Saying that Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses is better than Bad Ass offers little promise of
quality; enduring the small-stature bravado of Danny Trejo’s persona is far
less believable when forced to watch him attempt to act. Never before have I
longed so desperately for Robert Rodriguez to swoop in and make light of bad
filmmaking and horrendously contrived melodrama. Trejo really never belongs in
a leading role, unless it is a film which is based entirely upon a joke premise
that allows him to revel in bad acting. Bad
Asses is nowhere close to the Machete
franchise, but at least throws logic and common sense away in the climactic
sequences. The absolute absurdity makes these moments unbelievable and campy,
and this is almost bad enough to save Bad Asses from itself and its stars.
The ‘based on a
true story’ premise is tossed to the wind this time around, though this was
little more than a jumping off point for the first movie anyway. Known for
protecting the weak and helpless in his East L.A.
community, Frank Vega (Trejo) runs a community center where he trains boxers.
After a secret life dealing drugs ruins the life of his star pupil, Vega sets
out for justice against a kingpin. Trejo alone is not enough to carry another
film, though he tries hard enough to intimidate with countless pointless action
sequences that pit him against a large number of younger assailants.
One old man may
have been a bit too unrealistic to fight a crime lord who comes equipped with a
helicopter, so Vega enlists the help of an elderly agoraphobic liquor store
owner named Bernie (Danny Glover). This instantly sets into motion a Lethal Weapon dynamic of bad one-liners
and predictable action sequences, but Bad
Asses finds its stride when throwing all logic out of the window. Neither
one of these actors can carry a film alone, but the chemistry between them
paired with the stupidity of the script is an oddly fitting match. Endure the
first 70 minutes for a mildly amusing finale.
The Blu-ray
offers little in terms of visual or audio enhancement, though the quality of
filmmaking has improved greatly from the first film. Again, this is hardly a
compliment. The special features include only a making-of featurette of the
most generic quality.
Entertainment Value:
4.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 3.5/10
Historical
Significance: 2/10
Special Features: 2.5/10
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