In Hollywood, while there are actors who are considered superstars, there are also those who make a living supporting them. Oftentimes called ‘character actors’, many of these actors can end up being more memorable than the leads. Some of the most prominent character actors include Lin Shaye, Keith David, Kurt Fuller, Jared Harris, and Clancy Brown. However, there are times where a character actor can transition into being a superstar, like Terry Crews and Octavia Spencer. There’ve even been movies whose primary cast is character actors, including The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. Enter Joe Begos, a relatively new director who made his feature film debut with 2013’s Almost Human. After making 2015’s The Mind’s Eye, Begos gained a lot more attention for his 2019 film Bliss. That same year, Begos directed what has become his most critically acclaimed film to date, VFW.

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Synopsis

Vietnam veteran Fred (Stephen Lang) runs a VFW post, meeting up with friends Walter (William Sadler) and Abe (Fred Williamson). One night, Walter, Abe, Lou (Martin Kove), Doug (David Patrick Kelly), and Thomas (George Wendt) come to celebrate Fred’s birthday. Unfortunately, things go south when a young woman named Lizard (Sierra McCormick) storms in with gang members after her. The veterans make fast work of them, but demand to know what’s going on and why the gang’s after her. Turns out she stole drugs from local crime boss Boz (Travis Hammer) after he killed her sister Lucy (Linnea Wilson). Even worse, one of the punks the veterans killed was Boz’s brother Tank (Josh Ethier), so he also wants revenge. Unfortunately, Thomas gets killed and Doug is critically wounded, so the others must fight to stay alive throughout the night. Will the vets survive, or will the gang kill them all?

 

Review

Whereas Super 8 felt like J.J. Abrams’ tribute to Steven Spielberg, VFW feels like Joe Begos’ tribute to John Carpenter. The film takes its inspiration from Assault on Precinct 13 with some elements from Escape from New York thrown in. Stylistically, there are some Argento and Fulci influences with the vivid colors and use of shadows and darkness. This results in a hyper-stylized look that fits along with the unbridled insanity and over-the-top violence on display. You’ll see heads exploding, limbs being cut off, faces getting stomped, and blood splattered everywhere bordering on being gratuitous. Thankfully, for all the violence and action thrown in, there are plenty of moments for exposition and character development. The cast is fantastic, with Lang and McCormick, in particular, being the major highlights and the heart of the story. Hammer makes for a solid villain, and Dora Madison is good as his accomplice.

The rest of the main cast alongside Lang is comprised of some of Hollywood’s greatest veteran character actors. Even though some don’t have much screen time, each of them is given a moment to shine they excel in. Williamson and Kove are still major powerhouses as always, and Sadler also has some fun moments where he’s unhinged. Also, Tom Williamson plays a young Army veteran who more than holds his own against these Hollywood veterans. There are tons of practical effects work for the blood and gore, which further adds to the film’s visceral quality. Honestly, it’s a much better tribute to 80s action than The Expendables films, which use tons of CGI blood. Much like those films, this goes to show that no matter how old they are, actors can still be awesome. Overall, VFW is an enjoyably brutal horror-action fan sure to please genre aficionados.

 

Buy VFW from DiabolikDVD: https://bit.ly/3gLnUuS

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