Hey there readers. Well I can
honestly say today's film has been a long time coming. I have been
looking forward to this since February. With its substantial cast,
its almost Assault on Precinct 13 vibe and simplistic but decent
story idea, this promises to be fun. With the conglomeration of
Fangoria working in junction with Channel 83 Films,
Voltage Pictures and
Shudder brings about
a collection of genre actors being bad ass war veterans versus a passel of drug addicted mutants bringing all the madness. This is
VFW.
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| SHOTS!!! |
Writer/producer/director
Joe Begos (Almost
Human, The Mind's Eye, Bliss and VFW)
with co-writers Max Brallier
(The Last Kids on Earth and VFW)
and Matthew McArdle (VFW)
our story opens with grainy appearance with hot neon and almost a 16
mm 70's exploitation feel with 80's known character actors. I'm
always down for such, as it is my one of my favorite sub-genre.
The opioid of the
masses is called Hype and there are more than enough addicts longing
for their next fix. Seriously, this crap makes Meth look like Fruit
Loops.
With
a buy of 500k on the line, dealer Boz (Travis Hammer of
The Last Ship, Westworld, Ray Donovan, Godles, Monsters of God and
The Unsettling) has been
hoarding Hype from the masses and chaos is in the streets. Guys,
there's always tweak, coke and crack still. C'mon, go old school.
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| She should have skipped the pate'. |
The
bar is full and a celebration is on at VFW Post 2494. Tending bar is
our birthday boy Fred (Stephen Lang of Manhunter,
Project X, Crime Story, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Tombstone, Shadow
Conspiracy, Fire Down Below, Public Enemies, Avatar and Don't
Breathe), former Vietnam
vet hanging with his buddies: vets Reed (William Sadler
of Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, Bill &
Ted's Bogus Journey, The Shawshank Redemption, Hawaii Five-0, Z
Nation, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Duel, Power and The Highwaymen),
Clayton (Martin Kove of The Last House on the Left,
Death Race 2000, Beyond Westworld, Bloodtide, The Karate Kid, Rambo:
First Blood Part II, Cagney & Lacey, Firehawk, Wyatt Earp,
Assault on Devil's Island, Black Scorpion Returns and Revamped).
Korean
vet Abe (Fred Williamson of Hammer, The Inglorious
Bastards, 1990: The Bronx Warriors, Warriors of the Wasteland, Cobra
nero South Beach, From Dusk Till Dawn, Vegas Vampires, Zombie
Apocalypse: Redemption and Dropping Evil)
McCarthy (David Patrick Kelly of The Warriors, 48 Hrs.,
Commando, Twin Peaks, The Crow, Last Man Standing, Gossip Girl and
Blue Bloods)booze hound
Zabriski (NORM! George Wendt of Cheers, House, Fletch,
Wild About Harry, Becker, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Saturday Night
Live, Modern Men, Clipped, Wake Up America!, Eddie's and Bliss)
and young Army Ranger sharpshooter returned home Mason (Tom
Williamson of All Cheerleaders Die, Dark Nights, Collision, No Way to
Live, Running Wild, NCIS, BSU: Black Student Union,The Fosters and
Blue Bloods) as they all
enjoy the night of stories told and drinks being thrown back.
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| Hmm, this girl might be a bit crazy like. |
Punk
kid Lizard (Sierra McCormick of Land of the Lost, Jack
and Janet Save the Planet, A.N.T. Farm, Jessie, The Christmas Trap,
All Good Things and VFW)
pulls a snatch and grab on the Hypers, a gang of junkies and dealers
for more than half a million dollars in junk. Desperate for a change
and a place to hide out, she sneaks into the bar, putting everyone in
danger.
Lizard tells them
that seven different kinds of Hell are about to rain down on the VFW
and they better get their crap together because it's going to hit and
hit in biblical proportions.
Most of these
Hypers are brain dead and ravenous for their next fix. Think Zach
Synder's Dawn of the Dead mixed with a little Umberto Lenzi's
Nightmare City, with zombies using firearms and melee weapons.
That's what our fightin' boys are up against. Lizard or "Liz"
gives them the low down and the fellas gear up.
With limited
rounds, improvised melee weapons and some good old fashioned know-how,
our boys know the pucker factor is at a nine. A small army of
crackheads is making their move and the boys are getting tired and
running out of time. FYI, the exposition told us the cops aren't
hitting the neighborhood and the options are running low.
Few observations,
the synth score really feels John Carpenter worthy via Escape from New
York, the gangers and hypers are amusingly all white so you're damn
right I laughed at that. Far too many films of this sub-genre hire
latinos and blacks to fill the junkie/street punks and yes if you
really need examples of that, just look at the Dirty Harry and Death
Wish franchise and you'll be hip to that cliche'.
Martin
Kove's son Jesse (Ballistica, First Day, Axe Giant: The
Wrath of Paul Bunyan, As Night Comes,Steve the Intern and The Black
Hole) has followed in his
father's footsteps and got the acting bug for a solid ten years.
Good on you, man. A decade of work in anything deserves some
congrats.
With the slow pace
story telling, making a build up for the second act and brother this
is a bloody flick. Not the bloodiest I have seen but it is on par
with From Dusk Till Dawn for solid gore effects brought by Chris
A. Wilks (CIA: Comrade in America, Queen of the South,
Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich, Satanic Panic and The Chosen)
and Bob Trevino (Wild America, Open Range, The Alamo,
Glory Road, Predators, Machete, The Expendables, The Good Guys and
Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe).
For 92 minutes I have
been entertained and I am glad to have this in my collection. An
homage to the midnight grindhouse and sleazy horror of the 70s and
80s, a overall vibe that felt like a tribute to the masters of the
sub-genre to the likes of Umberto Lenzi, John Carpenter, Jack Hill and
throw in some Tobe Hooper for good measure, I was not disappointed.
So for an easy story to follow about old age, the grind of life,
honor and giving a damn; this one covers that pretty well.
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| Got any change?! |
