Ever since Sylvester Stallone got some of his mates – and rivals – to star alongside him in the hugely lucrative EXPENDABLES franchise in a new chapter of his creative blockbuster success, studios are now finding that a much older form of action hero can be as prosperous in the cinema as the younger generation whom appeal to the likes of fans loving the FAST & FURIOUS franchise, which has defied the law of diminishing returns to make even more money each time a new one is released.
A film that is definitely going to whet the B-movie appetites of fans across the decades, from the likes of THE WARRIORS through to the likes of AVATAR, is Joe Begos’ latest exploitationer VFW, which received its’ UK Premiere at this year’s ‘Glasgow Frightfest’
The title here stands for ‘Veterans of Foreign Wars (some of the more astute might remember something different from the 1976 DIRTY HARRY sequel, THE ENFORCER which was a little more un-PC in tone) and it’s the name of a bar where war veterans go to reflect on their long-gone action days.
Here, head bartender Fred Parras (AVATAR‘s Stephen Lang) meets up with his posse, amongst them Lou Clayton (KARATE KID‘s Martin Kove), Walter Reed (DIE HARD 2‘s William Sadler aka Col. Stuart), gruff black veteran Abe Hawkins (blaxploitation legend Fred Williamson) and Doug McCarthy (David Patrick Kelly aka Luther of 48 HRS / THE WARRIORS).
Throw in George Wendt aka Norm from CHEERS (nothing like a TV bar regular to prop up a film like this) and you have a key team of greying and aching talent who seem very content to keep things as they are.
Unfortunately, the bar is situated amidst a world of the future gone wrong – and once again, a vicious drug is proving to be the bane of everyone’s bad mindsets and vibes, presided over by evil drug baron Boz (Travis Hammer) who wastes no time offing a hyper by allowing her to commit suicide from a great height.
Unfortunately, the victim’s sister Lizard (Sierra McCormick) sneaks into Boz’s lair and commandeers what appears to be a hefty supply of the drug, titled ‘Hype’, in an act of revenge. On the run, she happens to chance upon the VFW bar – and a stand-off of brutal proportions between Boz and the ‘Boys-back-from-Nam-ages-ago’ is on the cards….
Right…..here goes….
I strongly doubt VFW will fulfil any award season considerations, any more than it will achieve the heights of THE EXPENDABLES success. It’s derivative and unoriginal, with echoes of John Carpenter’s ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 and the Karl Urban DREDD original. Clichés are abound in this – and don’t expect any real subtlety amidst the admittedly impressive make-up and gore effects on show here. This is primarily a beer-and-curry-on-Saturday-night special.
However, the real joy of this film is to see a quintet of cult film favourites together in the same film. Anybody who loved Kelly’s bottle-clicking taunt to Michael Beck and co in THE WARRIORS will love to see him here. In addition, seeing Kove, Lang, Sadler and Williamson in the same room will also add to the gleefully bloody charm of this one-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Like RAMBO: LAST BLOOD, what VFW lacks in intellectual conviction, it compensates with its’ full-on blood and guts routine.
It’s also a cheerful crowd-pleaser – and one that firmly belongs with the fans.
VFW will be available on Digital Download from 9th March
