2016-01-31

20160131: Action Review--Badasses on the Bayou




Name: Badasses on the Bayou (2015)
IMDb: link to IMDb

Genres: Action   Country of Origin: USA

Cast: Danny Trejo as Frank Vega, Danny Glover as Bernie Pope, John Amos as Earl, Loni Love as Carmen, Davi Jai as Chief Broussard.

Jimmy Bennett as Ronald, Sammi Rotibi as Geoffrey, Colby Arps as Cal, Jon Arthur as Sheriff's Deputy, Deborah Ayorinde as Taryn, Lucius Baston as HS Security Guard, Allen Boudreaux as Detective, Chelsea Bruland as Marissa, Ross P. Cook as Ass Kicker, Miles Doleac as Talk Show Host.

Written and directed by: Craig Moss.


The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux:
We open in Los Angeles.  Frank's gym and Bernie's bodega were bombed and burned in the last film.  They apply for a loan to rebuild, and are being turned down when a bank robbery starts.  Our heroes break up the heist, and receive Internet and television accolades for it.  Rosaria had moved to a new job in Florida. Carmen, their friend in LAPD, calls from Baton Rouge.  She's getting married to Geoffrey.  Her father is a generous mood, and springs for flying them in from Los Angeles.

Delineation of conflicts:
The reception in Baton Rouge was lovely.  Then there is a break in at Carmen's family's estate.  The intruders kidnap Carmen.  Frank fights them, but there are so many that they prevail.

The Sheriff is not interested in the help of the Bad Asses from Los Angeles.  The kidnappers want 5 million USD.  Frank and Bernie heed the call from Carmen's mother to find her daughter.  Carmen's brother Ronald finds a clue: a Mr Buford at a racist strip bar.  The guys are off on the chase, and it looks tough from the get go.  The people behind it seem to be a group who has it in for Carmen's rich black father.

Ronald keeps getting bullied by Kyle, the son of the Sheriff's deputy.  Frank and Bernie help him out, but Earl makes the case for pacifism.  The kidnapping tests that pacifism severely.

Resolution: Frank and Bernie uncover some unfortunate connections.  Do they have too much stacked up against them?

One line summary: Frank and Bernie against Louisiana corruption.


Statistics:

  a. Cinematography: 8/10 Nicely shot.  Captures the grittiness of Louisiana poverty, the excesses of the wealthy, and the squalor of the oil industry installations.

  b. Sound: 8/10 A bit smoother than the last film; some lovely background music.

  c. Acting: 7/10 Trejo is still effective as a buff and decisive senior citizen.  Glover was more fun than in the last film.  John Amos was good as usual.  I was glad to see Loni Love get a larger role.  Davi Jai gave a nice performance as the corrupt Sheriff.

  d. Screenplay: 6/10 The story is fairly straightforward, with reasonable beginning to middle to end. It provides Trejo and Glover opportunities to be ordinary citizens dispensing righteous justice against institutional corruption.

Final rating: 7/10


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