Bad Ass [2012] Review + Epic Beard Man

I would like to think of myself as “hip” and “with it”, but every once in a while something happens that I miss that I think “I’m really out of the loop”, case in point, Danny Trejo’s new revenge movie “Bad Ass.”

I originally read about this film a couple of months ago, the poster art was shown and a very brief synopsis was given about Trejo playing a Vietnam Vet in a revenge movie. That’s all the info that was given. Fast forward to this last Friday and I get an alert via email that Bad Ass is available to rent OnDemand through amazon.com.

I watched it and enjoyed it, it was a good film. Afterwards I googled trying to find a good size trailer for the film to post with this review your now reading, I found video all right but it wasn’t what I expected.

For those who don’t know the back story, the premises for this movie was born out of an idea screen writer/director Craig Moss had after watching a viral video dubbed by fans the “Epic Beard Man.”

I had never seen this video before and was more than a little shocked once I did, and more so after I read about everything that transpired afterwards. For those who haven’t seen the original video it’s embedded below.

For probably the clearest and unbiased full picture of the events on that shaky camera footage I suggest you look here.

The reason I’m presenting the original video is because the official trailer to the film Bad Ass really does share more than a passing resemblance.

First off Danny Trejo has a beard, a fanny pack, a blue hat, and a shirt that says “I’m a Mother Fucker” on it. All of these traits are shared by the Epic Beard Man.

I think I have a unique perspective on this movie because I happen to be one of three people in the world who hasn’t watched the Epic Beard Man video before viewing Bad Ass. So was the movie any good, let’s find out.

The movie itself starts out with Trejo on a public transportation bus. He’s narrating the events that are about to unfold. We see two white Skin Heads make their way on the bus, if you’ve just watch the trailer you know what is soon to happen.

Before the ass beating ensues though we are treated to a rather long flash back where Trejo, or Frank Vega in the film tells about his childhood and growing up to be a decorated Vietnam Vet who loses his high school sweet heart.

The flash back goes on to explain how he’s basically been down on his luck since returning from war, eventually opening a hot dog stand that isn’t making much money these days.

Zoom back to present, and Vega is watching these two Skin Heads harass an elderly black man on the bus. He intervenes and moves to the front of the buss, only to be followed by the two Skin Heads. They touch him and he ignites into an ass whooping machine.

Several people on the bus are recording it all go down with their smart phones, when it’s over he says “I told you I didn’t want to fight” and then exits the bus to an applause. The video is uploaded on the net and goes viral he becomes somewhat of a celebrity and is dubbed Bad Ass.

From here on out the story turns into your basic revenge flick when an old Vietnam buddy of his is killed and he is fed up with the lack of action on the police side. Vega goes out on his own as a one old-man wrecking machine.

I need Amber Lamps

The film follows the revenge formula closely and overall gets it right. The direction was good, and Trejo really shined given the chance to play a lead role that wasn’t as over the top as Machete. Over all I really enjoyed it and would recommend a purchase of the DVD or BluRay once released on 6.5.12.

This movie is going for an action label to be associated with it, but I would have to say this is every bit an exploitation movie. Once you watch both the original Epic Beard Man footage and then the movie Bad Ass it becomes clear the film makers are exploiting the downright crazy events of that video.

It’s not just the opening sequence, throughout the film when a character is bleeding another character will tell them “you’re leaking” just like the lady taking the footage of the battered black man. After the final fight scene between Trejo and Charles S. Dutton, Dutton a black man tells the camera to “call an amba lance” just light the battered black man on the tape.

So am I’m offended about all this, in two words Hell No! You have to remember I’m the guy who enjoys Italian Cannibal movies. But I am curious about everyone else’s thoughts.