Bad Ass (film)

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Bad Ass
Bad Ass poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Craig Moss
Written byCraig Moss
Elliot Tishman
Produced byAsh R. Shah
Starring Danny Trejo
Charles S. Dutton
Patrick Fabian
Joyful Drake
John Duffy
Harrison Page
Richard Riehle
Ron Perlman
CinematographyJohn Barr
Edited byJim Flynn
Music byTodd Haberman
Production
companies
Amber Lamps, LLC
Silver Nitrate
Distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films
20th Century Fox (Non-USA, USA DVD)
Release date
  • April 13, 2012 (2012-04-13)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Bad Ass is a 2012 American action film written and directed by Craig Moss. The film stars Danny Trejo, Charles S. Dutton, and Ron Perlman. [1] [2] [3] It is loosely based on the 2010 AC Transit Bus fight viral video.

Contents

Plot

Unemployed Vietnam War veteran Frank Vega gains unexpected fame when he beats up two abusive skinheads on a bus. Nicknamed "Bad Ass," he becomes a celebrity, with his face on T-shirts and graffiti. He is even invited on talk shows and offered ride-alongs by the police.

His best friend and fellow veteran, Klondike Washington, moves in with him and entrusts Frank with a USB flash drive. However, Klondike is murdered in an alley by two thugs, leaving Frank devastated.

Frustrated by the police's lack of progress, Frank takes it upon himself to investigate. He discovers a spent cartridge casing and a pendant with a woman's picture at the crime scene. The pendant leads him to a pawn shop where he learns it belongs to a man named Terence.

Frank tracks Terence down and learns that Terence is with his girlfriend. After finding her at a massage parlor, Frank follows her and breaks into her house. He interrogates Terence about his boss, who ordered Klondike's murder. Frank discovers that Klondike was killed because of the flash drive, which contains information about an oil well project connected to Mayor Williams.

Frank eventually hands the flash drive to Officer Malark and confronts Panther, the drug lord responsible for Klondike's murder. Frank is captured and tortured to get him reveal the flash drive's location. Panther discovers Frank's address in his wallet and heads there. Frank follows and beats Panther in a fight. Panther is arrested, and the news exposes Mayor Williams' involvement in the scandal. Frank moves forward with his life.

Cast

Production

Bad Ass was loosely based on the AC Transit Bus fight, which was filmed by a bystander and became a viral video on YouTube. [4] Production was completed by May 2011.

Soundtrack

Release

SC Films picked up sales rights to the film with plans to present it to buyers at the Cannes Film Festival. [1] The film has been sold to Wild Bunch for distribution in Germany and to Pinnacle Films for distribution in Australia. Subsequently, distribution arrangements were made with Samuel Goldwyn Films for USA theatrical release on April 13, 2012, as well as 20th Century Fox for ancillary rights and international all media distribution.

Sequels

Two sequels have been released. The first, Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses , was released in 2014, and co-starred Danny Glover. Trejo and Glover were paired again for the third film, Bad Asses on the Bayou , released on March 6, 2015.

Reception

Reviews of the film were mostly negative, with some news articles wondering if the film was actually real or a hoax. [5] Vulture's Sarah Benned commented on the preview, saying "This trailer for Bad Ass (loosely based on this viral video) is either a parody, the trailer for a parody, or just an excuse to make Danny Trejo beat people up while wearing a fanny pack. It's your call." [6] Cinema Blend compared the trailer to Trejo's mock-trailer for Machete , saying "This could be a spoof trailer sandwiched in the middle of a Grindhouse sequel. Then again, that worked for Machete, so why couldn't it kick-start Bad Ass, as well?" [7]

Los Angeles Times critic Mark Olsen stated, "It's often difficult to tell what's bad on purpose or just badly handled. Perhaps it is just difficult to compete with the strange spontaneity of something like a viral video; the way it takes on its own momentum may be something that can't be replicated." [8]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 20% approval rating, based on reviews from 5 critics. [9]

References

  1. 1 2 Walkuski, Eric (May 5, 2011). "Danny Trejo is a badass in his next movie, titled Bad-Ass!". JoBlo . Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  2. ↑ Fischer, Russ (December 24, 2011). "Danny Trejo is a Fightin' Meme". /Film . Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Danny Trejo Is a Bad Ass as the Beard Man in This Epic Trailer". Geek Tyrant. December 24, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Danny Trejo is Epic Beard Man in "Bad Ass" Trailer". Worst Previews. December 24, 2011. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  5. ↑ Haglund, David (December 28, 2011). "Bad Ass, the Deeply Uncomfortable "Epic Beard Man" Rip-off". Slate. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  6. ↑ Bennett, Sarah (January 26, 2011). "Watch the Trailer for Bad Ass, Decide If It's Real". New York Magazine . Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  7. ↑ O'Connell, Sean. "Danny Trejo Delivers Street Justice In Bad Ass Trailer, Based On A Viral Video". December 26, 2011. Cinemablend. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  8. ↑ Olsen, Mark (April 14, 2012). "Movie review: 'Bad Ass' has rough time extending 'Epic Beard Man'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Bad Ass (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 13, 2025.
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