the way, suffice to say that Danny2 is a winning combo, and in the end all is well. Worth a watch? Indeed, especially if action with a dash of comedy and heart is your bag.
The Rock Father Rating: 3/5 Stars
Order some BAD ASS Action via (my affiliate) Amazon:
{source}
