Plot synopsis
After exposing Mayor Williams's corruption and helping in the arrest of his partner Panther, Frank Vega has opened a community boxing center, becoming a coach to kids in the ring and outside of it. He shares his building with Bernie Pope; a grumpy man who suffers from agoraphobia and operates the liquor store on the first floor.
Frank forms a special bond with Manny Parks, his star pupil who is getting ready to debut for his professional match. Frank and Manny watch a video of his upcoming opponent but Manny leaves early after receiving a text message. Before leaving he gifts Frank a cellphone with a video he recorded on it for him. The video is Manny thanking Frank for everything he has done for him and how much Frank means to him becoming a second father after the death of Manny’s Father.
Manny meets with Adolfo Herrera, his boss who is angry with Manny for skimming his profits. Adolfo's men try to kill Manny but Frank's training allows Manny to fight back and beat them, but after turning his back to stare down Adolfo, Manny is stabbed from behind and killed instantly.
News reaches Frank, who is heartbroken and later attends Manny's memorial at his house comforting his mom Rosaria and little sister Julia. Rosaria asks Frank for help in finding Manny's killers but Frank doesn't give a clear answer. Back at his building he and Bernie argue again but are then confronted by armed men wanting rob Bernie. Frank fights them off saving Bernie, he later learns from his friend Officer Malark that Manny had narcotic pills on him indicating he died due to drug dealing. Angry at the revelation Frank scolds his students in the morning that he will not tolerate drug dealing in his gym, after which he talks to Tucson, his other close student, and Manny's friend about Manny's dealing but Tucson denies any knowledge. Frank doesn't believe him and tails Tucson to an apartment complex where he receives pills to distribute. Frank interrogates Tucson who reveals Manny sold the pills for a few months to support his family but was going to quit after his pro debut match.
Frank breaks into the dealers' room, assaults them, and burns their product resulting in Adolfo informing his father Leandro Herrera; an Argentina diplomat, and the local Cartel Leader about Frank's actions. Frank back at his home gets drunk after tearfully playing Manny's video again, he tries to wake Bernie to buy more alcohol but Bernie doesn't answer prompting Frank to leave. He is confronted by Adolfo's men who taunt him by insulting Manny. Frank tries to defend himself but his intoxication and the many men are too much for him. Before he is killed, Bernie finally breaks his phobia and saves Frank by beating the men with a hockey stick. Frank tortures one of the men for info but only gets Adolfo's name.
Bernie patches Frank up and opens up about his past. Bernie was a talented hockey player in the minor leagues whose dream was to be the first African-American to play in the National Hockey League but was forced to retire early due to an injury, later on, he developed a rare liver disease and can't be put on a donor list due to his age giving him six months at most to live. Bernie tells Frank he wants to help him with the time he has left, Frank accepts and the two set out to find Adolfo.
Bernie takes Frank to his old Ford Bronco II to drive, but it is broken down from years of neglect forcing them to use the city bus to the dealers' apartment. The place is cleared out, so Frank decides to ask his friend Carmen (a flirtatious police officer) to give him Manny's belongings from the evidence room. She refuses at first not wanting to risk her job but Frank convinces her to give him Manny's stuff.
Frank and Bernie go through Manny’s contact list and locates his supplier 'Hammer' at his college dorm, where Frank after a brief fight uses a fan to injure Hammer's genitalia for Adolfo's whereabouts.
Adolfo later much to his frustration hears from his right-hand man about Frank surviving the Hit and what he did to Hammer. In retaliation he blows up the Bad Asses’ building, forcing them to stay with Rosaria in the meantime. The Bad Asses use the info from Hammer to find Adolfo at his vacation home, break in, and stab Adolfo in the eye with an ice pick. They force him to set up Leandro at a location where Frank makes the arrest, though Leandro is unbothered by the situation. Frank informs Rosaria who is happy about the news and the two become romantically close.
Frank's celebration about the arrest and having his insurance cover the cost of repairing his building is cut short when Malark tells him Leandro has diplomatic immunity and can't be arrested without solid proof of his crimes. Furious Frank and Bernie use a taxi to follow Leandro to a meat packing plant which Leandro is using as a front to deliver his drugs. They are caught, tortured, and left to die in a freezer till Frank uses a charm bracelet, Julia gave to him to cut his and Bernie's bindings. They escape to Rosaria's home to find she has been taken by Adolfo, Julia tells Frank to use the tracker app on his phone she set up to find Rosaria. Before they can rescue her the taxi leaves due to their limited funds but Tucson arrives with Bernie's repaired truck.
The Bad Asses chase down Adolfo, after avoiding being shot at by his men and destroying their helicopter with a grenade, they capture Adolfo and force Leandro into a trade for Rosaria. Leandro agrees and meets the two for the trade. Rosaria is returned, and she tries to warn Frank that Leandro has a hidden gunman in his vehicle, but Bernie kills him at the last second with his old gun from the truck’s glove compartment he thought was unusable. The rest of Leandro's men arrive, and arrogantly he challenges Frank to a fistfight bringing up Manny as well. Leandro is dominant at first but Frank's fury also him to violently beat him to death, with the police arriving later to arrest Adolfo and the gunmen.
Frank and everyone celebrate defeating the Herreras, Frank and Rosaria continue to be involved with each other, and Bernie is recovering from successful surgery having taken the dead Leandro's liver along with Hammer's girlfriend he flirted with earlier.
