Name: Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses (2014)
IMDb: link to IMDb
Genres: Action Country of Origin: USA
Cast: Danny Trejo as Frank Vega, Danny Glover as Bernie Pope, Andrew Divoff as Leandro Herrera, Jacqueline Obradors as Rosaria Parkes.
Elizabeth Barondes as Diane, Dante Bosco as Gangly Asian, Federico Berte as Sparring Partner, Jeremy Ray Valdez as Manny Parkes, Melany Ochoa as Julia Parkes, Hawk Walts as Purvis, Ignacio Serricchio as Adolfo, Con Shell as Drake, Patrick Fabian as Officer Malark.
Written and directed by: Craig Moss.
The initial tableaux:
We open in Frank Vega's apartment. In the sequel he still has his dog, he still is old, but now he has the notoriety from the first film, plus he's an honorary policeman. Frank's flat connects to a boxing gym that he operates. The other side of the gym connects to a bodega that Bernie operates. Frank and Bernie have traded insults for the last three years. Manny has been a bit of a protege of Frank's, and gives him a smartphone with a heartfelt message as a gift.
Delineation of conflicts:
Adolfo has a beef with Manny, and has his goons kill him. Manny seemed to have no idea what the beef was before he died. Frank would like more answers about Manny's passing, as would Rosaria.
After Frank stops an armed robbery against Bernie's place, Officer Malark tells Frank that Manny's body was found with drugs on it of substantial street value. The trail starts for Frank when he questions Tuscon, one of Manny's friends at the gym. Frank gives the drug pushers a bruising, and destroys a load of drugs. At first, it seems like Frank has dealt with the folks who killed Manny, but of course there is more to it than that.
Frank wants answers, Bernie wants answers, Manny's family wants answers. The perpetrators would prefer silence. This includes Adolfo and his father Leandro, who has the money and position in upper LA society to make things difficult for Frank and Bernie.
Resolution: Frank makes some progress using his fists, but needs more than just direct force.
One line summary: Frank Vega versus LA drug criminals.
Statistics:
a. Cinematography: 7/10 A little soft and grainy.
b. Sound: 7/10 Some of the exaggerated sound used in fights is over the top in terms of volume. The dialog is clear, and the incidental music is OK for a revenge film with class warfare elements.
c. Acting: 5/10 Trejo is still effective as a buff and decisive senior citizen. Glover was reasonable as a crotchety agoraphobic older man. Andrew Divoff was a good choice for an underworld figure who could also function in the upper registers of LA society. Most of the bit players were not nearly as good.
d. Screenplay: 6/10 The story is fairly straightforward, with reasonable beginning to middle to end. It provides Trejo opportunities to be an ordinary citizen dispensing righteous justice. As a vehicle for exploiting the black hole of powerlessness against drug crime, it's at least moderately successful.
Final rating: 6/10 It's Danny Trejo, but I hope that Bad Ass 3 (also done with Glover) is the last in the series.
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